Albert Dock Liverpool.

The slave trade in one form or another still goes on today, not quite as it was back then but in many countries, Middle East, parts of Africa and the Malaysian region.


A slave trade of sorts was discovered here in Melbourne a couple of hears ago, young girls from a number of poor countries were brought here under some disguise as au Peres but were locked up and used as sex slaves.

Go back to the early days of Oz, the first settlers, mainly convicts often deported for something as simple as stealing a loaf of bread, were treated little better than slaves in the early days of settlement.

But times change and we hope that man learns from past mistakes.
The worst part of all though is that schools now no longer teach history so there is the danger that at some time it may happen again.

The Albert Dock was the site of the practical aspect of the Lifeboat Course for many years. The theory was at Mann Island - and only a short walk to that lovely historical dock. I was on the last Lifeboat Course to be held in the dock in January 1968. At the end of the course most of the practical exam was when we rowed downriver to the course's new location at Trafalgar Dock. As we were doing our 'Man Overboard' tests, it started to snow. It was a very cold week.

As I read this post, I had a flash back to late 40s when my dad who was a fitter for MD & HB took my sister and I to see what the docks were like. I remember seeing big square bales of cotton that had come in and crates witch I think Austin cars for export. We had ride on overhead and really enjoyed it till we came to ‘Dad’s ‘ office. We thought it would be a posh place with desk and were sadly disappointed to see tatty shed with a bunch of dirty overalls hanging on wall and stained mugs on a table. Was a good memory.