Breaking news

[j.sabourn]

In a shock move, the English Cricket Board have announced Tennis World No. 1 Novak Djokovic as temporary batting coach .
“ we acknowledge he doesn’t have a background in our sport, but we couldn’t overlook the fact it took Australia two weeks to get him out “.

JS

[happy daze john in oz]

To add to his demise one of his sponsors for who he does adverts has said it may cancell his $40 mil contact.
Poor bugger, just cos he is not jabbed.

[Doc Vernon]

Hear he about to Sue our Government for some 6 Million Aussie Dollars!
What a life!

[j.sabourn]

Just shows sport ain’t wot it used ter be . It’s just big business . JS.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Around 1950 we were held up in Melbourne by a rail strike, I was only a deck boy but took on the night watchman's job, as they wanted the Abs to get the shifting boards ready along with the shore crew, Aussie wages. A test match was on in the Melbourne cricket grounds, so at midnight I used to pull up the gangway and have a snooze. Then next day I used to get some sandwiches off the cook and go to the match, must have been either cheap or free as I didn't have much cash. I think the English Captains name was Brown, can't remember who won, but had a great time listening to the Aussie wisecracks being yelled from the stand. Wouldn't do it now, the place fills with yobos.
Des

[j.sabourn]

That was always a thing in Australia Des, fitting out with shifting boards and feeder boxes . The unions used to kick up if it had been done in Singapore or by ships crew and would look for fault so as to pull down and to redo by shore labour.. used to require a lot of tact to come to some agreement . Was the same in Canada . Today on purpose built grain ships is a piece of pish compared to the old days. The old ships proper carpenter earned his wages fitting out for Grain . There was plenty of overtime then , and was 10 times cheaper than shore labour. JS

[Ivan Cloherty]

#5 and #6 those memories of the Antipodes and their rules, always in their favour of course and good or bad depended upon your position on board or area of responsibility. As a cadet in the 50's NZ was manna from heaven as port authorities allowed no work on a Sunday, not even painting, (hell for the Mate) as the quays were open to the public and were allowed on board the ships and it was of course the 'Sabbath' and everyone dressed in their finery with those gorgeous girls strictly chaperoned and off limits.

In the land of OZ you could arrive with a brand new ship from the builders yard and they would find something wrong which required a shoregang to repair it, you tried to be one step ahead but depending on which side the gang boss got out of bed decided whether or not your ship worked that day.

[j.sabourn]

Canada’s was similar Ivan , both up the lakes and outside the lakes .I was mate on the Warkworth one time and we had to load 5 different types of grain classed as sample corn and sample flax wheat and barley and corn with no definite stowage factor only an approximation.The ship itself had been fitted out with a feeder in every hatch and a couple of bulkheads in the tween decks. So I worked the stability plan for the surveyor for arrival . He came up the gangway with a gang of carpenters , looked at the plan and couldn’t find fault with the free surface effects and the loss of GM etc. However queried the stowage factors and said you might have to build more bulkheads in the tween decks. I said no you tell me the correct S F and will have done. He couldn’t do that , but he sat on the Quay in a caravan watching to make sure she filled out.I won’t say If I didn’t cheat by having a small spillage here and there but he never saw. So I gave him a bottle of whiskey. Found out later he had been the surveyor who had loaded the Ambassador lost shortly before he supervised our loading. However the shore carpenters that trip didn’t make
anything unless the surveyor gave them a tot out of the Whisky . This was in Halifax Nova Scotia. JS

[cappy]

didnt you get a nahwal walking stick john for being the ist vessel i churchill or one of them ports....seeem to remember the shields gazette always made it known if a geordie boy was ist through the ice .......cappy

[Ivan Cloherty]

..seeem to remember the shields gazette always made it known if a geordie boy was ist through the ice .......cappy

Them geordie boys never took ice with their drinks, that was for southern softies