Jumping ship in Oz.

[Duke Drennan]

Over the years I’ve always been surprised at the many crew members that jumped ship in Oz. I’d be interested to hear how they managed to remain there without deportation and any immigration hassles they encountered. I’m sure others got there through the 10 quid deal that existed back in the sixties also.
I only made one trip to Oz and one of the stewards did a runner, never to be seen again.
Any interesting stories out there.

[Doc Vernon]

Well in the earlier days Duke i do recall that the immigration was not near as strict as it is these days. One incident was my late Uncle who was with the P&O Liners for many Years (Also UCL of course)
Anyway he met a Lady here in Sydney a few trips earlier and then decided to just finish and stay ashore,after some 30 odd Years at Sea, he was then a British Subject (ex South African)
Anyway so he just never went back to the Ship, and apparently as he told me later when we met up here in Sydney that he never once got any visits etc from immigration. After about Six Months he then decided to get hitched to his Lady and that was that, he was then in like Flint!
So i guess there must have been many such cases plus others of course?
Who knows which way the wind blows! LOL
cHEERS

[Denis O'Shea]

Don't if true or not but was once told if they arrested you they put you in jail for 3 weeks and then gave you the opportunity to stay and work in oz or be deported.

[Doc Vernon]

Brings to mind an incident of my dear late Brother, who was caught in the UK , and spent 3 Months (Not 3 Weeks) in an open Prison, on release he got a visit from the Law ,and asked if he wanted to stay and take out Citizenship of the UK.
He refused those days, and just kept on living there untill his return to Cape Town some 4 Years later.
So how was all that done then ??
Who knows~!

[happy daze john in oz]

There were many who did the jump, I was one that had the chance but never took it at the time.

We had one member, Jim passed away a few years back, who jumped in the late 50's maybe early 60.
He had no idea what to do on what he told me was his second day ashore.
Saw an add with one of the five motor manufactures we had here then in Melbourne.
Went in and was asked what his occupation was, before he knew it he was employed.
Started next day paint spraying cars, something he told me he had never done before.

He was never approached by immigration or the police and a couple of years later married a local girl.

I was offered a position with BHP, guy I knew from UCL had returned home to Oz and married, I met up with him in Sydney and he offered me a job.

Turned it down, but came back 16 years later under the small business scheme.

[Captain Kong]

I jumped in Auckland New Zealand and the Police had me on the ship again in two days from Napier., fastest skin out ever...................Frome my story of the NEW ZEALAND STAR. ......1953/54

.................I could have stayed there for ever, with Margaret. So I decided to jump when we got to Auckland, then go back to Napier. The police would be searching for me in Auckland and not Napier so it would be easier to get away with. Or so I thought.
Napier was a very small town in those days and every one knew each other.
Big Johannssen, her dad, said he could get me a job at the meat works in Hastings on big money, sounded good to me.
We sailed one evening after six weeks alongside and the whole town turned out to the pier to see us go.
As we cleared the pier they all started to sing `Now is the hour` or `Aotearoa`
We were choked listening to them, their voices fading away as we headed off up the Pacific coast, what a wonderful send off.
A couple of days later we arrived at one of the piers in Auckland near to Queens Street, on Friday morning.
I got a big sub and went to the Bus Station to check out the times of buses down to Napier and early on Saturday morning I was away with a small bag, down the Station and off to Napier again. No one would miss me until Monday when Mad MacAskill would be searching for me….
What a hell of a journey that was, It was around 200 miles and across the plains to Taupo, a bite to eat, a changed of buses, and then to Napier, it took over eight hours.
I got to Margaret`s home around six pm. The family Johansen made me welcome.
They let me have a shower and change, the pubs had long closed so we just went for a walk around the promenade. Mr Johansen said he would take me to his friend, a manager at the meat works in Hastings, about three miles down the road, on Monday.
On Sunday we had the day around the beach and visiting some of her friends and then we went into our favourite coffee bar, the Coconut Grove. We were having a drink with some friends when a Policeman walked in to order a coffee, He looked around and saw Margaret, said hello to her, asked how her Dad was and then looked at me. I recognised him as one of the Policemen who frequented the sly grog at the Criterion pub.
“Are you off the New Zealand Star”? He asked, “didn’t she sail a couple of days ago?”
`Oh bloody hell`, I thought, I was caught, only been here 24 hours.
“Better come with me while we sort a few things out”.
We walked down to the Station and into the Office. He telephoned the Agent, and inquired as to the whereabouts of the New Zealand Star, `Auckland eh. When is she sailing and where to? Tuesday to London, what is the Agents phone number in Auckland?, Right, thanks for your help.`
He turns to me and says, “So your ship is in Auckland ready to sail to England, you are here with Margaret, I would guess that you have jumped ship”.
“No I have just come back here for the weekend to see Margaret, I am going back to the ship before it sails” I said. “I think you had better stay here for the night so we can keep an eye on you while we make inquiries. Margaret can stay with you until 10pm then we will start in the morning and sort you out.” I went into a cell, Margaret was weeping, we just sat in silence holding hands. At 10 pm Margaret went home and another Policeman took over. “Better get your head down son, it will be an early start” At six am I was called and the man took me across the road to a café and bought me breakfast.
“Now what we have decided is to put you on the bus to Taupo, another Policeman will be waiting for you and he will make sure you are on the Auckland bus. In Auckland your Agent will be waiting and take you back to the ship. OK? You are in a position of trust. Let us down and we will have you. Go back to England and apply to emigrate to here through the proper channels, and you will be much better off, we need young fellas like you here but do it right.” The Policemen in Napier were the best I have ever come across, very helpful and easy going. I thought about leaping off the bus at one of the small townships that we passed through, I didn’t have any money, I could not go back to Napier, the Police knew me. I was only 18 and the option the Policeman had given me was to go home and emigrate back, that way I would be welcome there instead of being a fugitive, he said if I refused then I would go to court and if I was Deported that would go against me if I tried to immigrate there. So I decided to go home, I would be there in five weeks so that is what I did.
At 7am I was on the bus to Taupo and there was a Policeman who came on board asking for me. He bought me a meal in the café and then got me onto the Auckland bus. I arrived in Auckland late afternoon and was met by the Agent who took me down to the ship. It must have been the quickest skin out ever.
Captain Rhodes gave me a load of abuse, I had been adrift for Saturday, Sunday and now Monday, He logged me three days pay. One Pound Ten Shillings, a lot of money then when I was on £15 a month.
Mad MacAskill was in fine form calling me a Liverpool Ba5tard again.
I never saw Margaret again, and I didn’t emigrate when I arrived home, we wrote to each other for a long time then it faded away.....................................

Brian

[Les Woodard]

Well skinned out for the second time in 69 had many jobs and even got permit to work in Bougainville copper project under an alias. Early seventies was working on bush jobs and met the sheriff so thought it best to come clean. Fronting the boss and telling him that I was leaving the firm but my best mate wanted the job. His name is L Woodard. I still have my references from that firm under both names LOL. Finally got my citizenship done in 88 but can only say that through the years many close calls that are to many to put on site. Mixing with others in the same situation made it seem that I still had contact with the sea. Four jumped ship 1 in NZ and returned to ship after six weeks inside. Three times in Oz and the middle one was similar to the NZ experience and returned to ship after five weeks inside. Even got double VG both times. The last time was simply because the Southland Star showed me the way the MN was going and did not like it one little bit and time has proved me right.

[John Bache]

Over the years I’ve always been surprised at the many crew members that jumped ship in Oz. I’d be interested to hear how they managed to remain there without deportation and any immigration hassles they encountered. I’m sure others got there through the 10 quid deal that existed back in the sixties also.
I only made one trip to Oz and one of the stewards did a runner, never to be seen again.
Any interesting stories out there.

Hi,I was on a port boat,the wyindom in Auckland ,the secret to jumping boat was to jump in nz and fly to oz or vice a versa. One of our edh did that and we saw him in Sydney later.

[Bruce Morris]

In about 1967 one of our junior engineers was landed ashore in Newcastle NSW Aus with appendicitis, perhaps worse - can't remember.

Anyway, he fell in love with a nurse at the hospital and wanted to marry and stay in Aus.

The authorities wouldn't allow it and insisted that he be repatriated to the UK at the shipowners cost and then apply to immigrate.

[David Robins]

My uncle jumped ship in Oz at the end of WWII. Worked on the land for awhile and then ran a pub in Melbourne. I met him in the 70s. He wanted to return home to Ireland for a visit but without a passport he couldn't. I explained there had been a number of amnesties since the war. Sorted out his residency, passport and flight home.
In recent times a mate was deported from Oz for overstaying his visa. Back in the UK he changed his name by deed poll. With his new name and new passport he was back in Oz within months.