medics aboard

[cappy]

As a ist tripper in sydney .....i had good fun in the rocks area bars .....but standing on circular quay in the 50s was a lot different to circular quay of today .......any way i had a case of beer i hoped to get aboard with ...old roberts the old man was not a lover of booze coming aboard ...to put it mildly ......circular quay was made of old railway type sleepers .....cracked and filled with long splinters.....as i picked up the beer a splinter about as thick as a match stick shot up my finger fromthe nail to the knuckle half way up my finger...even though i had a few beers aboard....it was quite painful ......any way got back on the ship and turned in ....only to wake about 4 in the morning with more than a little pain to say the least and my finger looking a light purple shade plus my hand with pins and needles.....seeing the chief stewards cabin door open and light on i went and ased him what i should do .......he was pissed and had not been turned in .......aha ses he i will get a scalpel and cut a v in your nail get some tweezers ad pull the splinter out ....as his atempt to cut a v was very poor to say the least as my finger was now bleeding copiously .....i was not impressed with his surgical skills....then appears mr mate .....what a bloody mess he ses your half pissed......i will get the splinter out .....more cutting but still no splinter out which just fell apart each time the splinter was pulled.....by now i was not filled with confidence to say the least ......my finger end was leaking like a sieve through the shredded tip of my finger ......the mate then ses bandage it up and go to the hospital ......on asking where would that be he said get a taxi and ask him ....he gave me ten bob and off i went ......a doctor took one look ......gave me a anesthetic in my hand cut the length of the splinter and pulled it out ...then gave me a penicillin jab ......and said i should sue the chief steward the mate the captain and the shipping company.....THE UNION WAS NOT MENTIONED EVEN IN THE TIME OF THE UNION RULING THE COUNTRY IN OZ,,,,,louis take note ,,,,,,i then had a course of M andB tablets at sea ....iwas on the brink of gangarene......but it was my own fault any way ........happy days ....R683532

[j.sabourn]

If the mate or the Chief Steward of had the nerve to call Roberts he would have solved the problem no doubt, he would of said stick it in your mouth and suck it out , or more likely just say suck it and see. Did you get charged for the M and B tablets and did you sign for the 10/-. ? Cheers JS


PS The mate wasnt a big heavy set bloke called Dean (Surname) christened Dixie first name was it ? JS

[cappy]

If the mate or the Chief Steward of had the nerve to call Roberts he would have solved the problem no doubt, he would of said stick it in your mouth and suck it out , or more likely just say suck it and see. Did you get charged for the M and B tablets and did you sign for the 10/-. ? Cheers JS

Well john that bleedin chief steward wanted me to sign ..but i protested my finger was too sore and i got off tatty peelin for a week .....

[j.sabourn]

Couldnt of been Andy Main then he would of had you sticking your finger in one of his makeshift spitoons come capstan tins to kill any infections after he had first revitalised the tin by adding a bit more flegmn for the bacteria to work, and giving you a one handed spud peeler. JS

[cappy]

no john it was a bloke called allinson ...or simlar from north shields very dark bit of colour i think .....always kept saying .....well you little shitehawk ...when you get back to shields you will be able to go to nortrianis ....and eat ice cream all day then laugh.hahahaha......little did he know every time the cook sent me up to his cabin ....for the next day menu .....i would grab a slug of rum if he wasnt in .....and the odd ciggie.....FFS ice cream i was a proper seaman .....well i thought so any way.......happy days

[cappy]

the steward was allinson or similar the mate was a geordie but cant remember his name....decent bloke though ....

[j.sabourn]

Gault ? JS

[Sylvia Grinham]

My husband Stan Grinham ( known as Goolie) often mentioned Dixie. You didn't happen to know my Husband did you? His best friend was Roger (known as Doughnut). I am looking for stories about him from those that knew him. He passed away in July 2018. Even naughty stories ( he told me a few , even one about Dixie) I miss hearing he stories,, especially the ones that were a bit risqué.

[j.sabourn]

Sylvia you arent referring to my post and Dixie Dean are you. Dixie was master on one of Runciman ships later on in life after I had left them. The master at the time of my brief description of his losing his thumb Capt. Roberts was master who was from Sunderland. The last time I saw Dixie was in 1964 and was in Liverpool , I can remember because I hadnt been long married and we were coming out of a cinema after seeing Dr. No and he was on the other side of the street shouting and waving his thumb in the air shouting its growing back. If you think it is the same Dixie its a helluva long shot unless you know his surname. Regards JS