S.s.athenic

[Bob Dunkley]

Bob still waiting on those photos cant you find them bob

[kurutai]

Hi Aussie, great to hear from you. Thanks! I well remember Dave Smith, his brother Terry was also on that trip. I seem to remember them both signing on in either Aussie or Kiwi, Aussie I think. They'd both been working on a dredger in Melbourne and wanted to work their passage back to the U.K. I remember Dave had a bit of a hobby putting ships in bottles ( always empty Grants Standfast bottles for their triangular shape).Dave was very keen when he got back to the U.K. to join the R.A.F. and work with Alsatian dogs. I wonder whether he managed it?
It would be great if you could let me have Daves' 'e' mail address.It would be nice to make contact after all these
years. I've still got some photos from that trip. Maybe you feature on some of them. Did you work on deck Aussie. Happy Days! Cheers Bob.

Hello Bob long time no see ,you are right when you say my brother Terry and I worked our way back to Blighty on the old girl I was a.b and my brother joined her as dhu , I have to say you have a good memory because I did in fact look into joining the R.A.F.so that I could work with dogs but it did not work out ,although I have always had dogs since leaving the merch , because I could splice wire I got a job in the lift trade I only intended doing that as a fill in I ended up spending over thirty years at it to be fair it worked out well for me all in all , although I would love to have another go at the merchant navy that we served in but alas those days are long gone ,I am still building ships in bottles and have been since 1964 I wont tell you how many bottles that I have in my shed waiting to be be filled just lets say to many, my wife cant get in there do you remember the old dimple bottles well I have got around 700 hundred of them and thats not counting numerous 1.5 litre teachers whiskey bottles , I have not been on line for quite some time as I ended up having to get a new computer and also I have had a few problems but then again who hasnt got problems .
The fella Aussie is a good old boy he took the trouble of going out to Mount Waverly and taking photos of where Terry and I where living back in 1968 and then posted them over to me as I say a good old boy in fact my brother and his family are flying out to Melbourne in december he wants to take a trip down memory lane he is staying with someone he knew from his school days I doubt I will ever go down memory lane I like to keep my memories as they where , if you get a chance to read Dave Shares book that,s if you havent already read it do yourself a favour and get a copy I was in touch with Dave [ another of lifes good old boys ] a while back but as I say life,s problems sometimes get in the way and before you know it you end up losing touch with people ,somewhere I have a photo of us leaving Montreal all wearing check lumber jack shirts I will have to try a dig it out , by the way I dont know if you can answer this but when I joined her in Auckland when I opened my locker to stow my gear there inside it was a plaster cast that had been cut off from someones leg I could not beleive it and I have often wonderd about it over these last 41 years anyhow best regards to you and all those good old boys from the golden days Dave .

[Bob Dunkley]

Bob just on the offchance did you ever find those photos and where do you live now ??? bob dunks

[Bob Dunkley]

Hi Bob its Bob Dunkley , just wondering if you ever dug out those old photos from the Athenic ,would be really nice to see them if you have .you can email them if you like ,my beloved Charlton went down this year to div 1 , have emailed dave share and had yarns with him he is 74 or so now .he told me Brian Rodgers is still 2nd mate on the aussie coast , a real seaman ,he must have done over 50 years at sea i take my hat off to him .take care dinners calling

[Bob Cheeseman]

Hi Bob Cheeseman here ,i am still in touch with Brian and Dave ,had a drink with Brian about a year ago, he came up to see me we both worked the Kiwi coast together and his still on the Aussie coast but is job sharing just about to give it up. Dave is well retired in Wellington .I last saw Pick Wick 1975 he and his wife were running a boarding house in Aucklandimg016.jpg

[Bob Dunkley]

Hi Bob, Dunks here good photo of yourself and Brian ,know that smile anywhere ,I still email Dave acouple of times ayear tried to get in touch with pickwick through his wifes email but no joy.even though I started with im an old shipmate incase she thought he had a bit on the side andeleted it .if you see any of them give them my regards hows the family ? taecar Bob Dunks

[Bob Cheeseman]

All good with me and mine ,.I know Pickwick was running a boarding house the last time we went round to see them it was in Hernebay Auckland about six month's later he had moved on and we lost touch,and never heard a thing since,will catch up with Brian in the next few month's,have phone chat's when we remember,he live's in Mount Mongaunui about a 3 hour drive for me ,he is in Auckland a bit got a daughter lives there up to see her and his grad kids a bit regards Bob c

[kurutai]

Just came across this post whilst steaming down memory lane when I joined Athenic with my brother the old girl was on a double header we took her from Auckand to the states and Montreal then supposedly on to the UK ,but Shaw Seville decided to scrap her as her board of trade certificate was due we left Montreal then on to Kaohsiung to the breakers in fact I was the last man to steer her we put her alongside the Blue Funnel line ship Sarpedon Blue Flu another one of my old companies I was 27 at the time I knew the writing was on the wall I had seen the end of the South American Saint line and about the time I gave it up there was very little new tonnage just ships going to the breakers regards to all hands Dave .

[Bob Dunkley]

Hi Bob
How are you and yours ? jut wondered if you have heard from Dave Share, we used to email each other but the last couple that I have sent I've had no reply, have you heard anything maybe he is ill or something. Can you see if you can find out thanks Bob Dunks . Has Brian finally retired give him my regards.