Job opportunity

[Rodney Mills]

JSW. John. I do know that to get my Ship's Cooks ticket a Board of Trade Certification was mandatory. And so was a cooking test. All the ships cook on cargo vessels came up through the ranks, galley boy to second cook and baker to ships cook, however they had to get B.O.T. approval to get their ships cook ticket. I had no intentions of becoming ships cook. Union-Castle paid an extra one pound a month if you held a ship's cook ticket, so that's why I got my certification. Due to the death of the ships cook I had to be the ships cook for four days until we arrived in Cape Town. Then replacement ships cook came aboard. As I said, I was scared to death I would screw up in the crews kitchen. I counted the minutes to when I could hurry back to the passenger kitchen. I did look up the sea time you had to do before your ticket was official at states four days of sea time before your certification is valid. So, I qualified. I suppose if you make it through four days without anybody getting sick or dying your officially qualified to be the ships cook.

I have no idea whether the army cook had to take a test or not to be a ship's cook, perhaps he got it on the strength of his background in cooking shore side. The Pool would have no way of knowing if he was a good cook or not, just that according to his information he was qualified (though a rotten cook).

Chhers, Rodney

[j.sabourn]

Reply to Rodney’s last post re ships cook . Rodney your answer to question only comes up on my iPad as a typewritten sheet with no reply to as such so having to do it this way so hope it accepts. Your answer is correct , but like the DHU rating which originally was brought out for older ex National serviceman on close to ABs money , so also was the likes of those with Armed Forces qualifications and the likes of the ex Army cook we had only needed one days seatime to get the BOT cooks ticket. The DHU cert was misused from its original concept. As to laid down rules and regulations a few years ago WA brought out legislation to the effect that small boat owners had to undergo certification as to working small craft. As this involved about $800 dollars being lectured to by a landlubber. It so incensed me I went to see the man in charge and asked him what shore wonker were they going to get to examine someone holding lifeboat and FRC certs.. And incidentally master mariner qualifications. He back tracked and issued the cert and wanted which I gave him $2 for the paperwork. I suppose legally I was breaking the law as it stood ,but was a stupid law in the first place made by morons with no attachments for others already in a seagoing capacity. So the law was being in my case and imagine many other cases broken.Cheers JS
PS your post has now appeared as normal with likes and thanks attachments, JS

[happy daze john in oz]

When at the Uni as Food Services Manager we had the need for a second chef.

Several came forward and we found one we considered to be suitable.

He turned out to be capable of producing some amazing dishes using very little goods for them.
We discovered later, he did not tell us at the interview, that he had been a Sheep Shearers cook out in the bush.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

AH! John.
Mutton dressed as Lamb.
Des