John Collier

[Doc Vernon]

That Pic is one of Townsville Harbour with Swimming enclosure at (The Strand) John,and yes the Bofors were used for the Jap Invasion during the War! Don't know if they kept any there for sightseeing though!? (Bofors that is not Japs LOL)
Cheers

[Peter F Chard]

My wife and I were in Townsville earlier this year for a holiday -- we had a great time, the highlight was a whole day spent at the War Memorial. Built by the Americans ( I think ) and beautifully laid out, lots of information on the air raids and the bombing, details of the naval battles, the Roll of Honour for all those who lost their lives. It was a very moving experience . In passing we also called in and visited my brother in law who resides in Brisbane and lives in a house on stilts -- the correct term is to call this type of house a " Queenslander " Despite the heat , mid thirties most days, they are remarkably cool to live in, and are built with native Australian timbers which when polished or varnished are quite beautiful to look at. Regards Peter in NZ.

[j.sabourn]

Don't think it was Cairns John. Was there a few times in the 50's. Along the dock road if you can call it that was the stevedores and seamens pubs which were full before 1800 hrs closing time. This area had the nickname of the Barbary Coast. Around the first corner and there were more pubs and you were in the Town itself. Loading 10,000 tons of sugar there used to take up to 3 weeks depending on the rainfall. The sacks were emptied by hand down the hold. Believe they got a mechanical loader in the 60/70s some time and could then load in 12 hours. I went up there for a holiday a few years back and it bears no resemblance to Cairns that I remembered. Was a thriving port and city. Went to the harbour masters office and asked if they kept records of ships in and out. Of course she said what ship and what year I said 1953, she looked at me with scorn and said we don't go back that far. She wouldn't of even been born then. We used to go out to Green Island at the weekends nothing there either, is now a big tourist attraction with an underwater observatory. McKay and Townsville was also there in the 50"s I couldn't believe in Townsville they had a street of cribs with the girls in, the same as a lot of places in Australia, on the other side of the harbour in Cairns is all the low lying bush and mangrove swampland with the usual crocs, this is still there. Cheers JS

[John F Collier]

PS, RE: Bofor gun, the reason I thought they were there for show Doc, is that after the war there was a field gun placed on
show at the High road where I lived, it was a big attraction for us kids.

[John F Collier]

Your right there Doc life is what you make of it, regardless of circumstance's, my brother in-law was a policeman and he gave
me his old bike, it was built for comfort not speed, when I was 13 I cycled from London to Southend on it, about 39 miles each way, coming home I had serious doubts I'd ever get there, I was clapped out. I got another old bike with a fixed wheel and no
brakes, and used it for dirt track racing, we had some good times at that, but the older lads 16-18 really were the business with home made team kit's & colours they had proper races against other teams, great fun. John.

[John F Collier]

I liked the joke Doc I wouldn't recognise it from that position, it looks better than I remember the town to be though.
I remember looking in a shop window there and they had a big jar with a pickled Taipan snake in it, that's was what
the snakes on the hill were. cheers

[John F Collier]

Thanks Peter, I have seen pictures of Townsville as it is now and it is all so different, (time marches on). The homes you
describe in Brisbane, being modern sound much more attractive than the ones I remember from the 50s, I only went to
Brisbane once, we berthed at the Abattoir that is well away from town, so I went fishing all there seemed to be was cat fish
and a horrible stink when you disturbed the river bed, I never did get to see Brisbane it's self and thats a shame. Cheers John.

[John F Collier]

Hi J, You know a lot more about Cairns than I do as I only went there once, so I'll take your word on it, the Orari was a
refrigeration and general cargo ship so I don't think we were there for sugar unless it was kept in the bags of course, but
we weren't there for that long. I have seen the Australian and NZ cities and towns of today, on the Google Maps I've even
had a Google drive around town I don't know if this was Cairns but I do remember seeing snakes swimming around
the ship, I HATE SNAKES !!! ,had to laugh at your Harbour Masters experience, thanks for the info I'm well and
truly baffled now , I've been somewhere and I don't know where it is. All the best John.

[j.sabourn]

Don't worry about it I was on 2 ships in the 80"s and 1 in the 90"s and I cant even remember their names. Cheers JS

[Frederick Lacey]

Hi John, like JS I was at Cairns in the early Fifties, 51-52 can't remember it much apart it was a bit of a shanty town, would have been a good
film set for Carry On Cowboy, not many roads but going along the roads there were it was Pub-Shop-Pub-Pub-Shop-Pub-Pub-Pub-Shop etc. It was
the mid winter season and even then the temp reached the eighties, the humidity was so high that we were issued Salt tablets, Pantry and
Galley were like furnaces, like yourself did the A127 in the mid forties to Southend, in those days there was a cycle track each side of the
dual carriageway which made it safe. these days you would end like hedgehog with your other flat mate. F.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Cairns