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Whisky Inferno
Seaman Sought
Ship Infested With Women
Girl In Every Port
Butter Loading
Bridge Walk
Transcript of newspaper article - Sydney Morning Herald? 24.11.68
 Scotch
whisky valued at more than $300,00 was destroyed in a fire aboard a
freighter in Sydney harbour yesterday. Firemen poured so much water on to
the blazing whisky that the M.V. Suevic developed a heavy list.
Fumes
from the burning whisky overcame a 20 years old deckhand, Thomas
Williamson, of Scotland. Late last night he was under sedation in Balmain
Hospital.
The
whisky was part of a special Christmas consignment aboard the Suevic
berthed at Glebe. It was in 200 casks, each containing 44 gallons of
undiluted and extremely inflammable Scotch. Importers would have added
equal to 40 per cent of it’s volume to bring it down to the strength
people buy in hotels. This diluted scotch, which costs $4.54 for a 26oz
bottle, does not burn. But the undiluted scotch and the wooden casks
flamed fiercely in the Suevic’s hold, giving off thick black smoke.
Firemen
at first tried to smother the blaze with foam. Then they pumped 1,600 tons
of water onto it. Today the Suevic is leaning over at a drunken angle
because of the combined scotch and water.
Beside
the Suevic, firemen set up a mobile kitchen. It served soft drinks and hot
dogs – no scotch.
The skipper of the Suevic, Captain J.P. Mason, said “It
was terrible to see all that scotch burn. The men’s eyes were streaming at
the sight of it.” Sipping an Australian beer, Captain Mason said: ”The
ship was awash with water and whisky.” He said it was a pity about the
scotch, but the firemen and crew had done a magnificent job in their six
hours bout with the whisky.
New
Plymouth, Friday May 1st 1970
New Plymouth Search and Rescue authorities feared last
night that the Scottish seaman who has been missing from the Shaw Savill
cargo vessel, Suevic, since Wednesday has drowned somewhere in Port
Taranaki.
Clothing identified as belonging to the missing man was found under the
Newton King Wharf at about 2.39pm yesterday.
The
controller of New Plymouth search and rescue, Sergeant V.R. Story, said
last night investigations suggested that the missing seaman, Mr Murdo John
MacKenzie (24) had taken his own life by drowning.
Scottish born Mr. MacKenzie, an able – seaman on the Suevic, was last seen
at 7.00pm on Wednesday sitting in a dazed condition on the Newton King
wharf.
He was
not reported missing to the police until 11.50pm. Extensive local
inquiries by police and the ship’s crew had revealed nothing by yesterday
morning.
The
search continued yesterday morning, backed up by radio broadcasts, and Mr.
Story said it was intensified at about 1.30pm when a more detailed search
of of the harbour area was begun.
At
about 2.30pm a policeman sailing underneath the Newton King wharf in a
small boat returned with several items of clothing identified as belonging
to Mr. MacKenzie.
Clothing
Mr. Story said the clothing, a pair of jeans with a watch
and some small change in their pockets, shoes, socks and underclothing,
had been found lying over a fuel pipe-line that ran underneath the wharf.
“The
small recess that leads to the hatchway to the pipe-line was only about 20
yards from the Suevic’s gangway,” he said.
The
pipe-line was only about 5ft from the water and, because Mr. MacKenzie was
believed to have been in a disturbed state when last seen, Mr. Story said
it was assumed that the missing man had jumped into the harbour from the
pipe.
At
about 4.15pm two members of the New Plymouth Underwater Club were called
in to make a search of the area near where the clothing was found.
The
search continued until 5.00pm, when it was called off until tomorrow
morning because the water was too dark for a thorough search to be made.
Mr.
Story said the underwater search would be resumed at 9.00am, today, and
four under-water club divers used. Amateur divers were being used in the
search because all the Taranaki Harbours Board divers were out of the area
on another job.
If, as
believed, Mr. Mackenzie had drowned somewhere in the Port, today’s
underwater search would be extensive enough to find the body.
The
Suevic is scheduled to sail from Port Taranaki next Wednesday for Auckland
and then overseas.
One of
the last men to see Mr. MacKenzie was able-seaman P. Payne. A close friend
of the missing man, Mr. Payne said: “He has been sick for more than a week
and he really should have been put ashore at Lyttleton because there was
definitely something wrong with him.”
Mr.
Payne, who was in the ship’s mess hall when the clothing belonging to Mr.
MacKenzie was identified by crew members, said “ I was worried about him
on Wednesday night when he was sitting on the wharf and after a while I
went looking for him. I was still shouting along the dock at 10 O’clock.”
Other
crew members confirmed Mr. Payne’s observations about Mr. MacKenzie’s
condition when last seen and one suggested that there should be an
investigation to find why MacKenzie had been allowed to remain on the ship
in such a disturbed condition.
Body
Found
A body recovered from the sea at New Plymouth Port
yesterday is believed to be that of a seaman missing from a Shaw Savill
cargo ship, the Suevic.
On
April 29 Mr. Murdo John MacKenzie, a Scotsman, went missing and his
clothes were later found beneath Newton King wharf.
About
7.00am yesterday, a member of the Suevic’s crew saw the body floating near
the stern of the ship. Police recovered the body, which has not yet been
positively identified.
SHIP
INFESTED WITH WOMEN
On Saturday afternoon, wharf police received a call from the captain of a
ship berthed at Wellington, who said that his vessel was “infested” with
uninvited women, the magistrate’s Court was told today.
Twelve
women pleaded guilty before Mr. R.D.Jamieson SM to being aboard the Suevic
without lawful excuse, and were fined $10 and costs each.
They
were: Diane Rowana White, 17 unemployed kitchen maid; Denise Reith
O’Neill, 21, photographer; Margaret Royal, 29 unemployed; Robina Shaw
Saunders, 20 toll operator; Pai Cowan, 18 receptionist; Jacqueline Harris,
24 domestic; Lynette Michele Jacobson 18, factory hand; Sally Anderson, 20
unemployed; Lydia Pauline Capper, 19, unemployed; Linda Mary Cowan, 20,
receptionist; Anne Solomon. 21, cashier; and Lorraine Fay, 20, unemployed
kitchen hand.
Detective Sergeant D.E. McEwen said that at 12.30pm on December 13 the
wharf police were called to a ship berthed at King’s Wharf, after the
master had informed them that his vessel was “infested” with uninvited
females.
A
passbook check on the ship showed that no passes to visitors had been
issued, and that no visitors had in fact been escorted on board.
The
ship was searched and the women were found in the crew bar and in the crew
accommodation.
Several
said they had just walked on board, and a number had stayed all night.
Visitors with passes were allowed on board only between 6pm and 12pm, said
the prosecutor.
At the
time the women were on board, he said, the ship was supposed to be
working. The mass presence of the women had meant that the men were not
working. This also inconvenienced the wharf workers, as the ship was
scheduled to be loading at this time.
Mr.
M.A.Bungay, who appeared for White, said that there was no suggestion of
immorality. His client had not stayed all night.
Mr. M.C.
Mitchell appeared for O’Neill, Royal, Saunders, the two Cowans, Harris,
Jacobson, Anderson and capper. He said they had in fact been invited on
board, but not by anyone with the authority to do so. None of those he
represented had stayed all night.
Mr.
Jamieson said the object of the exercise had probably been largely
achieved when the master relieved his ship of the “infestation.”
A Whirlwind romance spanning thousands of miles comes to a
story - book end next month when Merchant Seaman Bill Young marries pretty
Julia Lewis.
Bill
and Julia fell in love at first sight when they met at a dance in Suva
Fiji.
But the
course of true love never runs smooth. Three days later Bill, of King
Street Watford, had to join his ship and sail to New Zealand.
The
couple kept in touch by letter and when he landed in New Zealand, Bill
asked Julia to join him for a couple of weeks.
Six
weeks after they met, Julia flew to New Zealand and a day later, Bill
popped the question.
After
extending her two week stay to two months, Julia flew on to Australia
where she got a job with a car cleaning firm. Bill set sail again – this
time to the United States.
Returned
The couple
did not see each other for several months until Bill’s ship returned to
Auckland, New Zealand where he caught a plane to Australia.
Throughout this time, Bill and Julia wrote to each other. When they
finally met in Australia, they decided to name the day and make Bill’s
home town the venue for their wedding.
They
will be getting married on November 28th at St.Mary’s Church,
Watford.
Julia
is now staying with her parents in Fiji. The couple will be reunited on
Friday when she arrives at Heathrow Airport.
Bill
has been in the Merchant Navy for four years. In that time he has visited
Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and the Mediterranean.
He
said; “After all this traveling around and flying from country to country,
it will be cheaper to get married. It’s all happened so quickly that we
still don’t know whether we are coming or going.”
Bill,
who will continue to work in the Merchant navy for a while, added; “I’ve
got quite a few air fares to pay for.”
Seaman
Bill’s girl in every port flies in to marry him
 Daily
Express. Monday November 2 1970.
The girl in every port waiting for merchant Seaman Bill
Young was always the same girl.
He first
met 20- year old Julia at a dance in Fiji a year ago.
She was
waiting on the quay when he docked in New Zealand seven weeks later. And
when he arrived in Australia four months later.
It meant catching a lot of planes – “But worth every penny,” said Julia
yesterday after flying into London to marry 20 – year old Bill.
With Julia at his parents’ home in King Street, Watford, Bill said last
night: “We vowed to see each other again after meeting in Fiji and I
proposed in New Zealand.”
They plan to marry this month.
 First
Ship to Load
at New
Freezer Wharf
Loading of the first export butter cargo in the Shaw Savill cargo liner
Suevic from the new cool store at Mount Maunganui went ahead smoothly
today with a steady flow of palleted cartons from the freezer rooms to the
ship’s holds.
It
will not be known before midday tomorrow whether the 1275 ton consignment
will be completed in time for the ship to sail tomorrow night. She is also
loading wool and milk powder.
Three 16 men gangs were engaged, two in No.2 hold and one in No.3, and it
was their job to stow the cartons as they were lowered into the holds on
40 box pallets each carrying one ton of butter.
The
butter, already stacked on the pallets is brought out from the freezer
rooms by electric fork lifts and deposited in the long loading bay on the
north side of the store. From this point big motor fork lifts carry the
butter to an assembly point on the wharf from which smaller fork lifts
distribute it to the ships hold.
Captain A.E. Lawrence, wharf superintendent for the Union Steam Ship
Company, stevedoring the ship, is in charge of the work which he said this
morning was going very well.
The
Bridgewalk is a bona fide tourist operation, which started around Sept
1999. It took the guy about 15yrs to convince the State Govt that it was
feasible and safe, and cost him squillions to tunnel through some real
tough concrete to make an access point. Their offices are "underneath the
arches", where you pay, and wait for your session to be called. Each tour
has ten tourists, and they leave at fifteen-minute intervals.
The
first thing that happens is that everybody is fitted out with the
wonderfully attractive boiler suits, and you are issued a locker to put
all your loose items and preferably everything from your pockets. They
don't  allow
you to carry anything at all.
You are
given a rigger’s harness, which you put on before going onto a small piece
of steel platform like in an engine room of a ship. This piece of
steelwork, is designed to instruct walkers, and also to see if there is
anyone liable to become a liability on the bridge proper, and consists of
a vertical ladder about ten feet high, then a catwalk about twenty feet
long, followed by another vertical ladder down. Everybody has to clip the
safety line onto the safe wire and go up on the catwalk. Once there you
are shown how to clip and unclip around the wire supports, and once the
guides are satisfied, they bring you down, and walk around to the next
arch.
The
tunnel through the arch is about twenty to thirty feet long, through solid
concrete, which brings you out onto the catwalk underneath the actual
bridge roadway. At this point, you are still, just, over terra firma.
About ten feet under the roadway you are over water, and you walk along,
under the bridge for a while until you are perhaps one sixth of the way
across the harbour.
Once
you get to the last of the sandstone pylons, you have to climb an almost
vertical ladder, which takes you up, past the road level, and onto the
bottom of the iron arch. The arch itself is perhaps nine or ten feet wide,
in the centre of which, is a railed walkway. At any time, you have a three
feet high rail on both sides of you, you are hooked onto the safety wire,
and there's three feet of iron archway on either side. Its as safe as
houses.
The
archway's walkway, has a series of small steps, and the incline is quite
gentle so it's an easy walk. I had an achilles heel problem at the time,
and I admit, It was damned sore after three hours, but you can see from
that, it wasn't really strenuous. Every now and again, the guide stops and
tells you more about the history of the bridge, how many rivets, how many
died in its construction etc. It's all very interesting.
The
guide is the only one allowed to carry a camera (ensures you buy their
photos) and they stop periodically to take happy snaps.
You go
right to the very top, and at the centre of the bridge, stop for a while
to take in the view. It's absolutely marvelous, and certainly worth the
effort.
Beneath
you, the re-creation of the Bounty is taking day tourists out for harbour
cruises, and nowadays, the James Craig will be doing the same. A
Mississippi River boat is faffing around as well. Helicopters whiz by,
full of tourists taking photos, and if you are lucky, a little Tiger Moth
plane will buzz you as they show off the sights.
Far
from being scary, it is invigorating, and exhilarating. And it's good
too!
You can
see as far as the Blue Mountains, which are maybe fifty kms away to the
West, and North and South about the same down to the Royal National Park.
You can easily make out the airport runway, which goes out into Botany
Bay. The only thing (on a clear day ) that stops your vision, is the
curvature of the earth.
Bridgewalk has also now started an evening walk which Gus and I are keen
to do.
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