Newcastle’s ship visiting course enjoyed by all Newcastle chaplain Garry Dodd recently hosted a ship visiting welfare course for his volunteers at Newcastle. John Kewa travelled from Port Kembla to run the two day course that was enthusiastically received by all.

John also ran I similar course for the people supporting our new mission at Port Giles, SA, late last year. Some twenty locals attended the course hosted by Thomas Karama at St Benedict’s, Minlaton. All passed the course although they still await arrival of their certificates from London.

Further ship visiting welfare courses are planned for Gladstone, Bunbury and Eden later this year. For details of the Bunbury course contact Ian McGilvray (Dampier) and the editor for the others.

GLAD TIDINGS No. 9 PART D

During the visit of Princess Mary and Prince Frederick of Denmark to Australia they were asked to launch a Svitzer tug the “Marysville” at Docklands, Melbourne. MTS chaplain Jed Crispin accompanied the royal visitors on board the vessel to lead those gathered in a blessing of the vessel. Jed who spent many years in Tasmania was able to share a number of happy

Chaplain Jed with royalty on Melbourne’s waters

stories with Princess Mary who also grew up in a region there that Jed was very familiar with.

Jed in background far right.

Featured in Part D:

• Chaplain Jed with

royalty on Melbourne’s waters

• Newcastle’s ship

visiting course enjoyed by all

• Pilbara MTS centres

cop Cyclone Heidi • Bunbury blesses pilot’s

boat • MTS Esperance’s

intriguing link with Stonehenge

• Jack Tomes is honored

by HRH the Princess Royal

Newcastle’s ship visitors course participants

Page 2

berthed ships and another 21 at anchorage into safer waters further out to sea. We pray that no lives will be lost and that the Pilbara towns at risk will emerge unscathed. Our thoughts are especially with our MTS seafarers’ centres in Port Hedland and Dampier. May you all be safe and sound.

MTS Esperance’s intriguing link with Stonehenge

Not far from the MTS centre in Esperance is a most unusual tourist site. An Esperance family has meticulously constructed, on their acreage, an exact replica of the famed Stonehenge- the 3000 BC prehistoric monument in the UK. Fred Lockowicz, the centre’s manager and ship visitor often takes visiting crews out to the site for a jaw dropping experience. Fred says that the centre is plenty busy with an increased number of seafarers, and is very grateful for Frank’s support and the long voluntary hours he is putting in at the centre. Fred added that he had a marvelous time at the Tasmanian conference catching up with so many others. As we all we know beautiful Esperance is a very long way from any other of our centres.

GLAD TIDINGS No. 9 part D 2012

Pilbara MTS centres cop Cyclone Heidi

As this newsletter is being written news has broken that cyclone Heidi has just hit Port Hedland with a vengeance. It is anticipated that the predicted 150 km/h gale force winds, torrential rains and dangerous storm tides will also impact on the ports of Dampier and Cape Lambert. Hedland Port Authority has closed the Port and moved some 8

Jack Tomes is honoured by HRH The Princess Royal

It was during the conference dinner in Launceston that Hobart’s Jack Tomes received a special surprise. In recognition of Jack’s world record 75 years of voluntary service to the Hobart mission, our Secretary General presented Jack and Kath with a personal letter of

congratulations and appreciation from the President of MTS, HRH Princess Royal. Only those serving for over 60 years are afforded this honour. It was Tom’s supreme pleasure to play the messenger on this grand occasion for Jack and Kath.

Bunbury blesses pilot’s boat

Tim Hopwood reports a healthy increase in the number of ships visiting Bunbury and would like more volunteers to help share the load. The image left shows Tim standing

in the background (in blue) assisting Father Graeme Weaver in a blessing ceremony of the new Pilot vessel to work the Bunbury waters