TO AUSTRALIA FOR LOVE

Trying to work out the sailing schedule of 55 years ago was not so simple, but with the help of the few of these little reminders from that time, it must have been my third trip on the Straat Banka to Australia. It did not take long for a young seafarer to feel happy on this service; Australia was a genuine paradise for fun loving bachelors as there was no shortage of females, willing to participate to make you feel welcome to this country, they actually would lead the way to happiness.

As a rule there were always the nurses in need for male companions for parties, but there were also strict rules to be followed, which were policed by the matron on their side and the ship’s Captain on the our side. Rules could of course be broken, which ended up in loosing the hard earned privilege of being trustworthy, when found out. Midnight was the deadline of the party, either ashore or on board. We made it a point to ensure the girls were taken home, what happened after that was beyond the control of the “management”.

In 1970 at a BBQ in a northern suburb of Melbourne I was staring at this lady, trying to remember when or where I had met her before and was about to speak to her when she indicated with her finger on her lips for me to keep quiet. A few minutes later she proved to have a better memory than mine, when she confirmed to recognise me from the early days on the Straat Banka and explained that her parties on board RIL ships had always been a sore point in her married relationship. Her partner would not believe it just had been a good time.

The above drawing pertains to a ground hostess of ANA in Brisbane, who qualified as air hostess and started her career by flying up and down the East Coast and was on the phone too often. She interfered with my carefully constructed logistics system for quite some time.

For nearly two years I managed to stay clear of serious love as I had no time for those commitments. Then the wheels fell off, or rather the bra came off……….and I ran! The daughter of a wealthy tycoon, whose business is still doing well in Melbourne had been on the ship with her parents for the voyage from Singapore to Melbourne. The segregation of passengers and Officers had been extremely strict and she had been well chaperoned and could (officially) only look at us from a distance. However, now she was free from the rules and on her own territory and like a hunter looking for prey, she had me in her sights. I was tipped off by the Chief Engineer, who said I could hide in his sleeping quarters. He played his little game well and before I knew that I was trapped, I heard him leave his cabin. She walked in, locked the door and started to undress, when the bra came off she asked: “What is wrong with me, am I flatchested or what?” With one jump I was out of the window, colliding with the Chief, who stood there enjoying himself and I shot up the stairs to hide in the funnel. Phew, it was close but that did the trick, I never saw her again.

Later that day my local girlfriend explained that the Tjibadak was due in port and she was to meet the 3^rd Engineer, who was not only superior in rank, but also twice my size.

Some you win, some you loose, but the air hostess phoned and asked: “coffee, tea or me?

Then there were more voyages to Hobart to fill our reefer rooms with apples. The cartoon showed that we were not the only ones to look forward to some time ashore and renew the acquaintance of the owners of Meyendell and their children, the Captain was on the look out for his latest lady friend, but could not be blamed for a sudden wind gust and tricky currents in the Derwent River, that blew the ship into the wharf, causing a big dent in the hull. Again we were entertained and taken for sightseeing tours and I was one of the lucky ones to be taken by mother and daughter on a trip to New Norfolk for a good English style afternoon tea.

That visit to Hobart did leave a big impression, in more ways that one.

This was another aspect of sailing on Australia , where people would make you feel at home and it was so normal to be accepted as one of them, joining in at BBQ outings and visits to the Country. They made you remember what “family life” was all about. Of course it seemed weird to us to share a drink in the Pub and take a glass of beer out to the girls in the car; it seemed weird to walk around in a singlet on bare feet in public spaces, but be all dressed up when going to the pictures in a cinema like going to a grand performance in Albert Hall. As we stayed longer away from Holland, we accepted the Aussie way of life and we felt at home.

Compared to the present turn around of container ships, we stayed in port for long periods. All cargo was stowed away by hand in lower holds, tween decks and reefer rooms, Union regulations prevented short cuts and stoppages were frequent. Two drops of rain meant that it was really pouring and all work had to stop, smelly or dirty cargo gave reasons for additional money to be handed out, at noon on Saturdays all work stopped to give the men a chance to go to the footy or the races and so the list went on. This all meant that we had more opportunities to go ashore and with that meet more people. My personal problem was my soft spot for the opposite sex: I fell in love very fast and very frequent. This brought great amusement to my seniors, who had been there and done the same and could now snigger and relive the memory, by seeing me falling in one trap after the next. The very same seniors solved my problem by suggesting that I should ask Head Office for an urgent transfer to a service away from Australia……….and their own daughters. That was done and in next to no time did I get my orders to join the Straat Bali on the Japan to South America Service.

That was the start of a new life as the attitude of the people sailing on that service was definitely different to the Australia ships, they even thought themselves to be superior to that home loving lot from “down under”. There were long ocean crossings to be made on the way to South America and back to Japan, like from Singapore to Durban and Cape Town to Rio de Janeiro on each voyage, with nothing but the sea to look at.

That is where people had hobbies to fill the time between sea watches, the Captain had a loom in his cabin and made carpets, the Chief Officer had a trunk full of pocket books and read one after the other and I started to dream and write letters. I did have a pen friend in Holland, a girl called Els and there and then I created another friend: a girl in Australia called Mieke.

Hans van Weel

Safety Beach VIC

10 October 2009