SCUTTLEBUTT June NEWSLETTER OF THE CANBERRA 2019 MODEL SHIPWRIGHTSʼ SOCIETY Established 21 April 1988. Incorporated 16 January 1991 OBJECTIVES: To foster and maintain interest in building model ships, boats, associated fittings, gear, equipment, armaments and relevant items and structures and the pursuit of excellence in this field. Scuttlebutt: 1. A drinking fountain on a ship. 2. A cask on a ship that BOB DEPARTS - EDWIN STEPS UP contains the dayʼs supply of drinking water. 3. Gossip or rumour. INSIDE New Commitee - 2 Editorʼs Note - 2 Where is CMSS Heading? - 3 CMSS EXPO - 4 Presidentʼs Report - 5 Cave Point Lighthouse - 8 Member Profile -10 Parliament House Repair - 12 AWM Commission - 15 HMAS Janus Build - 22 Elco PT Boat in Wood - 26 ʻLady Nelsonʼ Final - 33 Photo: Ray Osmotherly ʻSuccessʼ Draws Crowds - 35 Below - Peter Hateley with three Bob Evans (le-), as re1ring President of the CMSS, with the presentation models of the Krait new President, Edwin Lowrey, and the Life Membership which he made for the Australian cer1ficate which Bob had just received at the AGM in April. War memorial (Story page 15) Bob has been president for 11 years and was awarded life membership in recogni1on of the valuable contribu1on he has made to the Society. Edwin said he felt privileged to be elected President and paid tribute to the wonderful commiIee he would be working with. The AGM also re-elected members of the commiIee, though the posi1on of vice-President was not filled at that mee1ng. Other details are covered in Bob’s final report (Page 5). Whatʼs this? Answer inside in Bruce Georgeʼs final episode of the story of the Lady Nelson ` 2 Type to enter text COMMITTEE MEMBERS - 2019-20 President Edwin Lowry Vice-President Unfilled Secretary Bill Atkinson As.Secretary Ray Osmotherly Treasurer Peter Hateley Members Bruce George, Bruce Kirk, Appointments: Member Liaison Max Fitton Web site – Steve Batcheldor Newsletter - Brian Voce MEETINGS The Society will meet until further notice, at the Menʼs Shed at Melba on the third Tuesday of each month (except December and January) commencing at 7.30 pm. EDITORʼS NOTE Visitors are welcome. Well, 11 years after first putting his hand up and Society Web-page becoming President of CMSS, Bob Evans has retired - CMSS members are encouraged to visit and received Life Membership of our Society. Coming our website at: into the position of President is long-serving committee http:/ / www.canberramodelshipwrights.org.au. member Edwin Lowrey. Full details of the AGM and Instructions for using this website are on the year’s report by Bob are inside. the site itself where members will need to register. Also of more than usual interest are articles by Peter The webmaster will help you in any way Hateley and Ray Osmotherly, who respectively also put possible. their hands up to undertake interesting commissions for We seek content for the website - two Commonwealth entities. Peter volunteered to build everything from photographs of your three presentation models of the World War II models through interesting web-links and infiltrator the Krait for the Australian War Memorial. chat. Ray tackled a delicate job to replace part of the original Society Facebook Page architectural model of Parliament House, which The Society has a Facebook group to included limitations on accessibility and materials. Both promote the Society and to attract new found their commissions presented unexpected members. So please feel free to post challenges, to put it lightly. But they delivered and their items on the page and share it with your results reflect well upon them and, by extension, the Friends. society. Subscriptions Annual Membership: And other contributors have made this a special edition, a. Canberra Area-Single $30.00, with a variety of inputs. After all, 37 pages of Couple $45.00. interesting, varied and informative reading reflects well b. Country/Interstate-Single $15.00, upon you all. Couple $22.50. Payment Details: Finally, I would like, especially, to thank Bruce George By Cash to Treasurer who in this issue completes his eight-part history of the Post by cheque/Money Order to PO Box Lady Nelson - a substantial and probably unmatched 158, Fyshwick, ACT, 2609; or record of a vessel close to the Society’s interests. Bank Deposit to Beyond Bank - BSB 325185 Brian Voce, Editor Scuttlebutt Acct Name - Canberra Model Shipwrights [email protected] Society (or CMSS) Acct No 03452396. Scuttlebutt, June 2019 3 Where will the CMSS be in the next 10 ships or sailing ships. My penchant is for years? asks Bob Evans merchant ships for which, regrettably, there are seemingly no kits available. This, of course, The tragic answer to that ques1on is – maybe non- leaves you free to choose and research your own existent! The Commi:ee is becoming increasingly choice of subject. Construction materials can be concerned at dwindling Membership, new Members not con1nuing and lack of involvement in the Society’s as varied as your imagination will allow, from ac1vi1es. wood to plastic sheets etc. Members will have received an email from the incoming I should note here that there are in fact a number Commi:ee seeking some answers and pung forward some sugges1ons. I quote: “The Commiee has noted of good plastic kits on the market; and, no, you with some concern the falling numbers at meengs as will not be burnt at the stake if you build in well as parDcipaDon in the Society’s events during the plastic! year. In an a>empt to improve this situaDon the Commiee requests your input as to what would make • Take a good look at the part of the Constitution members’ involvement more aracve to them.” which says “and the pursuit of excellence in The request is then made for Members to make some this field.” There is nothing in that statement sugges1ons based on some ideas put forward. that suggests you must be a master model builder Although the email is addressed to Members, the - it only requires you to be in “pursuit of Newsle:er is available for all to see: and so, as the excellence”. Some run faster than others, this is outgoing President, I welcome the opportunity to put some thoughts on paper and again urge all readers to true, but one of the distinct advantages of have some input into our future. Membership is the vast range of skills available The opinion of many who see our work seems to be “I to unlock some of the mysteries you perceive could never do that, I don’t have the skill or paence” as exist, but which are not really mysterious. The they gaze upon miles of rigging and other fancy stuff. solution can be simpler than you think. Let’s try and demys1fy that a bit. Take a look at this clause in the CMSS Cons1tu1on: The only prerequisite for model making of “2. The objectives of the Society shall be to foster any descripon is the desire to want to do and maintain interest in building and constructing it. scale model ships, boats and associated fittings, gear, equipment, armaments and relevant items and structures and the pursuit of excellence in this field.” So, please provide your feedback and suggesDons, Members and non-Members alike. The Society has There are some points here worth noting: provided much pleasure and enjoyment to its Members since 1988. It would be an immense • Nowhere is it said what type of ships should be shame to lose all of that for the sake of some built or whether they are kits or scratch-built or interest. part of both. Therefore, a “Victory” or an # “Endeavour” need not be your first model, indeed you may not be at all interested in period Scuttlebutt, June 2019 4 Type to enter text CMSS EXPO The 2019 Canberra CMSS Expo will be held on 21-22 September 2019 at the Mount Rogers School, Alfred Hill Drive, Melba ACT It is important that we know as soon as possible who will be providing models and how many, so please contact Peter Hateley: [email protected] or Elizabeth Hodgsdon [email protected] to register/enquire. Our fellow model-makers in the CMSS stand at the recent Contact and Par1cipate Expo Sydney Model Ship Club are holding their Expo 24th and 25th August. You manned by Bill, Bruce and Bob. might like to support them by attending their Expo as many of their members take part in our Expos. Note to contributors to “Scuttlebutt” To make life easier for the Editor, could I ask If, for reasons of clarity, it suits you to send laid- those of you who contribute to this publication out (formatted) material, please also send to send me material that is not formatted, separately, unformatted matter as above. I can particularly not with photos embedded in the then use your formatted material as a guide to text? your intentions during the editing process. The reason for asking this is that the many Thank you for all your support in the past - and, systems and applications available are not I hope, in future. always compatible with what I am using. Consequently, formatted material is not always Brian Voce easy for me to edit and is time-consuming in the Editor layout stage. Scuttlebutt [email protected] To make things simple: Keep text and pictures separate. Text should indicate where photos go (if applicable) - Photo 1, Photo 2, etc. Photos should be sent as jpgs and reflect the above - (Photo 1, Photo 2 etc), Or - have separate captions (Photo 1, Photo 2 etc). Scuttlebutt, June 2019 5 CMSS 2019 AGM 16th April 2019 have received Max’s cheerful calls.