our maritime history & present day news. No. 8 Winter 2004. cost: gold coin donation Opening of Elizabeth St. Pier 26th June, 1934. See Feature Story, page 12 Australian National Shipwreck Database includes all known shipwrecks and allows in this issue users to search for those wrecks protected by Commonwealth or State/Territory legislation. The database was developed by the Australasian Institute of Maritime James Craig Archaeology with financial assistance from the Commonwealth Government. It is D-Day Normandy Landing available at: http://eied.ea.gov.au/nsd/publicwelcome.cfm Cooking with Lucky Pierre Save the Lenna PORT-Maritime Information Gateway is the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, The Bob Jane Award England’s gateway to quality Internet maritime information, containing resources ranging from naval history and exploration to marine art and education. PORT is Book Review produced and maintained by information specialists at the NMM. Find it at: Schoolboy’s Tale (final) www.port.nmm.ac.uk Investigating “Jack the Ripper” Don’t forget the Ships’ Graveyards of South Australia website at: Letters to the editor, quiz and more www.shipsgraveyards.sa.gov.au Coming Feature: Maritime Aspects of And Victoria’s shipwreck index is at: Bellerive to Sorell railway (held over to www.heritage.vic.gov.au/shipwreck-Index.html next issue) Maritime Museum of Tasmania CARNEGIE BUILDING Cnr Davey & Argyle Sts. Hobart, Tasmania Postal Address: GPO Box 1118, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, AUSTRALIA Phone: (03) 6234 1427 Fax: (03) 6234 1419 email: [email protected] www.maritimetas.org Open Daily (except for Good Friday & Christmas Day) 9am - 5pm Editor: Bob Petrass Assisted by: Larissa Deck, Fran Hall, Charles & Helen Scarafiotti and Bernadette Welsh Design & production: Ricoh Studio Phone 6223 4311 [email protected] Museum photography: Ricoh Studio editorial What is happening to the English language? Turn on the TV or radio and you get the constant usage of “basically”, “actually”, “absolutely”, Vale - Jim Bacon “fantastic”, “fabulous”, etc. etc. plus phrases as “in the fullness of time”, “at the end of the day”, “all On behalf of the members of the things being equal”, “having said that, let me say this”, “ just you wait and see”, (our politicians Maritime Museum of Tasmania are the worst offenders). may we express our deepest sympathy to the family of this fine Then there is the annoying use of “you know” at the end of the sentence (if we already know, man and great Premier. May he why are they telling us). And what about those pompous comperes on TV telling us what to rest in peace. do in our own homes with orders such as “don’t go away”, “don’t touch that dial” whenever they go to an ad break. I immediately use the remote control in protest. Finally we are being bombarded with Americanisms such “cool”, “far out”, “unreal”, “awesome”, “guy” and “dude”, just to mention a few in current use. Even BAD means GOOD, (at least big, bad, bustling Barry Hall’s Mum will be pleased about that). We sincerely thank the following people who have given cash Whilst we want to preserve the English language by using words in their proper context donations to the Maritime there is nothing wrong with a bit of slang to make it more colourful but lets stick to fair Museum: dinkum Aussie expressions. Mrs. Joan Balmer “Stone the crows”, what’s happened to “struth”, “bloody bewdy”, “ripper”, “bonzer”, “grouse”, Mrs. Gillian Lord “cobber” and “sport” ? Buggar the foreign words, lets hear more of the ridgy didge Aussie Mrs. Marion Knight lingo from our blokes and sheilas. Otherwise as my old mate Frankie Davidson sings, “may Mr. Michael Roe your chooks all turn to emus and kick your dunny down”. Mr. David Dilger Mr. Alan Whittaker Bob Petrass Beverley and Gregory Dorloff Mr & Mrs Scott Dunn Jack the Ripper stop press Tasmanian cycling legend Danny Clark is recovering from serious injuries sustained after being knocked off his bike, by a cowardly hit-run driver, whilst on his daily Above left, Prince Albert Victor, the Duke Clarence, one of our three suspects. Could one of these men be the fiend known as “Jack the Ripper”? 100km training ride on the Gold Coast. The car was estimated to be traveling at We are busy gathering evidence to continue our quest to establish the identity of the over 100km/h. The Olympic medalist is nineteenth century serial killer known only as “Jack the Ripper”. the winner of 4 World Titles and 73 six-day races. We wish him a speedy recovery. At present we have three suspects, including a member of the British Royal family and when we have been able to eliminate two of them we will present out case against the remaining suspect and let you our readers be the jury. It should be a ripper of a trial which we hope to present to you next issue. Closing date for our next newsletter is the 15th October. Please lodge your articles by that date in the box provided at MMT, Re front page picture or email direct to studio@ricohhobart. Everyone seems oblivious to the camera except one man (there is always one!) Can you com spot him? (Answer page 11) 3 4 president’s notes I am writing my message from a falé on the island of Fao in the Ha’apai Group of Tonga. Far to the west I can see the spectacular 1,046 metre cone of Kao and the volcanic island, Tofua. It was near Tofua, early in the morning on 28th April 1789, that Fletcher Christian woke Captain BOB JANE AWARD William Bligh from his sleep to say that he had seized the Bounty. The Bob Jane T-Mart Award for The story is well known. Mutinous members of the Bounty’s crew cast Bligh adrift with 18 unTYREing work is awarded to loyal crew in a 23ft launch. The open boat set course for nearby Tofua in search of food and Bruce Woods who joined the water to supplement the 150 pounds of bread, 32 pounds of pork, 6 quarts of rum, 6 bottles Maritime Museum in 2003. of wine and 28 gallons of water provided by the mutineers. Bruce is very skilled in photography, Bligh had gathered just a few coconuts, some breadfruit and a little water, when, on the third computer graphics and ship day, islanders appeared. As more arrived, they became aggressive. When Bligh realised that modelling and has used those skills an attack was imminent he ordered the men to retreat through the surf to the launch but in several projects we have been not before Quartermaster John Norton was killed. Bligh saved his remaining men by sailing involved with at the museum. The nearly 4,000 miles to Timor in 48 days. Images from Glass exhibition, he enhanced hundreds of the slides My stay in Ha’apai is part of a South Pacific sojourn avoiding the worst of the Tasmanian and transferred them to disc and winter. Not for me the troubles of William Bligh. Close to shore the coral and warm clear also produced our new Maritime Museum brochure plus other tasks we have given him. Bruce is also a skilled model maker and has nearly completed a beautiful model of the Duchess of Northumberland that transported the last of the women convicts to Van Diemens Land in 1853. Bruce’s wife Christine researched those convicts and wrote the book “The Last Ladies” which we sell in our bookshop. Well done Bruce your work is greatly appreciated by all. William Bligh Adrift water allows stunning snorkelling, swimming and kayaking. Beyond the reef towards Tofua I can see the occasional spouts of a humpback whale on its way north to Vava’u, the winter breeding ground. new members On the way to Samoa and Tonga I cruised in the Yasawa Group northwest of Fiji’s main island, Viti Levu. There I met Fasiu Jione, a local anthropologist. In 1976, Fasiu took part in the Hokule’u experiment in which the giant Polynesian waka, Hokule’u, sailed successfully from Hawaii to Tahiti in 35 days. The Hokule’u took only plants and animals that might have been We welcome the following new taken on the voyages of the early Polynesians. They navigated with surprising accuracy by members to our association. the traditional star-path method, the sun, and the sea and swell conditions. Maxwell Rush Concession We should never forget that the maritime history of the Pacific dates back to the great Mary Marsh Volunteer Polynesian navigators. It would be 500 years after their magnificent voyages that the first of Josephine Upcher Individual the Spanish explorers and traders ventured into the Pacific. Ross Dalgleish Interstate Colin Burrows Concession By the time members read my message I will be home again to join in the work of the Ernest Targett Individual Maritime Museum. Arnold Krieg ) Family Evelyn Black ) Colin Denny August 2004 5 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Dear Sir, I am taking your advice and travelling on the Spirit of Tasmania 111 to Sydney in a few weeks time before driving down the coast to Melbourne. Can you or your food guru recommend a couple of good restaurants to visit. I particularly like Asian food. Thank you. “Hungry Jack” (Howrah). In Sydney “Lucky Pierre” suggets you visit Dee Why Indian restaurant, a very small B.Y.O. near the Dee Why Hotel, where your host Pawan Saini will satisfy your taste buds with his A man has robbed a service station special dishes (try the mushrooms) yumm. On the coast Tathra Hotel-Motel will give you a at the point of a pen, and warmed relaxing stopover with excellent meals in their Whale Watchers Lounge and in Melbourne up his dinner before leaving.