Paul Hames

I have read with interest the account of the Australian City first voyage. I was an apprentice on that voyage along with Loffty, Tex, Rod, and Dick. It was a great trip but we did get into a great deal of trouble though John louden did his best to mitigate the retribution especially after Sydney!!!,though we were still confined to the ship for two months. The trip home after 12 months was from Goa, on the the coastal passenger vl Champerfate, all four of us in one cabin then flight home from Bombay.

Good morning Eric, long time since we last spoke, a lot of water has passed under the bridge since then. I left smiths at the end of 1972 paid off the Chiyoda in Moji after a trip I did not enjoy. I joined a Swedish ferry company called Tor Line and spent till 1977 running around the North sea to and from Sweden. I then became a Humber Pilot becoming 1st class in 1981. In 1994 I gave up my self employed status as a Pilot and took the post of Pilot operations manager, running the Pilot service, which needed modernising. Eventually I was also appointed Harbourmaster for the Humber Estuary running all aspects for safety on the Rivers Humber, Ouse and Trent. I kept my Pilots Licence all this time because it allowed me to retire on pension at 58. This I did and we moved to south west France. Sylvia and I have been married for 45 years and have 3 children. A girl Victoria who lives in London and is Company secretary at Friends Life, a boy Andrew who is married to a French Girl and has two girls aged 5 and 3 they also live in France. My youngest lives in London and has a boy and a girl, 3 and 3 months. Here in France we have a stone farm house on 30 acres which was once an Armanac vineyard. We have two dogs and 30 chickens and live a very quite life after what was a very stressful working life. I have enjoyed reading the forum and slowly the faces and memories are coming back. I served on the New Westminster City , Australian city, Leeds City, Devon City, Atlantic City, Wilkawa, Devon City again, Prince Rupert City, the infamous Basra trip. Chiyoda was my last as converted car carriers were very hard work.

I look forward to hearing what has happened to some of my shipmates especially those on the maiden voyage of the Australian City, as we had quite a time especially in Sydney.

January 2014.