Anyway I stayed in Melbourne with Howard and his wife Barbara. Howard, whose father was at sea as a Captain in Blue Funnel way back when, went to sea exactly a year before me in March 1958. I sailed with him the first time on M.V.Diomed when he was a senior middy and I was a junior middy - the ship was our Cadet ship (no deck crew - all those spaces filled by Midshipmen : 11 Seniors and 11 Juniors and we all did 2 voyages, the 2nd voyage as Senior!) Then I again sailed with Howard for a couple of voyages on S.S.Jason when he was 2nd Mate and I was 3rd Mate. We were trading to Australia, it was in the '60s and we had a fantastic time. H met Barbara while he was on Jason - she was a Brisbane girl, I think working in the Agent's office.
Howard, I'm afraid was dying of Cancer while I was there but very glad to see me and to chew the fat about Alfred Holt's and I took the opportunity of documenting his sea career from his Midshipman's Log Book and from his Discharge Books.
Midshipman 1958 - 1961
Menestheus, Glenorchy, Autolycus, Rhexenor, Cardiganshire, Diomed (twice), Melampus, Hector.
Deck Officer 1962 - 1977
Patroclus, Glenogle, Elpenor, Demodocus, Clytoneus, Flintshire, Peleus, Menestheus, Jason (4 times), Glenearn, Jason (again 2 times), Glengyle, Pembrokeshire, Kumba (Elder Dempster) Centaur, Autolycus, Kumba, Patroclus, Menestheus, Autolycus, Maron, Stentor, Anchises, Agamemnon (Ore Carrier), Rhexenor (Round the world 1 year - 1st Mate until the Captain died when he was promoted to Master (Captain))
Howard told me that when the Captain on Rhexenor didn't appear or answer his phone he went down to the Captain's cabin and found him dead in his bunk with a copy of Playboy open at the centrefold on his chest!
Sadly, Barbara emailed me while I was on Gazellebank on my trip about five weeks later to say that Howard had died. God Bless him - he was a really lovely man and will be sorely missed by an enormous number of people.
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