Ron Beswick senior part 3

 

I may have been in my late teens when Dad had a mild stroke in Adelaide. He paid off on compo and after he got better he returned to work as Chief Cook on the Macedon. From that moment I observed his health deteriorate over a period of nearly 20 years until he died. This is when Doctor Cohen at Swansea offered to write him a letter to get a TPI war pension. Dad declined because because he believed he was on too good a wage. I believe Dad also liked the company of the crew who were like family and he wasn't ready for retirement at that time.

Before he died he was worried about Mum who he thought was not keeping up with the times. She was only 71 but was drinking too much and had issues in my opinion with depression. He had the Army veteran's health card and this is when he clashed with local RSL and wrote to veteran's affairs. When he died they approved his entitlement that he went without for more than 12 years and that resulted in mum getting a War Widows pension. His death wasn't in combat but PTSD contributed and seemed apparent in the opinion of medical professionals. I believe they got it right.

When I looked at Dads file online full of scribble and stamps, I could see the arrogance of the army. You can clearly see he was in New Guinea in Combat territory and in Hospital with Dysentery. He put his age up 4 years and they transferred him to another unit and along with hundreds of other men he failed to muster in 1943. He was discharged in 1945 at the end of the war just before the Motley Crew of the Army's pen pushing department went looking for dirt. The best document was a letter rejecting his medals from the Albert Park Barracks without a name. Maybe it was ASIO!

Mum and Dad had different opinions about Anzac day. For Mum it brought back memories of the war when she lived in Burntisland on the east coast of Scotland that had a Shipyard. Dad attended every Anzac day and you could recognise sorrow whenever someone died. If he was wearing his safari suit in the morning you knew he was going to a funeral. He would have lost a lot of mates in New Guinea.

When the Maitland floods of 1955 were headlines both Mum and Dad had a role to play. The SES hadn't yet been formed so it was up to the community to volunteer and clean up. The Newcastle Trades Hall provided helping hands and Mum had flashback memories recalling the smell anytime a flood was on the news. Many lives were lost in that tragedy!

It would have been about 1957 when Mum and Dad and Sharon moved to Boyd Street in Swansea after living at Cooks Hill. Yvonne was born after the move and I was born in 1960. The next move was to Forbes street where my first memories of childhood began. They paid £2,026 for the house and Dad was able to get a war service home loan.

Dad joined the Federated Ironworkers Association in February 1957 and was cleared in August 1966 so he could return to the Maritime Industry. This would have been when he worked on the construction of the power stations. Swansea was full of Coal Miners, Fishermen, Wharf Labourers, and Construction Workers. The Swansea Hotel was breaking beer drinking records and the Swansea Workers Club began to expand. 10 percent of the electorate would vote for the Communist and the Liberal Party couldn't even find a candidate!

Next door to us in Forbes street was Bernie O'Sullivan who was a former Wharfie that managed the Workers club. He was a trade union activist that once stood against Charlie Fitzgibbon and got arrested with Stan Moran and Jim Healy at a protest in Sydney after the War. The quirky name I gave for the area where we lived was, “Red Corner.”

Bernie's ex wife Ann was a family friend that moved to Balmain after her divorce. She would often stay with us and would talk to my mother about everything from the Hungry Mile to Callan Park. I recall her telling my mother that Dad suffered Mental health issues that relate to his war experience!

In the early days of the Workers Club Dad run the kitchen with Spike Baker who was once friends with Author Frank Hardy and took him fishing on Lake Macquarie. Mum also worked as a cleaner at the Club for a period with Spike's wife Iris who was another one of Mum's friends. This was before I was born and years later after I left school Mum returned to the club again to work as a casual cleaner.

Around the corner was Dad's mate Joe Blatchford a Gentleman who became a family friend. He was also a ships cook and sailed with Dad many years before he came up from Sydney. They just bumped into each other in the Main Street of Swansea one day and by chance discovered they were neighbors. Both Joe and Dad sailed with Bill Heath before he became Federal Secretary of the Marine Cooks Union. Joe's last ship before he retired was the Poolta which left the Australian coast in 1968. He spoke well of Bill Heath and I remember Joe saying he wished the Amalgamation with the Seamens Union happened in the days when he was at sea.

It was in 1966 when Dad returned to the Maritime Industry and joined the Mount Kembla as a relieving 2^nd cook. I remember him on the Lake Eyre, R W Miller that caught fire in Newcastle and the Macedon. He'd sail to Barrow Island, Kwinanna, Groote Island, Adelaide, Melbourne, and overseas to Taiwan. He shipped out of Newcastle.

Dad's last ship before he retired in 1986 was the Macedon where he cooked for 17 years. I was in Primary School when he joined it and I often traveled to Sydney when he'd be in port. I got to know a lot of the crew and became familiar with Glebe Island where the ship would berth. The ship carried Soda Ash from Adelaide to Sydney and occasionally he'd make a trip to Melbourne. The accommodation was at Mid Ship and an ancient oil burning stove was used in the galley. I remember it was a big laugh when the ship was nearly 20 years old and they laid new carpet. This was after a rumour got around the ship was going to be replaced. It lasted another 10 years and the crew remained on it which was not common in those days because of better opportunities through the Seamens engagement system. Some of the boys were there longer and the Bosun stuck it out for 25 years. If it wasn't for the severance pay agreement I think these lads including Dad would have bailed out earlier. Severance pay went out on Ships with changes in the award and the Macedon was manned before these changes and it meant they were getting a nice payout. Dad gave plenty of credit to the union and may have got only about $20,000 but to him that was a lot of money.

Howard Smiths was also a popular company to work for during this time. I know Dad could get almost anything he ordered including King George Whiting at over $20 a kilo and never had any issues with the providor regarding the price. The time he did have an issue was when they supplied South African Smoked Cod during the time Nelson Mandela was in jail and the Anti Apartheid movement was in full swing abroad. Dad sent the fish back and then had a visit from somebody trying to promote the product and wanted to send it to the ship in an unmarked box. I'm not sure how this was resolved but I do know it was part of Seamens Union policy not to accept South African products after I came in the industry.

The Macedon had many rough trips around Wilson’s Promontory and Backstairs Passage and on one particular voyage they thought they were gone. When the Noongah and the Blythe Star sank I was very young and remember it on the news. When the Lake Illawarra hit the Tasman bridge Dad new of crew members. People lost their lives in these tragic events that you wish they'd never happened. In 1974 on my first ever trip to Melbourne I visited Dad on the ship at Yarraville and seen the Capsized Straightsman in the Yarra River. I never realized that years later I'd sail on this ship that went to King Island.

I came in the Industry in 1980 and sailed with a lot of people that knew my father. Most of them spoke highly of him and they worked in every department. Including a couple of Chief Stewards on the Macedon that I got to work with and know well. Dad could go back over 30 years and sometimes spoke unworthy of Chief Stewards. This went back to days before the aggregate wage was introduced and the Chief Steward had the overtime book. He claims that he was underpaid on many of occasions because the system was being abused. The Chief Steward on ships were regarded as Company men and were not engaged through the pick up like ordinary Stewards were. Things improved in later years when salary type pay was introduced and the unions began talking about Amalgamations. The Marine Cooks and Marine Stewards on Australian Ships belonged to different Unions and I believed this created the problems. The Chief cook wrote the menu, and were on the same rate of pay as his more senior ranked crew member. During Dad's time in the industry a Chief Cook never became Chief Steward. After Dad had retired I sailed with 3 Chief Stewards that were formerly Chief Cooks.

Dad was also passionate about the Amalgamation with the Seamens union which happened in January 1983. I remember being introduced to a cook from Budgewoi at the Swansea Workers Club that did not support it. They both argued and I remember him telling Dad they were no longer going to be friends if he votes yes! The results were a clear majority in favour and most cooks and seamen I knew were more than happy about it.

Dad always had faith in the Seamen's Union and would regularly attend monthly meetings. The meetings were called, “Stop Work Meetings” but no productivity was lost and it was mainly members on leave that went to them. When the meeting finished at about midday Dad would join a lot of his mates where there was always a story. I would often be with him and remember him falling to sleep during a meeting and debating issues later with a laugh and a beer at the Newcastle Workers club.

In the late 50's Dad was a Newcastle Trades Hall delegate for the Painters and Dockers Union. He was a Member of the Communist Party and got to know a lot of people in Newcastle. He spoke highly of John Brennan who he'd known for a long time. I have fond memories of dealing with John's wife Elaine whenever we paid our union dues.

Other people Dad spoke high of was Newcastle Trades Hall Secretary Keith Wilson, Cooks Union Federal Secretary Bill Heath, Barney Smith and SUA Federal Secretary E V Eliott. He was definitely no fan of Bob Santa-maria and the National Civic Council.

I found a letter from the Newcastle Trades Hall thanking Mum and Dad for assisting at a youth camp. The letter had no date but would have been from the 1950's and it reflects on what sort of people they were. The Activism wasn't around much when I was growing up, although Dad spoke his mind and called a spade a spade.

The leave system was attractive when Dad returned to the industry in 1966. He'd accumulate 0.733 of a day for every day that he worked and that increased to 0.926 in 1981. I remember him being away for about 30 days at the most in the 17 years he was on the Macedon. He was a family man and when the ship came in to port it was a common sight to see wives and family members of the crew going up the gangway on arrival. I believe the leave system and improved conditions kept family men in the industry and this gave a backbone to the union. If it wasn't for these improved conditions I doubt Dad would have returned to the industry.

So much was good thanks to the Unions but one thing you'll never change is the tossing and turning at night in a bad sea. Although Dad said he never got Sea Sick he had plenty to say about sleepless nights. Another statement he'd make was he never drank at sea. I found this easy to believe and recall him having many sober days at home watching a good Movie, baking pies for the neighbors, or having a game of Scrabble.

After Dad retired he got some driving lessons of Dot Ryan before returning to the roads with a drivers license. He may have originally learned to drive in the Army during the Second World War when you were trained to run over the enemy! I was a bit shocked when I found out he was going to be driving again after many years without. I remember him with an old Standard 10 but I don't think he had a license. Dads driving history wasn't good and his drinking and health had me concerned. I realised many years later that I was wrong. He needed to take Mum to the shops and himself to the Doctors and TAB. He bought a Holden Gemini and he did drive interstate to Melbourne. It may have kept him more active and sober!

A couple of years after Dad retired he went with Mum to Scotland for about 6 weeks. For some reason he wasn't looking forward to it but he knew how much it meant for Mum to return to her country of birth. They left in August 1988 and spent about 6 weeks there and caught up with friends and went to the Army Tattoo. Dad hired a car in Edinburgh and they caught up with Mums relations in Fife and visited a few pubs. They got lost on the way to Ayr and ended up in Penrith England. They visited Kilwinning Abbey before Glasgow and drove up to the Isle of Skye. With Dad driving and Mum navigating it would have been an adventure. They also visited Tongue and stayed at the Ben Loyal Hotel where there was Scottish dancing. The Lochness Monster wasn't seen but at least they got to stay at Fort Augustus and eat some Haggis. They bought souvenirs, played cards, and drank Whiskey and beer. They got back to Australia in September and They both enjoyed themselves. Dad couldn't wait to tell me as soon as he got home, “I'll take back all what I said about not wanting to go because I really had a great time.”

During the Waterfront dispute in 1998 Dad attended the picket line in Newcastle and gave his support to the Wharfies. He didn't like scabs and when the UK miners went on strike during Margaret Thatcher's reign he dug deep in his pocket for the striking miners.

Dad died on the 25^th of October 1999 and according to his death certificate he had Pneumonia and suffered with Heart and Lung disease. His Kidneys were stuffed and Septic Shock contributed to them switching off his life support system. My last memory of him at Gateshead Hospital covered in tubes wasn't pleasant.

I remembered him many years before he retired he was taking Dewitts pills. He warned me to look after my Kidneys and I was to learn from other Chief Cooks that working in the freezer can be a health hazard. “Always wear a freezer coat even if it's for a few seconds.”

It would have been in the Army when Dad learned to cook. I don't recall him telling me when he made his first Casserole but he'd been on Magnetic island after going to New Guinea. The YMCA were set up there and there was also a woman’s camp. He knew how to make Damper and he had a special recipe for Hot Cakes that he called Johnny Cakes. They were common camp tucker back in those days when he was feeding the outback stockmen. He liked to cook a Sunday lunch for family and anyone walking past could be invited to sample the Pumpkin scones. He wasn't keen on me joining the industry as a cook but was supportive when I told him I put my name down. It was his mates that gave me the encouragement and after a few years of experience I was glad to be cooking 3 meals a day for 7 days a week rather than on deck.

Some of the cooks that sailed with Dad told me he was a great teacher. He did show me how to cook Fried Rice and that method stuck with me when I cooked. Mum's sister told me that he taught her how to make an Omelet. I may have learned a lot from him by observing and making my own mind up whether it was right or wrong. We were sometimes like chalk and cheese and didn't always agree with each other but I knew his his heart was in the right place. He was an old enough to be a Grandfather when I was born and when I was 13 he celebrated his 50^th birthday. This would have made his year of birth in 1923 and not 1924 like most documents state. I know he had a method of keeping things simple and did only what he needed to do. A story I did hear was when he was on the Macedon he had to bake bread because he gave all the fresh bread away by mistake to his mate Jimmy the Greek Bosun. He was suppose to collect the stale bread to feed some horses but I can't tell you if it was Jimmy or Dads fault. Years later I sailed with Jimmy on the Iron Prince.

When Piping Lane won the Melbourne Cup in 1972 Dad backed it. He loved Horse racing and was known to win and loose. He told me when the Melbourne Cup became a million dollar race it was to hard to predict. He had a gambling problem. He liked Cricket and Football but I'd never known him to go to a live event including the Races. He wasn't a fan of Motor Racing but I know he watched the Adelaide Grand Prix in 1985 and loved it when the race leaders car blew up.

When the Barman at the Swansea Workers Club didn't wash his hands after using the urinal Dad called him back. “Wash your hands!” The principals of hygiene were always important to Dad. He sat at the first table when you'd walk in the club and it was named The King Table. When ever someone that sat at the table died they'd lean the chair he sat on forward so that nobody could sit there for the rest of the day. It was done in respect!

When Dad was mowing the lawn he didn't like trees in his way. “Can't eat it mow it.” I remember him growing Aloe Vera after he retired and when it was in vogue. He'd add the Gel to water and let it sit in the fridge overnight to drink it the next day. He took a serious interest in it watching documentaries about it and he would only use a plastic knife when cutting it. This was the only gardening I recall him doing but it was mainly due to his Arthritis.

When the Redgum song, “I was only Nineteen” was played on the radio Dad would put down the form guide and turn up the volume. The song may have been about the Vietnam war which Dad was against, but he shared the grief of loosing mates in a war.

It would have been a better last memory seeing him as happy as he could be wearing the green T Shirt I bought for him in Glenrowan. He wore it everywhere and written on it was, “Ned Kelly for Prime Minister.”

He didn't like the GST