The Macedon (Ship)

 

The Macedon

The Macedon was a ship that sailed on the Australian coast for over 20 years. In 1986 Howard Smiths sold the vessel and the crew went elsewhere if they didn't retire.

Built in 1957 at Papenburg West Germany she had two sister ships. The Macedon was about 96 metres long and about 13 meters wide. Accommodation was midships and the crew had their own cabin, but the shower was communal.

There was a spiral staircase that was responsible for accidents. In the Galley they used was an oil fired stove until a relieving cook blew it up! It had to be replaced by an electric one which made the permanent cooks very happy.

Imperial Chemical Industries of Australia and New Zealand chartered the ship after it was commissioned. I believe this was in 1963 but it could have been earlier. The ship carried Potash from Port Adelaide to Glebe Island in Sydney.

The ship had no bar, and the crew would make their way to various local watering holes if home wasn't nearby. Glebe Island was where they docked, and the Baldrock Hotel and the Balmain Leagues club were close.

My father sailed as Chief Cook on the Macedon before he retired in 1986. He spent 17 years there and sailed between Sydney and Adelaide and occasionally called into Melbourne. They may have been to Hobart and other ports, but I'd need to do more research to get those facts.

Although Severance pay had been abolished when the aggregate wage was introduced, on the Macedon it was negotiated for the crew. Some of the lads had been on the ship for up to 25 years. My father was more than happy with Laurie Steen who represented the union in the case.

I remember visiting my father when I was about 15 and they were laying new carpet. It was a laugh because it was rumoured that Howard Smiths were going to replace the ship. This didn't happen until about 11 years later.

Many times, the Macedon encountered wild seas. I did hear a story that the ship would travel backwards with full steam ahead. Another time they were ready to board the lifeboats. Backstairs Passage and Bass Strait were two stretches of water that could be notoriously rough.

I'd never sailed on the ship, but I knew a lot of the crew. It was a multiethnic environment and many accents were heard. They came from England, Scotland, Greece, Fiji, New Zealand, Ireland, Italy, Asia and other lands. They got on well with the Australian and Indigenous members. The ones that I knew were staunch left wing trade unionist. Some had been in the Communist Party. It was a Comrade friendly environment.

One of Australia's most wanted criminals sailed on the Macedon as an ordinary seaman. I was told he got mixed up with the wrong people before he broke out of Katingal. He was caught and served his time before counselling first time offenders.