Please Fill out Our Guest Book

Submitted by
Name: Tony Harben
From: Perth Western Australia
Year at Vindicatrix: 1959/60
E-mail: rob-marg@bigpond.com
Comments:
G'day to all of the Vindi lads who are not on holiday as I am. We have made it across OZ from Perth to Cairns via "The Great Central Road" and Ayres Rock [sorry Uluru] The trip across was fantastic with plenty of photo's taken, which I will post as soon as I have down loaded them. To the WA lads, have a wonderful Christmas in July, I would have liked to have been able to join you, but alas, I just have to suffer this 28C weather and down a couple of sherbets. Until next time, look after yourselves.
Tony Harben.
Added: July 15, 2010
Delete this entry Reply to entry View IP address
Submitted by
Name: Alan T. Creasey
From: Bridgetown, Western Australia
Year at Vindicatrix: 1950
E-mail: crecy@tadaust.org.au
Comments:
To all Vindi Boys and others desiring to view this Guest Book.

For those of you old enough that to-day 24th May, was the gazetted British Empire Day when we were kids in infant school and on this day we had to stand up in assembly and sing God Save the King, and with this year 2010 being on a Monday, would have been a Bank Public Holiday i.e., Whit-Monday being the eighth week after Easter on the old British Calendar.

However, this same day 24th May has further significant importance of being noteworthy to the seafarers of the Merchant Navy, as such was gazetted as Merchant Marine Day (aka Merchant Navy Day) in the USA when in 1945 just sixteen days after cessation of WW11 hostilities in Europe, the British Government awarded and granted the American Seamen who sailed on British and Allied ships during WW11 with a British Pension in recognition for their service supporting the Allied cause. It took the Canadian Merchant Seamen similarly sailing on British/Allied ships during WW11 some 53 years to achieve the same recognition and pension in 1998 but with the day of observance to be 3rd September, the day that WW11 was declared, and with the first casualties of WW11 being on the same day just 3 hours after war was declared with the loss of 112 lives from the sinking of the Donaldson Liner RMS Athenia about 230 miles west of Donegal Ireland.

Other seafaring nations sympathetic to the Allied cause such as Norway,Denmark,Poland, Russia,Greece and Yugoslavia were quick to recognise the war service of their seamen and followed Canada's lead and achieved recognition for the day of observance to mariners to be 3rd September while Britain was not so quick but did follow suit with thanks to the personal efforts by the M.P. for Lewisham in South London being Glenda Jackson (perhaps being more widely known as a film star) authenticating and ratifying the establishment of a Merchant Navy Memorial in Tower Hill, London, which I was informed by reliable sources including my brother-in-law that only one solitary Vindi Boy Phil Hughes attended the inaugural service opening of the Memorial in 1996 with such poor attendance by Vindi Boys being influenced by a directive of the General Secretary of TSVA HQ UK that Vindi Boys were not considered Merchant Seamen. I have been regularly informed that the situation has changed very much since the inaugural ceremony and that the local pubs in the area could not survive if were not for the mass attendance of Vindi Boys on the 3rd September.

Notwithstandaing the foregoing, the Australian and New Zealand governments were very reluctant to comply despite a world wide campaign by Australian and New Zealand Merchant Seamen securing many thousands of signatures from around the world to support their campaign and present to the respective governments. Vindi Boysaround the world were very active in this campaign with one 1946 Vindi Boy in Yorkshire UK actually securing numerous signatures from the US Navy Sealift Command stationed in Yorkshire which were presented to the Australian Prime Minister of the day to no immediate avow. However after a long hard slog of almost twelve years that in 2007 with a change of government in Australia, we finally achieved our goal and had our dayof observance for Merchant Navy Day in Australia proclaimed and ratified as #rd September, but unfortuantely with out securing the same pension concession previously granted to the American and Canadian Merchant Seamen who sailed on British/Allied ships during WW11. I am sorry.

May God bless you All.
Alan. T. Creasey Vindi 1950
Added: May 24, 2010
Delete this entry Reply to entry View IP address
Submitted by
Name: Alan T. Creasey
From: Bridgetown, Western Australia
Year at Vindicatrix: 1950
E-mail: crecy@tadaust.org.au
Comments:
Further to the entry that I made in this Guest Book y'day 2nd May 2010, please find time to excuse my typing, spelling and grammar as I was hurriedly typing blind not being able to recheck such for fear of losing 'time out' on my TADAust internet conection.

Thanks to all.

Alan T. Creasey
Added: May 3, 2010
Delete this entry Reply to entry View IP address
Submitted by
Name: Alan T. Creasey
From: Bridgetown, Western Australia
Year at Vindicatrix: 1950
E-mail: crecy@tadaust.org.au
Comments:
Earlier I read the Pesident's Report on the 2010 AGM of the t.s Vindicatrix Association of W.A., Inc., posted on this website, which unfortunately was able to attend. More recently I was able to attend the Dawn Service and subsequent 'Vindicatrix March' in support of the ANZACS on Sunday the 25th April 2010, which was unbelievably most well supported by the ageing Vindi Boys in W.A., details of which I understand have been well covered in various reports. I must doff my cap in appreciation of the unselfish time and expertise generously provided by the President and Committee of t.s Vindicatrix Association of W.A., Inc.

Reverting back to the AGM report, when our Association was established on the 12th January 2005 at an informal meeting of Vindi Boys at Fred Reid's home in the southern suburb of Rockingham, that the lethargic Sandgroping Vindi Boys had much to learn from the wisemen and brothers of the various Vindicatrix Associations on the Eastern saeboards. However the lethargic slow learning Sandgroping Vindi Boys have proven themselves to be non such by efficently hosting the 2007 Downunder Vindi Reunion and being called upon again to host the 2010 Downunder Vindi Reunion. It is therefore evident that the Sandgropers are not a slow learning groupe of fellows. Infact they are most quick learners to be the envy of the Vindi world.

Such can not be solely attributed to the Vindi Boys in W.A., but also to the Vindi Boys spouses who hold dedicated and commanding and active positions on the Committe of the t.s Vindicatrix Association of W.A., Inc., as can be seen in the AGM report, for wich I doff my cap.

I trust that all you Vindi Boys in W.A., will also recognise the support you have from your spouses.

Sincerely,
Alan T. Creasey
Added: May 2, 2010
Delete this entry Reply to entry View IP address
Submitted by
Name: Jim Field-Mitchell
From: Groote Eylandt NT AU
Year at Vindicatrix: 1964
E-mail: fieldmitchell@activ8.net.au
Comments:
Originaly from Bexhill in Sussex England.
Added: April 26, 2010
Delete this entry Reply to entry View IP address
Submitted by
Name: Tony Harben
From: Perth Western Australia
Year at Vindicatrix: 1959/60 Deck
E-mail: rob_marg@e-wire.net.au
Comments:
Well done to the sixteen W.A. "Vindi Boys" who attended the Anzac Day Dawn Service and the Parade through the streets of Fremantle, where our wives [thanks girls] and approx. 5000 people turned out to wave us on. This was followed by a lunch at the club where we did a little "swinging of the lamp" courtesy of our Association. You did us proud. Thanks.
Tony. [President W.A. branch].
Added: April 26, 2010
Delete this entry Reply to entry View IP address
Submitted by
Name: FRED JOUGHIN
From: QUEENSLAND, IPSWICH
Year at Vindicatrix: 1957
E-mail: badgerden@hotmail.com
Comments:
greetings to all w.a. boys sorry i did not get to speak to all those at caloundra but i was running around like a B.A.F. as usual, still i need the money if all goes well will see you in november have great 2010 cheers folks fred j
Added: December 28, 2009
Delete this entry Reply to entry View IP address
Submitted by
Name: Tony Harben
From: Perth W.A.
Year at Vindicatrix: 1959/60 Deck
E-mail: rob_marg@e-wire.net.au
Comments:
From all of us Western Australian Vindi Boys ["Sandgropers"] to Vindi lads and their ladies a very Merry Christmas and may 2010 be the best year for you. Here's to tall ships
Here's to small ships
Here's to all ships on the sea
But the best ships
Are friendships
So here's to you and me
Merry Christmas all.
Added: December 22, 2009
Delete this entry Reply to entry View IP address
Submitted by
Name: Kenneth Gray
From: Rockingham W.A.
Year at Vindicatrix: 1946
E-mail: kenmerv@optusnet.com.au
Comments:
Xmas greetings to all our vindi boys and their
spouses.Special thanks to our Committee for their
work over the past year.So a toast to all spouses and sweethearts,and may they never meet.

Good sailing Ken & Maggie Gray
Added: December 15, 2009
Delete this entry Reply to entry View IP address
Submitted by
Name: Phil Hughes
From: Broadstairs, UK
Year at Vindicatrix: 1958
E-mail: philip@vindi.fsnet.co.uk
Comments:
It is with deep regret that we say goodbye to Peter Stearn who sadly "crossed the bar" on 09/12/09 following his long fight against cancer. Peter was the ex-Secretary of the TSVA Midlands Branch which became the Independent Midlands Vindicatrix, prior to that he was the TSVAEC Chairman. Peter will be remembered by all who knew him for his hard work for ALL Vindi boys. R.I.P.
Phil Hughes,
Secretary of the Independent Vindicatrix of East Kent.
Added: December 12, 2009
Delete this entry Reply to entry View IP address