1. GLAD TIDINGS No. 10 PART D
In this edition:
• An unexpected thrill in
Adelaide
• The AMSA Seafarers
An unexpected thrill in Adelaide Welfare Advisory
Committee
Our friends at Stella Maris
Adelaide regularly send their on the boundary- right next to • Hastings’ champions
always interesting newsletter to our near ecstatic crew. They free MSIC passes
us. The latest edition of “The then got a chance to speak
Gangway Bulletin” has a terrific with their legendary • Serious injury reports
article on an Indian crew visiting countryman, and at the close of
last January, that has to be play went back to their ship on • Esperance’s Good
clouds nine, ten and eleven. Samaritans
retold. Over 24-28 January,
Australia and India were locked Bravo, SM Adelaide…Aussie
hospitality at its best! But who in • Than you AMWS and
in battle in a game of cricket at SBU
Adelaide Oval. A group of India will believe their story when
Indian seafarers were visiting they get home?
Stella Maris at that time and
asked if they could be taken to
Adelaide Oval. The good
volunteers swung into action
and delivered the seafarers to
the cricket before you could
say “howzthat’.
The cricket-mad seafarers could
not believe their luck when as
spectators they took up a prized
position on the boundary fence
as the Australian batsmen
manfully built their innings. Soon
after, the one and only Sachin
Tendulkar was sent to field out
GLAD TIDINGS 2012 No. 10 Part D

2. The AMSA Seafarers Welfare Advisory Committee
The Australian Government- funding.
Maritime Safety Authority Practical issues involving the
appointed Committee implementation of the MLC,
continues to meet quarterly the cost of MSIC passes,
and to provide a forum for better access to terminals,
Australian practical enforcement of the
seafarers’organisations to ISPS code, the formation of
articulate their concerns and local port welfare
share experiences and committees, the
aspirations in the presence of establishment of a Register
other key maritime industry noting our involvement in
stakeholders and serious incidents involving
government representatives. seafarers, relations with the
ITF and Port Authorities etc
The editor represents MTS on are a few of the matters on
this committee and has the ever expanding agenda.
recently been joined by MTS’ It also provides us a chance
Capt Dave Ellis who to meet with AOS on a more
importantly brings another regular basis as their national
level of expertise and director Peter Owens also sits
commitment to the table. on the Committee.
The committee meetings
provides us the opportunity Any centre concerned about
to advocate as strongly as any local or national issue
possible for recognition of the that could appropriately be
crucial welfare services all of brought before the Advisory
our centres provide around Committee please contact
Australia’s ports, and our the national office.
need for future support and
Hastings’ champions for free MSIC passes
Earlier in the year Hastings Seafarers Centre for current passes for some 25 active
brought it to our notice that the cost of volunteers. The AMSA Seafarers Advisory
MSIC passes was hurting the centre Committee is now aware of this problem
financially. We are indebted to Hasting’s and will start negotiations with the issuing
Bob Graham for bringing this to our authority for hopefully the issue of free
attention. A subsequent survey of MTS passes in the future. Let’s hope that the
centres by the editor disclosed that eight of next edition of Glad Tidings will be able to
our centres paid for MSIC passes and that report some good news on this front.
one of them had paid out around $12,000
Page 2 GLAD TIDINGS 2012 No. 10 Part D

3. Serious injury reports
We all are aware of the asked us to begin to record these
tremendous work AMSA carries voluntary acts of mercy we carry
out with their sea rescue out. Accordingly, the national
operations; coming to the rescue office has recently set up a
of ships and crews in peril, Register of Serious Incidents that
seafarers overboard or badly will detail our involvement in such
injured etc. But what is not as well incidents and a copy will be
known, is the degree of given to AMSA. This Register will
involvement by our organisation give the government a better
and Apostleship of the Sea in idea of the scope and
coming to the aid of those importance of our work to the
seafarers rescued and brought to world’s seafarers and their
shore by AMSA requiring urgent families. So please remember to
medical treatment and fill in your Serious Incident Form
hospitalisation- and the follow up and send to the national office
work required to contact loved when appropriate.
ones and so on. And as you all
know, we care for many a
seafarer who takes ill or is seriously
injured at sea that does not
actually require AMSA’s rescue
services but are of a serious,
sometimes life threatening
nature. These charitable works
and good deeds do not come to
the notice of government or
anyone else for that matter. We
do not boast about such stuff- it is
seen as uncool and unchristian to
do so. However, AMSA have
Esperance’s Good Samaritans
Developing the theme from the previous All in a days work Esperance would say. In
story, our attention is drawn to the great that same week another ship visiting
pastoral work being carried at our Esperance had lost a crew member
Esperance centre by chaplain Frank Roe overboard and Fred did his best to offer
and manager/ship visitor Fred Lochowicz. support there as well.
Fred recently sent us a completed Serious This is the unsung core business that all our
Incident report involving the ten day centres carry out on virtually a daily basis. In
hospitalisation of a seafarer with acute that one week other Incident Reports were
diabetes. received from Albany, Brisbane and
At the risk of embarrassing Frank, Fred Bunbury concerning seafarers hospitalised
mentioned that Frank had visited the sick for burst appendix, finger amputation and
patient two to three times a day for all of an onboard broken leg caused by stormy
the ten days to “provide changes of weather. Life at sea is dangerous.
sleeping clothes, toiletries and the medical
scripts that Frank had organised and
collected…”
GLAD TIDINGS 2012 No. 10 Part D
Page 3

4. Esperance Seafarers’ Chapel
Thank you AMWS and SBU
A newsletter like this one
always provides us with the is able to financially support
opportunity to emphasise all centres Australia wide with
how important the support of grants for practical things
the Australian Mariners that directly benefit
Welfare Society and the seafarers, the Sydney Bethel
Sydney Bethel Union is to our Union bound by state
humanitarian work around legislation can only support
Australia’s seaboard. Thanks centres in NSW. Accordingly,
to their generosity we are our hard working centres in
able to be so much more Newcastle, Port Kembla,
effective and reach so many Eden and Sydney are the
more seafarers and their grateful beneficiaries of this
families. Although the AMWS invaluable assistance.
Page 4 GLAD TIDINGS 2012 No. 10 Part D