Steve Tacey.

Photo of the Australis leaving Southampton.

From Cradle to Grave.

Part one of a two part story by ex-passenger Steve Tacey.

~Taken from the magazine "Sea Lines"~

Part one-Southbound

The dispertion of my mother's family from England to New Zealand began in 1957, when her elder sister and husband took the decision to emigrate. In 1965, her other sister and husband also decided to go, encouraged by the publicity material put out by the New Zealand government. Finally, in 1968, my mother's parents emigrated as well, pulled by the emotional ties of family, two thirds of whom were now on the other side of the world, all settled in the small coastal town of Sumner, not far from Christchurch on South Island. As the years went by, the regular letters and phone calls encouraged my parents to follow. Gradually, over a period of many years, the prospect of emigrating to New Zealand had been discussed and after Christmas 1973, the decision to go was finally made. The New Year started with much excitement as preperations began for our departure.

Two methods of getting to New Zealand were open to us. The first was a 'fare paying passenger', where by paying the full cost of the journey ourselves, we could return to England at any time. The second method was by 'assisted passage', by which the New Zealand government paid the bulk of the fare, with the emigrant paying a nominal contribution. by travelling on assisted passage, my parents would have had to sign a bond with the New Zealand government, undertaking to remain in the country for a minimum of two years. They opted to go as fare paying passengers, a decision they were later thankful to have made.

On 8th. February 1974, our booking with Chandris Lines was confirmed for a four berth cabin, number 1240 on "C" deck, aboard the S. S. Australis for the period of 16th. September to the 18th. October. Arrangements began to gather pace once we knew the date of our departure. Our house was put up for sale and friends and neighbours were informed of our plans. It felt strange to see the house gradually being cleared and all our household items being carefully packed in old wooden tea chests. As the weeks went by, the number of chests and crates began to increase in quantity, being stacked up in the dining room. It was at this point that it really dawned on us what we were doing. Seeing the mountain of chests all marked with the name of the ship and it's final destination in stark words on their sides emphasised our iminent departure. One morning a large removal van arrived. Some of the chests would travel in the hold of Australis, whilst the larger items would go in a container ship, to arrive after we had disembarked in New Zealand. When the removal men had gone the house was totally empty, except for ourselves and our suitcases.

Our house and car sold, all our worldly possessions crated up and taken away, it was time to say good-bye to close friends and my Grandmother. The gangway up onto the Main deck.

On 15th. September 1974, we arrived at the local bus station. Where we were to catch a coach to Southampton. There was a small gathering of people to say good-bye. It was an emotional farewell, with a sense of knowing that it would be the last time we would see each other. As our bus our bus drove away and we passed the familiar sights of my home town, I felt a sense of loss that we were leaving it all behind.

After spending a night in a Southampton hotel, we woke the following morning to a grey sky and showers. A taxi took us to the Ocean Terminal. Once inside, we became a part of a mass of passengers, crew and dock workers, all hurrying about and preparing to embark. Everywhere I looked there were children crying and people saying their last farewells. My father presented our tickets and passports and we were each given an embarkation card. Much to his relief, our heavy suitcases were then left behind to be put on board separately. Passing through immigration, our embarkation cards were stamped; all of a sudden we were entering a covered gangway leading to the ship. We had left the noise of the terminal crowds behind and the quietness of the gangway was a relief. Through the window I got my first glance of Australis. The ship was huge-a fantastic sight, with her hull plating bolted together with what seemed like millions of strong rivets-and I was filled with excitement. Suddenly we were inside the ship, entering another world.

We were on Voyage 46 Southbound, departing on the 16th. September. We were to sail via the Canary Islands, the Cape of Good Hope and Australia, finally due in Auckland, New Zealand on the 18th. October. For our first evening meal on board, we were allocated a table in the Pacific Restaraunt, discovering that meal times were preceded by bell chimes over the tannoy. Settling into our cabin, we listened to the hum of the ship's engines reverberating around us and the gentle motion as we headed down the English Channel.At 10am the next day, we had the regulation lifeboat drill. The following day, after everyone had had a little more time to get their bearings, the Captain's 'Welcome Aboard' party was held in the Main Lounge, it was a spacious room, with it's brass-trimmed mezzanine and heavy brass doors, surrounded by the lovely gesso work of the Florida Everglades, by Charles Baskerville. Above the door was an ornate clock and the Captain stood to one sideof the doors, next to a small brass 'art-deco' coffee table, to courteously greet his guests and have the obligatory photo call

A few days later Australis called at Las Palmas in the Canary Islands, where we had several hours ashore. On the 29th. of September we arrived at Cape Town, South Africa. We spent some time walking around the city center, Steve Tacey and family on the Promenade deck. with the majestic Table Mountain looming in the background. At this time apartheid was in force and it seemed strange to see how there were separate seats and buses for different racial groups. The ship sailed at around 9.30pm. and we spent the next day getting ready for the fancy dress parade. During the voyage it was noticeable that the ship's organisation was very efficient. the crew maintained high standards of cleanliness and service, despite the ship being full to capacity. Cabins were allocated to a steward who made up the beds and performed other housekeeping tasks. Ours was named Costas, who, although quite happy in his job, frequently talked and dreamed of his home back in Greece.

Eventually, after crossing the Indian Ocean, we found ourselves in the Southern Hemisphere, docking at Freemantle, Western Australia, on the morning of the 9th.October. Our ship continued around Australia, arriving at Melbourne on the 13th. Ocober. On our departure from Melbourne there was only four more days left of our voyage. The 14th of Ocober marked the occasion of my mother's birthday, which was celebrated at the evening meal in style with a specially made cake. The following day saw us arrive in Sydney during the small hours of the morning. We were moored by the Sydney Harbour Bridge, with the Opera House just across the quay. the penultimate day of our voyage was spent finalising packing and then enjoying a farewell dinner in the restaurant. Finally the end of our voyage was in sight and on the 18th. of October we arrived in Auckland. Our relatives were there to greet us, waving enthusiastically from the quay-side.

To be continued on next page.

Carry on to part two of "From Cradle to Grave".

Welcome all visitors to the S.S. Australis Website, which has now been online since 1998!

I will continue to update the site if I receive a new story, or if you have interesting photos taken on the ship during your voyage on either the southbound, northbound, or on one of the South Pacific cruises. We used to do those trips several times a year from Melbourne, Sydney and Auckland (New Zealand).

I am deeply moved by the interest and wonderful contributions from the numerous passengers and crew over many years.

You can send an e-mail to me on the link below:

A HUGE THANK YOU

Warm Regards

Ken

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