THE FRIENDS OF THE
P.S. OSCAR 'W'
P.O. BOX 527 GOOLWA S.A. 5214
January 2010
Volume 21 Number 2
MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF
THE
FRIENDS OF THE PS OSCAR 'W'
Meeting held on Friday 13th November 2009 at Goolwa National Trust Museum 7.30pm
CHAIRMAN'S WELCOME - Bruce Martin welcomed all those present.
PRESENT
As attached list 35 (copy in file minutes)APOLOGIES
As attached list 8 (copy in file minutes)MINUTES
Minutes
of the AGM held on 14th November 2008 as printed and distributed in January 2009 Newsletter, volume 20, number 2, presented and accepted.A.PRESGRAVE/D.FINNEE
BUSINESS ARISING
Juniors — after discussion with Council it was agreed that membership for those under the age of 18 years is pursued if required.
CHAIRMAN'S REPORT
Bruce Martin presented his report as attached. B.MARTIN/G.BRADDOCK
SECRETARIES REPORT
Christina Somervaille presented her report as attached.
C.SOMERVAILLE/D.KNAPPSTEIN
After Christina had read out her report Chairman Bruce made a presentation to Christina of Life Membership to the PS OSCAR 'W' for her continued support and valued services as Secretary over the past 17 years, Roly then took the floor and again thanked Christina on behalf of the Friends for her involvement, Christina was then presented with a Weeping Cherry Tree.
TREASURERS REPORT
Anthony Presgrave presented the Treasurers Report as at 30th June 2009, as attached.
A.PRESGRAVE/D.KNAPPSTEIN
MAINTENANCE/RESTORATION REPORT
Roly Bartlett presented the maintenance/restoration report, as attached.
ENGINEERS REPORT
Dave Finnie presented the Engineers Report, as attached.
PROMOTION AND MARKETING COMMITTEE
Dave Finnie presented his report on the Promotions and Marketing, as attached
MEMBERSHIP FEES
Mike Loney moved a motion that the Membership Fees remain the same for 2009/10,
M.LONEY/R.BARTLETT
Single membership — New member $25.00, renewal $20.00,
plus GST
Family membership — New member $30.00, renewal $25.00, plus GST
All subscriptions due for renewal on the 1s
t
July.
GENERAL BUSINESS
Nil
ELECTION OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS
All Committee positions were declared vacant — Rod Potter took the elections
PRESIDENT
DAVE FINNIE
E.J.THORP/P.HANAGAN
VICE PRESIENT
ROLY BARTLETT
G.BRADDOCK/J.LONEY
SECRETARY
PAUL HANNAGAN
D.FINNIE/R.BARTLETT
TREASURER
ANTHONY PRESGRAVE
J.LONEY/R.BARTLETT
COMMITTEE
GEOFF BRADDOCK
E.BRADDOCK/D.KNAPPSTEIN
TONY BROOKS
D.FINNIE/A.PRESGRAVE
DAVID CHETTLE
D.FINNIE/P.HANNAGAN
DAVID KNAPPSTEIN
D.FINNIE/R.BARTLETT
BRUCE MARTIN
R.BARTLETT/T.BROOKS
GRAHAM PRATT
R.BARTLETT/G.BRADDOCK
CHRISTINA SOMERVAILLE
D.FINNIE/T.BROOKS
Dave Finnie took the Chair and thanked the retiring Committee of Jason Loney, Mike Loney and Phil Reed and addressed those present, passing on the Committees and Councils appreciation to all those involved in getting the PS OSCAR 'W' into survey and keeping up the standard of the vessel now that we are operating as a commercial venture, Dave stressed that we needed more young blood in our membership. Dave also thanked the Promotion and Marketing Committee for their hard work and input over the past year of operations and those who have been involved in running the OSCAR including all the crew, sausage sizzlers, wharf duties, those who attended regular working bees. Dave said how much he was looking forward to taking on the challenging role as President and was looking forward to working with all the members.
Dave then presented an Award to our outgoing President, Bruce Martin, who served from 2001 to 2009 thanking him for all his hard work, effort and achievement during this time.
MEETING CLOSED
8.45pm — supper was served and enjoyed by all.Presidents Report A. G. M. Nov 2009
This year has been what I would call one of consolidation for the Oscar W with the boat now being 101 years old.
We have gone from being a new venture in Goolwa, cruising on a regular basis, to a very professionally run operation. I have received many favourable comments over the year as to the way in which we operate and the image we portray to the public. Almost all of the passengers I have spoken to believe we are giving them a memorable and value for money experience. I hope we can continue doing so.
Our financial situation at the moment is good, with a healthy balance. I hope that we will start putting some money aside for future major works, should this be needed.
It is good to see the water level at Goolwa back to a level where we can now go a bit further when we go out. We cannot however get into the lake and therefore cannot get into the river and go on our longer trips. I hope this situation will change in the future.
We still try to keep the boat open for inspection on the Sundays and holidays when not cruising. If you can offer a few hours please let us know.
Last year I talked about changing the time frame of committee member's tenure, hopefully this happens and we will see elections for some positions at each A.G.M. in the future. I believe this to be a good thing if we are to remain a dynamic organization.
Working bees have not been as well attended as one would hope. But
there is a dedicated bunch who spend most Wednesdays working on the
boat. This group is to be congratulated on the effort and amount of work
that they do, the Oscar is in her present condition largely due to the
Wednesday group.
It is sometimes frustrating when the same old few seem to be doing
all the work but it must be remembered that we are all volunteers and I
am sure most members do what they can to help. It must also be
remembered that there is a lot of behind the scenes work going on.
Our truck is proving to be a great asset and takes a load off
private vehicles. We can move wood about with far greater ease than when
we used trailers and utes. Although it is hard to get peter out of the
drivers seat
We have won some recognition for our efforts with among others, a ministers commendation in the Heritage Heroes awards.
I
would again like to thank the committee members for their efforts during the year. And I would be remiss not to give a special thank you to Roly and Christina, their efforts go well above the average to help keep the Oscar operating.I would also like to thank all who have put in some effort during the year to help with the many tasks needed, many of them not obvious but without someone doing them we would not find it so easy to operate.
As I mentioned last year I feel the time has come for someone else to take over the position of president. And as you know Christina has decided to hand over the secretary's role. I would hope to retain a position on the committee for a while.
Since I joined the friends in 1991 I have seen many changes and I believe the Oscar is in good hands.
I have learned a lot over those years and have met many people in many places. I have also learned a lot about myself and my abilities over those years and I thank you all for giving me that opportunity.
Bruce Martin ~ President
SECRETARIES REPORT FOR THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING FRIDAY 13th NOVEMBER 2009 7.30PM AT GOOLWA NATIONAL TRUST MUSEUM
Welcome to the AGM of the PS OSCAR many thanks to
Goolwa National Trust for allowing us to hold our meeting here tonight.
There is an attendance list going round, please sign and fill in any
apologies you may have.
During
the evening we will be having reports from Anthony on our financial
situation, Roly on maintenance, the Engineers on how the boiler is behaving
with the salty water and Dave on the Promotion and Marketing. So each year
my report has been getting shorter and shorter.
Volunteers — We still have
around 129 current members, unfortunately, not +all actively involved and we
send out approx 160 newsletters each quarter. If you are working on the PS
OSCAR or the sausage sizzle, working bees etc. you must fill in the NEW
Council Volunteer Form — you will find these on the Saloon table, these are
then held by the Council, also please read the Policy and Procedure folder
in the Saloon concerning your responsibilities. I know I keep on about these
forms but as the PS OSCAR 'W' is a Section 41 Committee of Alexandrina
Council, we as volunteers are required to complete a "Volunteer Registration
Form", this form needs to be completed, signed and returned to us as soon as
possible as part of the requirement for working on the PS OSCAR 'W' and as a
volunteer and Council's Public Liability insurance whilst working on the
OSCAR and associated activities. Also please keep all your volunteer hours
and mileage records up to date, these are collated and used for future grant
and funding applications.
Sadly in the past 12 months we have lost two of
our active members, Kerry Liddell and Dave McCormack, our thoughts are with
Julie and Chris at this very emotional time. Our congratulations go to
Katherine and Jason on the safe arrival of their twin girls.
Council — we still work
very closely with the Council and now come under the 'wings' of Graham
Webster who is always very willing to help us when needed, we still hold our
regular working meetings with the Council.
Sponsors — The Marina Hindmarsh Island are our
major sponsors. Currency Creek and Ballast Stone Wineries, Jessie of Goolwa
Wooden Boats, The Steam Exchange Brewery, Micro Promotions and Council also
sponsor us with panels on the aft deck. Our friends at the local service
clubs especially Rotary and Lions, along with Armfield's Slip, The Wooden
Boat Association and The South Australian Wooden Boat Festival are great
supporters of all we do.
Training and
Crewing — Now that we are in survey we require
qualified volunteers to crew, Skipper, Coxswain, Engineer and 2 General
Purpose Hands, many of our volunteers already have their Ship Board Safety
Certificate and Seniors First Aid. As most of you are aware we are awaiting
confirmation from the Department for the Ship Board Safety Course,
tentatively booked for the 21st/22nd November. We now work to a Crew Manual
and this lists the duties and responsibilities of crew members when rostered
on trips or the Wharf so please make yourself aware of the duties you are
required to perform so that the work load is evenly distributed on the day
and that you arrive on time and leave after everything has been cleared up
and put away.
Trips
—Due to the water levels our trips have been very limited, we had to cancel
our April trip to Murray Bridge for the NHMA 12th National Rally which was
very disappointing, the Friends Days Out have still been held and enjoyed by
all — even if it was just a short cruise in 'our puddle' out in front of the
Wharf However, now we are extremely lucky to have reached almost pool level
which enables the OSCAR 'W' to steam up to Clayton, we have had a Friends
Day Out that almost made it, a Charter and another Friends Day Out that did
make it to the jetty. Our next Friends Day out is the Christmas Picnic —
please add your name to the list if you wish to come along and enjoy the
festivities.
Publicity
— We took part in the 2008 Goolwa Christmas Pageant parade promoting the
OSCAR `W' and we have been invited to take part in this year's event being
held on the 13th December. As you are all aware we now have a Web Site
www.oscar-w.info we try to keep this site updated so that everyone can
access up to date information on cruises, working bees, projects etc. so
please refer to it on a regular basis, the Newsletter is also re-produced on
the Web. The steaming brochures are proving very popular and are distributed
throughout the region. Please let us know if you have any other outlets in
your area that we can use to promote our cruises. Paul is a regular caller
to Ashley Walsh on ABC radio the Saturday morning before our steaming day —
this is a very successful way to publicise our trips, events etc. to the day
visitors who come dawn to our area for the weekend.
Committee — As always —
your Committee have been working very hard throughout the year, some of the
members will be taking a well earned rest from their positions, so please
offer your support to the new Committee that will be elected later in the
evening. Each Committee member is given a portfolio for different working
aspects of the Committee and are required to attend the regular Committee
meeting once a month, along with other meetings as called, so it is a role
not to be taken lightly. Roly has been attending the National Maritime
Safety Reform meetings being held, he is working closely with the PS MARION,
INDUSTRY and RUBY, in April the Council of Inland River Association was
passed onto the Mannum Dock Museum Board, the LIRA will help form a united
body through which to make submissions regarding the Commonwealth take over
of Maritime Safety and Survey requirements. I am sure that Roly will be only
too pleased to discuss this with any interested member. Souvenirs — Denise
is still selling souvenirs through the Arts and Crafts at the Goolwa Railway
Station, Frank Tuck-wells book on the OSCAR 'W', Flanders Fields and Paddle
Wheels, is still available and retails at $34.95 with a members price
$30.00. We now carry a more varied and extended range of souvenirs for sale
onboard the OSCAR 'W' and Captain ET will make up orders for clothing as
required.
Working Bees and Boat Opening
— Sadly the regular working bees held the second Saturday of each month at
the Goolwa Wharf have not been very well attended, there is one set for
tomorrow, there are still plenty of jobs for everyone to carry out, the
regular Wednesday weekly working bee keeps the OSCAR in tip top condition
and ready for her regular cruises. Wood still is and will always be a
concern for us — have you ever wondered how it gets to the boat? We are so
lucky that we purchased a truck to transport the wood, this is proving a
very valuable asset for us and is stored in our new shed in the Council
Depot. The boat opening roster is looking pretty empty at the moment, please
come forward with your name and availability to Bruce as soon as possible so
that we can open every Sunday — when not steaming — and during school
holidays, this is also a very valuable income towards the cost of routine
maintenance work.
Winning Streak
— we have been very lucky with Awards this year, we received the Alexandrina
Council Australia Day Award for the 2008 Community Event — The PS OSCAR 'W'
100th Birthday Celebrations.
We made Round 1 Finalists in the Tell Us Tourism Awards
for excellence in Customer Service — sadly we did not win but I was
extremely honoured to receive the Alexandrina Council Outstanding Tourism
Award, and in August we received a Ministers Commendation in the SA Heritage
Heroes Award 2009. So for our first year as a commercial operation we did
very well.
The South Australian Wooden Boat
Festival — held in March this year was a very successful event for
the OSCAR, with all trips being fully booked over the 3-day event. All
visitors expressed their congratulations to the volunteers of the OSCAR on
reaching survey and were delighted to be able to actually have a ride on
board at the Festival.
101st Birthday Celebrations — and
the Goolwa Alive Event held over the October long weekend went down very
well with thousands of visitors to the area, once again all trips on the
OSCAR were very well patronized and enjoyed by all who came along. In future
years we will celebrate the OSCAR's birthday over this weekend.
The Raffle — the raffle was
drawn over the October long weekend and the lucky winner of the 1st prize
donated by The Marina Hindmarsh Island was won by Sandra Waye of Willunga,
Alan Bowman won 2nd prize — bottles of Currency Creek/Ballast Stone wines —
Alan has donated his prize back to the OSCAR for a raffle at our Friends
Christmas Picnic, and Michelle Stevens won the Steam Exchange Brewery prize,
4th — 12th prizes for Family passes on the OSCAR were well received and a
total of 5 members won passes, congratulations to all and we look forward to
you taking your well earned prize, a total of $3216 was raised.
Wharf Shed Submission — Alexandrina Council has called for Expressions of
Interest for the future use of the Wharf Shed. The OSCAR is working with
Armfield's Slip to prepare a submission for the use of part of the Wharf
Shed. Thank-you - Please join me in thanking your Committee of Bruce - our
President, Roly —Patron and Vice President, Anthony - Treasurer, Jim Davis
and Rod Potter - Council Representatives and Committee members Geoff
Braddock, Jason Loney, Mike Loney, Phil Reed, Tony Brooks and Dave Finnie
for all their input over the past year, also thank-you to Chris Brooks who
has covered for me when I have been away gallivanting around the Country. As
always a huge thank-you to all those 'unsung heroes and heroines' who work
away behind the scenes and make things happen. A very special thank-you to
Captain's EJ, Max and Trevor who are always willing to skipper for us, often
at very short notice.
Thank-you everyone for the support you have given to
me throughout the year and my 17 years as your Secretary.
I would now like
to present my final report for 2008/2009.
Happy steaming to you all
Christina
Secretary 13th
November 2009
A TRIBUTE TO CHRISTINA SOMERVAILLE
SECRETARY OF THE FRIENDS OF P. S. OSCAR 'W'
1992 - 2009
PRESENTATION OF LIFE MEMBERSHIP
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If the minutes need taking—she takes them.
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If the newsletter needs editing —she edits it. |
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If the Newsletter needs typing —she types it. |
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If the printing needs arranging. —she arranges it. |
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If the Council needs contacting —she contacts. |
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If the Toilet needs cleaning —she cleans it |
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If the Galley needs tidying —she tidies it. |
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If the Saloon needs sweeping—she sweeps it. |
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If money needs banking — she banks it. |
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If buns need baking —she bakes them. |
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If the trip needs a cook — she cooks it. |
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If a letter needs writing —she writes it. |
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If a course needs organising — she organises. |
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If the First Aid Kit needs updating —she aids it! |
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If the boat needs registering — she registers it. |
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If the Tickets need selling — she sells them. |
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If a rope needs throwing — she throws it. |
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If you can't find it — she's got it — in a flash. |
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If the visitors need talking to - she talks it. |
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If you want someone to hear your life story — she listens. |
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If she needs help —she's got it—its called Malcolm |
And now a Life membership needs
accepting . We hope she
receives it with our great appreciation for
all she has done
for P.S. Oscar W. over long period of time.
MAINTENANCE REPORT FOR
FRIENDS OF P.S. OSCAR W TO
A.G.M. 2009
I expect the critical question to ask re maintenance is." How does Oscar W compare with this time last year"? And the answer is:- "Much better" except for the attached bristle worm. In my last A.G.M. report I said " We will still need lots of work to keep Oscar up to survey standard especially in the light of saline water" I am pleased to say that the same group of dedicated people plus a few capable new members have Attended to the task very well and have enabled us to cross off a few ongoing larger tasks namely:- Replacement of rotting Sponson deck members, replacement of bollards with matching stronger ones, replacement of side of head and internal painting, manufacture of wood loading chute, and cleaning and painting of steel decks with 2 pot epoxy paint. This latter has proved to be durable and long wearing.
Lately we have been raising the covering boards on the forward hold to find that the paint underneath is in good condition with little rust, but lots of dirt, so just cleaning & painting is the order of the day.
The Wednesday group have proved their worth by keeping the boiler and mechanics in excellent condition, general painting, trying to keep the bristle worm off critical parts of paddle wheels and hull, keeping the wharf fenders at the correct height as the water rises and many little improvements to storage and operation of the boat- much appreciated and so necessary. One of their big tasks of course, is, keeping up the wood supply and this brings us to the Toyota Dyna which has proved its worth on many occasions, from wood carting from venues to the council depot, carting from depot to boat, launching the tender boat via the tow bar, which we added, to general collection of boat gear such as the recently fitted new smoke stack, after the rusting out of the old one.
At our successful July "in water' survey the surveyor noticed the tender boat and said it would need to be under survey. This has been attended to and the vessel will have survey when we have dealt with the corrosion and supplied a management plan. The boat is currently at Victor Harbor for sand blasting priming and anti fouling. The anti foul which we put on a few months ago was excellent- no bristle worm, but some corrosion was evident.
Our ongoing problems now are to keep the vessel going until the next survey and slipping in.July 2010. We recently had divers down to report they reported a little bristle worm especially around the bow so we can plug on cleaning off as much as possible to keep Oscar functioning.
Our next major job is replacement of the Facia on the top roof. We can either just replace the rotten piece or improve the look of the vessel by lowering the roofline to the original contour. All in all a very good year due to our small but dedicated and capable band of volunteers. Thank you! Roly B
Footnote to report: In regard to getting the maintenance tasks done on Oscar, another option apart from working bees is for a group of friends, two or three, who could undertake a task and carry it out at a suitable time for them. If you would like this option, contact Dave 85368243 or Roly 0408159998
REPORT FOR THE AGM NOVEMBER 2009
Friends of the Oscar
W
Engineers report.
It certainly at times has been quite challenging, to keep the Oscar in perfect running order, but full credit must be given to those volunteers who come along every Wednesday to put in and keep everything in readiness for our cruising schedule. Wood is, naturally a constant requirement and requires, sourcing and acquiring it on a constant basis. With the purchase of our truck we now have a vehicle at the ready to get wood at any time with out having to utilize the volunteer's trailers and vehicles. This is definitely a step forward.
Throughout the last 12 months we have had to replace the smoke stack as the old one rusted away, we had to realign the paddle shafts to the main gears, and we put into practice a continual cleaning process of the boiler tubes with the purchase of a flexi drive which reduces the amount of bodies required for this process. This can only help with the efficiency of the boiler. We maintain the front tube plate and keep it oiled to preserve the rolled ends of the tubes after every cruise and this of course keeps us on top of any deterioration that may occur.
With the quality of the water in the river it became necessary for us to use town water in the boiler while cruising. We decided to fit extra tanks into the forward hold to allow us to do longer trips without the worry of the quality, but in doing this we believe that it may have been magnifying the problems of the tubes that keep on reoccurring. To overcome these problems we have altered the entry point of the injector system to enter the boiler through the same point as all other pumping systems do and thus reduce thermal shock to the tube plates. In the near future we will investigate, maybe a heat exchanger to preheat the water after the pumps but before it enters the boiler to boost the efficiency and reduce shock to the actual boiler. We have just had a boiler inspection and the Inspector was very pleased with the condition of the boiler and naturally has given us a ticket for the next 12 months.
The actual engine with a lot of TLC appears to be still running very smoothly for an old 101 year machine but as I have said before don't alter old and proven engineering.
It is pleasing to note that we now have a few new volunteers coming along on Wednesday with trade qualifications and if these people continue to contribute on a regular basis the engineering side of the Oscar will keep on keeping on well in to the future.
Thanking You.
Dave Finnie.
Engineer.
President’s Report - December 2009
I have just returned from the Friend’s Day Out Xmas
gathering, and I must say it was an excellent day. The weather was fine, the
company was excellent, and Christina’s organization of it could not have
been better. I believe all who attended would agree that it was a fitting
finale to a very good year with the Oscar “W”, and it was a treat to go all
the way to Clayton and back, and travel at the speed the Oscar was built to
do.
As you
may or may not be aware, at the AGM in November 2009 Bruce Martin stepped
down from the Presidents position after 9 years of steering the Oscar “W”
towards the ultimate goal of reaching survey standard. He felt it was time,
and after being nominated for the position of President, I was elected to
head the committee, and to hopefully continue to take the Oscar into the
future.
I
must take this opportunity to thank all those members who over the last 20
years participated to achieve the final restoration that gave Goolwa a
paddle steamer to be proud of, and that will ply the waters of the river
Murray and keep the river history alive for future generations.
As you read this newsletter, you
will see the membership of the new committee, and the responsibilities that
certain committee members have. I would appreciate it, if you have certain
questions or suggestions, that you forward these to the person who is
responsible, to answer them, and hopefully this will help to spread the load
and encourage members to be involved. However in saying this, if you wish to
discuss anything with me, please do not hesitate to ring me,
I must say at this point that
because of the popularity of the Oscar, the work load is increasing for
those volunteers who wish to help. I do not mean the fun part of
participating in the crewing, but just in keeping the vessel ready to use.
This means the consistent TLC required on the engine and boiler and the
constant requirement of wood that has to be gathered and transported after
nearly every trip, and it is apparent that it is going to get worse. There
is very little help from anyone outside the Friends and the quality of wood
that we are getting is requiring more attention in the way of cutting and
splitting, before we can burn it. Having to do all of these chores is
stretching the group on Wednesday to their limits, and the general work
required in maintaining and keeping the Oscar restored is getting pushed
aside. This of course reflects on the appearance of the Oscar and our
professionalism. All I can ask from the Friends is, if you have any spare
time to assist us with the work load on any Wednesday, or the monthly
Saturday working bee, it would certainly be appreciated. The dates are
printed in this newsletter, so please take the initiative and approach us,
as I believe it is up the volunteers to do so, and not for the committee to
continually pester members.
Having said all that, I hope our future is bright, and
that I and the committee receive your continued support. Merry Christmas and
a happy new year for 2010.
Regards – Dave Finnie
President
FROM THE SECRETARY – JANUARY 2010
Happy New Year to The Friends of the PS Oscar
“W”!
Twelve months ago in this newsletter, our past Secretary, Christina,
commented that “If the start of 2009 is anything to go by it is going to
be another hectic year ahead …”. How true her prediction was!
Our regular monthly cruises have
been very well patronized and together with the ever growing number of
charters, our volunteers and particularly our regular Wednesday working
group, have been kept flat out maintaining the Oscar “W” in top working
order. Unfortunately the monthly Saturday working bees have been attracting
dwindling numbers of volunteers and this means that ongoing jobs such as
painting, wood carting etc have fallen off significantly. The cruises and
Friends Days Out don’t just happen by themselves – there is a lot of
preparatory work involved before the Oscar “W” is able to leave the wharf
and so far this work is being left to the same few volunteers every time.
So, if you can spare a few hours on Wednesdays from 9:00am or the working
bees, usually on the second Saturday of each month you will be welcomed with
open arms! Please contact either Dave or Roly if you are able to volunteer a
few hours of your time to assist. Remember, every hour that you put in is an
hour that someone else does not have to do!
On the weekend of 21st-22nd
November, 9 Oscar “W” crew members undertook an Occupational Health and
Safety at Sea course at Goolwa. The course included Fire Safety, Survival at
Sea and Health and Safety with both practical and classroom training
involved. The practical component of Survival at Sea was held at the wharf
and attracted a small crowd of interested onlookers (was that the
infamous Pirate Pete amongst them?). They seemed bemused to see grown
men and women thrashing about in the water as they attempted to board a
life-raft (“push the blunt end”!, right an upturned life-raft and
manoeuvre it back to the wharf. A head count subsequently revealed that all
hands survived the ordeal – but boy, did the water taste awful?
Crew rosters have so far been
working out very well, although Captains are sometimes in short supply. It
is most pleasing to see the boat cruising from the wharf with a happy and
efficient crew on board all dressed in their official Oscar “W” gear. It
certainly presents as a very professional operation. Thank you to all of the
crew for your efforts and dedication in making this a successful venture and
we look forward to your continued support. A special mention must also be
made of the sausage sizzle crew. They do a great job and the very tasty
sausage and onion in bread has proven to be a real winner.
Before I close, I would like to
thank Christina for her 17 years as Secretary and for ensuring the handover
was accomplished without any headaches (so far). Hers will certainly be a
hard act to follow.
Until next time, Happy Steaming.
Paul
P.S. Don’t forget the working bees – The Oscar “W” Needs You!
Dave McCormack – Vale
The Friends of the PS Oscar “W” were saddened to hear of Dave’s passing on 29th October 2009. Dave was much liked and respected and will be particularly missed by the Wednesday Group, of which he was a valued member and also a good friend. Many good times were had together, on Wednesdays at the wharf, on our last trip up river in 2008 as well as socially. On behalf of The Friends we would like to pass on to Dave’s wife, Chris, and their family, our sincere condolences.
VOLUNTEER REGISTRATION
Please note that ALL volunteers are required to complete two separate Volunteer Registration Forms before they commence any volunteer work for the Oscar “W”. This is a policy requirement of the Alexandrina Council, the objective being to support the contribution made by volunteers and includes legal, insurance and industrial responsibilities (including personal accident and public liability insurance cover) and the responsibilities and rights of volunteers.
The forms are available from the folder in the Saloon on board the Oscar”W” or from the Secretary and on completion must be returned to the Secretary.
A copy of Council’s Volunteer Policy is available to view in the Saloon.
Quiz Question: Which riverboat. owned by one of our esteemed members, was built at Port Adelaide in 1923 at McFarlane’s yard, and used in the building of the Glenelg breakwater?
Answer: The M.V. Progress was lying unused at Pt. Adelaide wharf, after work at Glenelg when she was spotted by a South Australian Farmers Union representative. Purchase was arranged and Progress taken to Murray Bridge by rail to become one of the milk boat fleet, where she joined Loyalty, Cooperation and Union. These solid wooden boats could be heard disturbing the morning and evening air on the Murray, with their single cylinder kero engines, as they collected milk from the many dairies, and transported it, often with passengers and parcels, back to the Murray Bridge factory. Progress is now owned by the Somervailles and is moored at Goolwa
FRIENDS DAYS OUT
What a terrific Friends Christmas Picnic we all had on Sunday 6th December, it was good to see so many members joining in and enjoying the wonderful weather, our trip to Clayton for the Christmas Picnic at the Jetty – along with Father Christmas, all the vintage sailing yachts and other vessels on the water. We welcomed Ernst and Bev from Dandenong and Maxine and Graham from Cadell, along with our thanks to Skipper Trevor and ‘The Admiral’ Yolande. We also celebrated Peter K’s 60th birthday.
We have two Friends Days Out coming up, one is on Sunday 7th February, leaving the Goolwa Wharf at 10.00am, ladies please bring a small salad to share, the usual creature comforts, $10 per head to cover the food, all names to Christina on 8555 2595 by 2nd February, please book early to avoid disappointment.
The second is on Sunday 21st. March ditto as above by the 15th March please.
May I also take this opportunity to thank you all for your good wishes in my retirement from the position of Secretary, I was surprised and honoured to receive Life Membership to the Friends of the PS OSCAR ‘W’ for my services as Secretary from 1992 to 2009, I believe that I am the first member to receive this privilege. I am also looking forward to planting my Weeping Cherry Tree that you gave to me, this will be on our return to Goolwa after Christmas – the Nursery is still looking after it for me until then.
All the best for 2010
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Sunday December 27th
Steaming Day and sausage sizzle
Monday December 28th
Steaming Day and sausage sizzle
Wednesday December 30th
Steaming Day and sausage sizzle
Thursday December 31st
Steaming Day and sausage sizzle
2010
January 2nd
Steaming Day and sausage sizzle
Saturday January 9th
Working Bee – Goolwa Wharf – 9:30am
Sunday January 24th
Steaming Day & sausage sizzle
Tuesday January 26th
Steaming Day & sausage sizzle
Sunday February 7th
Friends Day Out – all names to Christina by 2nd. February
Saturday February 13th
Steaming Day & sausage sizzle
Sunday February 14th
Steaming Day & sausage sizzle
Sunday March 21st
Friends Day Out – all names to Christina by 15th
March Saturday April 3rd
Steaming Day & sausage sizzle
Sunday April 4th
Steaming Day & sausage sizzle
Monday April 5th
Steaming Day & sausage sizzle
Each Wednesday
Working Bee – Goolwa Wharf - 9:30am
Christmas Aboard the Oscar
'Twas the night before Christmas, and far out on the water
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