18 minute read
Currents
Following Frank’s death at sea, William and Beryl were adopted separately; at the time, it was believed that adoptees needed a ‘clean break’ from any remaining relatives
A happy ending
SS Iron Crown orphans reunited at last
Last December, Bill Stewart and his sister Beryl saw each other for the first time in nearly 80 years. They were separated in 1942 after their father died on SS Iron Crown, but a series of fortunate occurrences finally reunited them, writes Emily Jateff.
THE AUSTRALIAN MERCHANT VESSEL SS Iron Crown was en route from Whyalla to Newcastle, New South Wales, when it was torpedoed by the Japanese submarine I-27 on 4 June 1942. It sank within minutes, taking 38 of the 43 crew with it. This included 64-year-old fireman Frank Stewart, who was born in London, England, in 1878. Frank and his wife Margaret had two children, William and Beryl. After Margaret died in 1935, and Frank joined the merchant navy, both children were sent to St Joseph’s Orphanage at Larg’s Bay, South Australia. Following Frank’s death at sea, William and Beryl were adopted separately. This seems harsh now, but at the time, it was believed that adoptees needed a ‘clean break’ from any remaining relatives. Family member Kylie Watson says, ‘I don’t believe there was legislation in place to support siblings to remain in contact. It is my understanding that it was quite the opposite and common practice to discourage any further contact with their past lives.’ Beryl was adopted at age seven by Walter and Rose Johnson and lived in South Australia for her whole life. Bill was placed with the Allen family in Adelaide when he was 14, moved to Sydney when he was 19, and is still resident in New South Wales. Bill and Beryl spent the following decades apart, not knowing where the other was, or if they still lived. In April 2019, with the support of CSIRO Marine National Facility RV Investigator, a joint maritime archaeological research project by the Australian National Maritime Museum and Heritage Victoria located the last resting place of SS Iron Crown in 672 metres of water in Bass Strait.
01 02
On Merchant Navy Day (3 September) 2019, more than 50 descendants of Iron Crown’s crew gathered for a memorial event at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Victoria. Brigadier David Westphalen, himself a descendant, had applied for eligible crew members to receive the War Medal and the Australian Service Medal, which were accepted by the descendants. At this event, I met Bill Stewart, Frank Stewart’s son, and Natalie Corbett-Jones, Bill’s grand-daughter. Bill Stewart said that the discovery gave him comfort because he finally knows his dad’s resting place, and that it brings peace to ‘the forgotten men of the war’. This wasn’t the end of the story, however. Although they had both tried to find each other, Bill Stewart and his sister Beryl remained separated. Then, more than a year later, an email from ABC journalist Rachel Mealey, who had covered the memorial event in 2019, popped up in my inbox. She had received a message from Kylie Watson, grand-daughter of Ronald Francis Pavy, Margaret’s youngest son from her first marriage, who had heard of the discovery and thought she might be related to Bill Stewart. Rachel asked me to connect the two, and with their permission, I did. And so, after 79 years, Bill and Beryl were finally reunited. This isn’t what usually happens when you find a shipwreck. But I’m very glad it did.
Author Emily Jateff is the museum’s Curator of Ocean Science and Technology.
Thanks to Kylie Watson, Natalie Corbett-Jones, Bill Stewart and all the families of those lost on the SS Iron Crown.
01 Siblings Bill and Beryl reunited at last.
02 Emily Jateff and Bill Stewart at the SS Iron Crown Memorial Service in September 2019. Images courtesy Natalie Corbett-Jones
Air conditioning for Onslow
A family pays tribute with a generous gift
The museum’s Foundation acknowledges the generous gift from the Nathwani family in honour of Samim Nathwani
02
THE MUSEUM IS HOME to one of Australia’s Cold War remnants, the Oberon class submarine HMAS Onslow. It was given to the museum in 1999 and is a major drawcard for museum visitors. Issues arise in the heat and humidity of a Sydney summer, however, when the museum has been forced to close the vessel to the public as conditions inside become uncomfortable. Onslow’s existing ventilation system comprised only an axial fan, which delivered unfiltered and unconditioned air through the conning tower into the occupied areas of the submarine. This led to temperatures inside the vessel reaching 4–5°C higher than outside. Enter Ashak Nathwani AM, Researcher and Senior Lecturer in HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) at the University of Sydney. Ashak knew the museum well, having been a designer of its original air-conditioning system in 1991 as a director of leading HVAC consultants Norman, Disney and Young. Ashak was at the museum discussing all things COVID-19 and air conditioning with museum management when he heard about the continual environmental problems with Onslow. Learning that the early closures affected children during school visits and school holidays, he was inspired to design and cover the costs of a new system on behalf of the Nathwani family, in honour of his late wife, Samim. Samim Nathwani was an early childhood development expert with two Masters degrees, who tragically succumbed to the insidious motor neurone disease (MND) in November 2019. ‘Samim always advocated that children learn through experience and would not have been happy knowing that children were missing out,’ said Ashak. ‘It struck me that I could provide a solution through my expertise in air conditioning and the family could provide the funds to make it happen. It seemed like a fitting tribute to her passion.’ Designing and installing the system posed numerous challenges. It had to be custom-made due to size constraints, with options limited due to heritage considerations. In addition, the condensing unit had to be brought in on a barge and craned into the chamber below the main cabins. Getting the fan coil unit into the sub required many trips up and down service ladders and through a tight passageway. The fan coil unit was then connected with a large flexible duct, which was woven through the support structure within the conning tower, across to the air intake shaft for final connection. Supply air needed to be filtered with MERV-13 air filters (to meet COVID requirements). Conditioned air now flows down the air intake shaft, feeds fore and aft right through the submarine, then is exhausted at each end of the vessel. The new system has resulted in temperatures of 4–5°C lower than the ambient temperature, allowing Onslow to open fully with happy visitors, volunteers and staff. ‘With school groups starting back after COVID-19 we couldn’t be happier,’ says museum Interim Director, Tanya Bush. ‘The feedback – particularly from our volunteers, who are on Onslow for long periods – has been great. We thank Ashak, Amyn and Rehana Nathwani for their generosity and this wonderful tribute to their wife and mother, Samim.’ Steve Riethoff, Head of Communications
01 Ashak Nathwani and his children, Rehana and Amyn, on HMAS Onslow. Image Marinco Kojdanovski 02 Samim Nathwani was an early childhood educator in whose honour the Nathwani family designed and funded the installation of Onslow’s new air conditioning system. Image courtesy of the Nathwani family
When Duyfken departed in 2000 on an expedition to Indonesia and Queensland, Michael’s contacts in the Aboriginal community enabled the crew to carry a boorn wongkiny, or message stick, with a message written in Noongar. Michael Young is at right. Image courtesy Graeme Cocks
Remembering the founder of the Duyfken Project
Vale Michael Young (1947–2022)
MICHAEL YOUNG, WHO DIED IN FEBRUARY, was the founder of the Duyfken Project, and the Duyfken replica will always be his great achievement in a life full of adventure.
Born Jacob Jong on 26 February 1947 in The Netherlands, he was the youngest of three children. When he was just three years old, his parents decided to start a new life in Australia. Their first taste of Australian life was at a migrant hostel at Nelson Bay, north of Newcastle, and they eventually settled on a remote farm station in northern New South Wales, working for the Livingston family. His mother once said that Michael was not very interested in his home schooling, but he would sneak out of bed at night and delve into the Livingstons’ home library where he read anything he could get his hands on. He was fascinated by the world outside the confines of the farm and at eight years of age, he told his mother that his history lesson that day was wrong: the Dutch, not the English, were the first Europeans to visit Australia. That historic truth stayed with him as life took many turns. Tired of the constant mispronunciation of his name, Jacob Jong changed his name to Michael Young. He studied for an economics degree at Sydney University, left to work at a bank, married Janine, and returned to university to complete a social science degree. In 1985, with his family, he moved from Sydney to Perth to take a position in the Premier’s Department of the Western Australian Government. He was always on the move. In 1989 and 1990, he managed what is now one of the oldest Aboriginal art centres, Tiwi Designs, on Bathurst Island. He discovered many Dutch names around the Torres Strait Islands and it stimulated an interest in the Indigenous connections with Dutch explorers. When construction of the Endeavour replica began in Fremantle, he wrote a letter to the Fremantle Herald which was published on 23 December 1993. It had the heading ‘A new Endeavour?’ He proposed building a replica of the first European ship recorded in Australia’s history — Duyfken. He said it was a relatively small ship that would maintain the historic shipbuilding industry, and it could be home-ported in Fremantle. He was inundated with calls offering encouragement.
In early 1994, Michael Young invited me to attend a meeting at the family home in East Fremantle. He passed around reams of photocopies and began to list all the people he’d talked to in the past few weeks: media, public servants, politicians and diplomats, extending from Australia to New Zealand and The Netherlands, and including maritime journalist James Henderson. It was wonderfully exciting to be talking about building a wooden sailing ship from scratch. This informal group ultimately became the Duyfken 1606 Replica Foundation Inc, which would fund and oversee the construction of the vessel.
Michael approached Michael (M G) Kailis for assistance. Michael Kailis was a leading member of the Greek community and a very successful fishing industry entrepreneur based in Fremantle. He agreed to be a part of the project and the dream of building a ship quickly became real.
A committee was formed to provide advice on the ship’s design. It was an expert group of maritime archaeologists and historians, drawing on the resources of the research community in Australia and The Netherlands. The group helped to develop a design that is now hailed as the finest reconstruction of an ‘Age of Discovery’ vessel ever built.
In May 1995, Michael Young and Graeme Henderson (son of James Henderson) travelled to Indonesia to look at traditional shipbuilding in Madura, following advice from maritime historian Nick Burningham. There they saw how the shipwrights bent the timber hull planks using fire and how the planks were formed into the hull shape before internal framing was added. As a result, the ship was constructed using the same plank-first construction used by the Dutch and Indonesians. Construction of the shipyard building, the Lotteries Duyfken Village, began in late 1996. Harold Clough allocated several staff at his engineering firm, Entact Clough, to oversee the building’s construction and many suppliers provided goods and services free or at cost.
Michael Young was no shrinking violet. After the keel was laid on 11 January 1997, Dutch Prince Willem Alexander attended a function at Burswood to unveil a sculpture marking the anniversary of Willem De Vlamingh’s visit to Australia. The Friends of the Duyfken had a food stall nearby.
Duyfken departing Sydney in 2002 for its voyage to The Netherlands. ANMM image
Michael Young brazenly arranged for a Duyfken tee-shirt to be offered to the prince, who gladly received it, later asking whether he could buy another 10 for the royal party when they dived on the Batavia wreck site at the Abrolhos Islands. Only Michael could do that! On 21 January 1999, just a little over five years after Michael Young wrote his letter to the Fremantle Herald, the Duyfken replica was jacked onto a trailer, paraded through the streets of Fremantle then taken to Fremantle Boatlifters to be launched. Michael Kailis died just weeks before Duyfken sailed for the first time. In 2000, Duyfken set sail on an expedition to Indonesia and Queensland. Michael Young joined the ship in Kupang, West Timor, where he was then living. He sailed aboard Duyfken to the island of Banda, where the re-enactment part of the expedition was to take place. How extraordinary that his boyish enthusiasm of many decades before had resulted in that surreal moment where the Duyfken replica was in the same harbour from which Willem Jansz departed in 1606 in the original ship, on a voyage which would put Australia on the map for the first time! Duyfken later arrived at the mouth of the Pennefather River in Cape York, Queensland. A boorn wongkiny, or message stick, with a message written in Noongar, was handed to the custodians of the area by Ship’s Master Peter Manthorpe. Captain Manthorpe asked for permission to land, an act of reconciliation to recognise the mistakes of the past. Most importantly, thanks to Michael Young and James Henderson’s influence, the story of the first recorded ship to visit Australia was told from both the European perspective and that of the Australians who saw its white sails on the horizon.
Duyfken sailed from the Australian National Maritime Museum’s wharves to The Netherlands in 2002 to mark the 400th anniversary of the Dutch East India Company. It was the longest voyage ever undertaken in an ‘Age of Discovery’ replica ship. Michael Young was then living permanently in Indonesia, but flew to the Dutch island of Texel to greet the ship and crew. It had taken half a century, but that young Dutch migrant boy who knew the historical truth of the story of the Dutch voyages to Australia was now satisfied that Willem Jansz and Duyfken had the recognition they deserved.
Author Graeme Cocks had a 20-year association with Duyfken and served for many years as chair of the Duyfken 1606 Replica Foundation. His book, Through Darkest Seas, documenting the story of the Duyfken replica, will be published later this year by Wilkinson Publishing.
Acknowledgments The Australian National Maritime Museum acknowledges the support provided to the museum by all our Volunteers, Members, sponsors, donors and friends.
The museum particularly acknowledges the following people who have made a significant contribution to the museum in an enduring way or who have made or facilitated significant benefaction to it.
Honorary Fellows John Mullen AM Peter Dexter AM Valerie Taylor AM
Ambassadors Norman Banham Christine Sadler David and Jennie Sutherland
Major Donors – SY Ena Conservation Fund David and Jennie Sutherland Foundation
Honorary Research Associates Rear Admiral Peter Briggs AO John Dikkenberg Dr Nigel Erskine Paul Hundley Dr Ian MacLeod Jeffrey Mellefont David Payne Lindsey Shaw
Major Benefactors Margaret Cusack Basil Jenkins Dr Keith Jones RADM Andrew Robertson AO DSC RN Geoff and Beryl Winter
Honorary Life Members Yvonne Abadee Dr Kathy Abbass Robert Albert AO RFD RD Bob Allan Vivian Balmer Vice Admiral Tim Barrett AO CSC Lyndl Beard Maria Bentley Mark Bethwaite AM Paul Binsted Marcus Blackmore AM David Blackley John Blanchfield Alexander Books Ian Bowie Colin Boyd Ron Brown OAM Paul Bruce Anthony Buckley OAM Richard Bunting Capt Richard Burgess AM Kevin Byrne Sue Calwell RADM David Campbell AM Marion Carter Victor Chiang Robert Clifford AO Helen Clift Hon Peter Collins AM QC Kay Cottee AO Vice Admiral Russell Crane AO CSM Stephen Crane John Cunneen Laurie Dilks Dr Nigel Erskine John Farrell Dr Kevin Fewster CBE AM FRSA Bernard Flack Daina Fletcher Sally Fletcher Teresia Fors CDR Geoff Geraghty AM John Gibbins Anthony Gibbs RADM Stephen Gilmore AM CSC RAN Paul Gorrick Lee Graham Macklan Gridley Sir James Hardy KBE OBE RADM Simon Harrington AM Jane Harris Christopher Harry Gaye Hart AM Peter Harvie Janita Hercus Robyn Holt William Hopkins OAM Julia Horne Kieran Hosty RADM Tony Hunt AO Marilyn Jenner John Jeremy AM Vice Admiral Peter Jones AO DSC Hon Dr Tricia Kavanagh John Keelty Richard Keyes Kris Klugman OAM Judy Lee Matt Lee David Leigh Keith Leleu OAM Andrew Lishmund James Litten Hugo Llorens Tim Lloyd Ian Mackinder Stephen Martin Will Mather Stuart Mayer Bruce McDonald AM Lyn McHale VADM Jonathan Mead AO Arthur Moss Patrick Moss Rob Mundle OAM Alwyn Murray Martin Nakata David O’Connor Gary Paquet David Payne Prof John Penrose AM Neville Perry Hon Justice Anthe Philippides Peter Pigott AM Len Price Eda Ritchie AM John Rothwell AO Peter Rout Kay Saunders AM Kevin Scarce AC CSC RAN David Scott-Smith Sergio Sergi Ann Sherry AO Ken Sherwell Shane Simpson AM Peter John Sinclair AM CSC Peter R Sinclair AC KStJ (RADM) John Singleton AM Brian Skingsley Eva Skira AM Bruce Stannard AM J J Stephens OAM Michael Stevens Neville Stevens AO Frank Talbot AM Mitchell Turner Adam Watson Jeanette Wheildon Hon Margaret White AO Mary-Louise Williams AM Nerolie Withnall Cecilia Woolford (nee Caffrey)
Signals ISSN 1033-4688 Editor Janine Flew Staff Photographer Elizabeth Maloney Design & production Austen Kaupe Printed in Australia by Pegasus Print Group Material from Signals may be reproduced, but only with the editor’s permission. Editorial and advertising enquiries signals@sea.museum – deadline midJanuary, April, July, October for issues March, June, September, December Signals is online Search all issues at sea.museum/signals Signals back issues Back issues $4 each or 10 for $30 Extra copies of current issue $4.95 Email thestore@sea.museum
Australian National Maritime Museum Our opening hours are 10.30 am–4 pm 2 Murray Street Sydney NSW 2000 Australia. Phone 02 9298 3777
The Australian National Maritime Museum is a statutory authority of the Australian Government
Feed your imagination and explore Australia’s stories of the sea by becoming a museum Member. Options for individuals, families and people who live interstate or overseas offer a great range of benefits, including unlimited entry to our museum, vessels and exhibitions, as well as special discounts.
Visit sea.museum/members ANMM Council Chairman Mr John Mullen AM Acting Director Tanya Bush Councillors Hon Ian Campbell Mr Stephen Coutts Hon Justice S C Derrington Rear Admiral Mark Hammond AM RAN Ms Gisele Kapterian Mr John Longley AM Mr Nyunggai Warren Mundine AO Ms Alison Page Ms Judy Potter Ms Arlene Tansey Australian National Maritime Museum Foundation Board Chairman Mr Daniel Janes Ex officio Chair Mr John Mullen AM Ex officio Acting Director Tanya Bush Mr David Blackley Mr Simon Chan Mr Peter Dexter AM Mr David Mathlin Mr Tom O’Donnell Dr Jeanne-Claude Strong Ms Arlene Tansey American Friends of the Australian National Maritime Museum Mr Robert Moore II Mr John Mullen AM Acting Director Tanya Bush
Signals is printed in Australia on Hannoart Plus Silk 250 gsm (cover) and Hannoart Plus Silk 115 gsm (text) using vegetable-based inks. Foundation sponsor ANZ
Major sponsors Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation Guilty Port Authority of New South Wales Sponsors Australian Maritime Museums Council Challis & Company Colin Biggers & Paisley Gage Roads Brewing Co Lloyds Nova Systems Panasonic Schmidt Ocean Institute Smit Lamnalco Tomra
Supporters Australian Antarctic Division Australian Government Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation Faroe Marine Research Institute Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology Royal Wolf Settlement Services International Silentworld Foundation Sydney by Sail The Ocean Cleanup Tyrrell’s Vineyards
@seamuseum_
/sea.museum
#seamuseum
sea.museum/blog
Nova Systems
Experience Knowledge Independence
What’s in the shop?
Open 7 days a week Email us at thestore@sea.museum Shop online sea.museum/shop Follow us on Instagram instagram.com/seamuseum_shop
Exclusive museum clothing and accessories
Unisex logo tee-shirt in navy, white or light grey. 100% cotton
RRP $49.95 | Members $44.95
Women’s nautical jumper. White with navy stripes. 100% cotton, round neck, available with straight sleeves or bell sleeves.
RRP $89.95 | Members $80.95
Women’s joggers. Italian Star label imported from Italy. 98% cotton, 2% elastane. Elastic waist with drawstring tie, front and back pockets. Available in navy or white.
RRP $149.95 | Members $134.95
Canvas duffle bag. Lightweight; will fit in the overhead locker of a plane. Navy, natural or natural/navy/coral.
RRP $59.95 | Members $53.95
Natural leather zip pouch. Fits all phone sizes, plus keys, sunglasses, lip balm and other essentials.
Sale price $59.95 | Members $53.95
All designed in Australia exclusively for the museum
Wildlife Photographer of the Year portfolio
Presents all 100 award-winning images from the 2021 competition and the stories behind them.
RRP $54.95 | Members $49.45 750-piece jigsaw
Features image Life in Black and White, by Lucas Bustamante, from Wildlife Photographer of the Year 57.
RRP $59.95 | Members $53.95
Craft Create
More than five hours of creative screen-free entertainment. Contains six separate activity kits – Submarine Spies, Ships Ahoy, Go Wild!, Outdoor Explorer, Snow Dome and Clay Creations.
RRP $49.95 | Members $44.95
The Trees That Went to Sea
Mike Lefroy’s book about Duyfken will captivate and educate kids in a fun way. Beautifully illustrated and written in English, Dutch and Indonesian.
RRP $24.95 | Members $22.45
Reconnect with nature
