Merchant Navy Day in Port Adelaide

With its rich maritime history, it is fitting that Port Adelaide will celebrate Australia’s first national Merchant Navy Day on Wednesday September 3 in nautical style.

All local families with links to the sea are being invited to join the Merchant Navy March leaving the Seafarers Centre at 11 am that day to commemorate all seafarers who have served in war and peace.

The march will go through Black Diamond Square and along the wharf to the old Ports Building.

Serving and former merchant seamen, their families and representatives from other maritime groups including the Maritime Union of Australia will head the March.

The march will conclude with a special commemoration at the superb Navigator memorial to Lost Seafarers by local sculptor Karen Genoff.

Karen has many fine works of art in public locations around Australia.

In granite, lyten steel, breakwater rocks and timber, the Navigator memorial stands outside the old Ports building.

It was unveiled in 1992 for the SA Department of Marine and Harbours Port Adelaide.

This sculpture is to be incorporated in a new waterfront Seafarers Memorial for Port Adelaide.

Karen Genoff is working with the Land Management Corporation in the removal, transport and placement of this sculpture at a waterfront site to be selected.

Our photos show:

Karen with the Land Management Corporation’s Phil Jones discussing plans for the September 3 commemoration outside the old Ports building.

The plaque that tells the story behind the sculpture

Popular new Port Adelaide MHR Mark Butler MP (left) has been working on the memorial project with a Port Adelaide Seafarers Memorial Community Committee. As the Federal Minister for Veterans Affairs, the Hon Alan Griffin MP (right), has said, the unsung stories of Australian and Allied merchant mariners, particularly during World War II, are a unique part of Australia’s wartime and maritime heritage.

It includes representatives from the City of Port Adelaide Enfield, Merchant Navy Association SA, Vindicatrix Association SA, the Port Centre Co-ordination Group, the South Australian Maritime Museum, Maritime Union of Australia, Port Adelaide Visitor Information Centre, National Trust Port Adelaide and Port Adelaide Historical Society.

The declaration of Merchant Navy Day by the Governor General is Australia’s contribution to an international campaign.

The United Kingdom and Canada also commemorate Merchant Navy Day on September 3.

Merchant Navy Day provides due recognition of the service of the merchant navy in securing the Australian homeland and our region in times of war and emergency.

Extracts below from the Australian Merchant Navy website.

Australia has used merchant ships to despatch its colonial or national armed forces personnel to war-fighting or peacekeeping operations since 1885, when a New South Wales contingent went to the Sudan.

Forces from several colonies were transported to the Anglo-Boer War 1899-1902.

Post-Federation Australian forces deployed to the Boxer Rebellion 1900-1901 and to the First World War (“The Great War”) 1914-1918.

By far, Australia’s largest commitment of armed forces was to the Second World War 1939-1945, one in which, besides other menaces, the Japanese threat to Australia itself was very real.

It was in the “Battle for Australia” period of the Second World War that the nation’s merchant mariners collectively served their most extensive and dramatic role.

It was a role involving great heroism and sacrifice, to date largely unrecorded, unrecognised and unsung.

Merchant Seamen were not provided with uniforms, leave (paid or otherwise), medical or pension benefits.

They “signed on” to a ship voyage-by-voyage, their employment lasting until return to home port, this possibly being a year or so later.

All remuneration ceased when the seaman’s ship was sunk, with survivors being classified “Destitute British Subjects” (“D.B.S.”) and placed in the care of a wartime charitable institution.

Following numerous sinkings off the Australian coast during 1942, the Regulations were changed to allow for a seaman’s pay to continue until return to home port.