Vic Goodfellows Selection from 76 (new)

Christiaan Werks Collection   

Steve's 1973 selection.

I know that the crew spent many more weeks and even years on board and lived completely different lives to their passengers. However the customer, as they say, is always right even when they are wrong. The bottom line for a service industry is to make money and keep their customers happy. Chandris Lines did this for me and not just because Australis was a Golden oldie. There were many, more modern ships on the seas when she was creaming it and none did it better. I travelled on Shaw Savill's "Ocean Monarch" in 1974 and found her to be a very indifferent environment. It wasn't always the quality of the cabin or the carpet which counted. I also travelled on P&O's SS Orion in 1959 as a seven year old. She was a famous ship in her own right being the forerunner of a succession of new immigrant ships. I also saw friends off from Auckland and Wellington on various ships including Oriana, Canberra, Southern Cross, Northern Star and Patris. I also visited such famous ships as SS France and QEII and none had the same magic as SS America/Australis.

When I saw Australis berthed next to the sleek ships in port I was never embarrassed to be going back on board, she was not always an attractive ship to others. The attraction for me was the interior, it's history as SS America, and the knowledge that she was a very safe and extremely comfortable ship. I met many passengers and crew during my times on board. I have made contact with some of those crew from years gone by and not surprisingly we had a huge amount to talk about. I have also made life long friends with some of the passengers I met. I see some of them regularly and if there is one thing I would like to say to Chandris Lines and all those who worked for them, it would be "Thank you for a very special and memorable part of my life". 

Regards