Tut tut naughty boy.

I too spent the years 1963 to 64 working for Shaw Savill starting out of New Zealand. I met my late wife, who was a passenger, 0n voyage 33 Southampton to Southampton via the canal. Like lots of those early voyages, the movie could have been any one of them. All pretty simple stuff. Great anxiety at the announcement of the first dance, then rough seas calling the show-off, Prior to my seaboard life, life on the dance floor was a major effort. but that all changed that first dance, I can still hear the band. I would like to continue, but having had a ladder accident, pain killers doing all sorts of crazy stuff, and I have cut back on most of it. What I can tell you, I also that belonged to a group of ex,p&o engineers electricians, all had married Aussie girls, with that association until the 70s Oriana and Canberra. I look forward to more connections. Trevor Davis

At interview for cruise ship companies when one was expected to host guests at table - and bars, I always asked what the bar allowance was. Not a question that most job applicants get to ask!

Good heavens Noel Butler. Derek Kemp! It must be the same Derrick Kemp who was Master of Ocean Cruise Line's 'Ocean Pearl'. He was there when I joined in Manila September 1989. He went on leave just before Christmas after a Peaceboat Charter to Hainan, Ho Chi Minh City, Kampong Song - Cambodia, amongst others.

When I took over from the regular Chief Purser and moved into her cabin, I had a Cabin Warming party. The host must have been very tired as I woke up in the morning still dressed but with bright red painted fingernails! I discovered that nail varnish is not easily removable....and I was due to clear the ship into Bali. Trying to hide ones hands to the various Indonesian officials amongst the paperwork is not easy. After clearance and enjoying breakfast in the Officer's Mess, Captain Kemp decided he would join our table. Eating and hiding hands is difficult. The captain noticed. His only comment was "I heard you had a party last night. Looks as though you had a good time!"

OCEAN PEARL at Bali

The captain got a rollicking from the owner after he did not include in his voyage report about the air-conditioning problems we had on one cruise. Too many passengers had put in complaints about it and were seeking compensation. The ship was unbearably hot, especially in the public rooms. Passengers were complaining at the front desk. We were kept being told that the a/c systems were working properly. It was only when I passed back a log of complaints for the Hotel Manager to take to the ship management meeting that the engineers took things more seriously. It was found that behind bulkheads all the refrigerated piping had iced up so the cold air could not circulate.

I never got the opportunity to return after relieving on 'Ocean Princess' around the east coast of South America and 'Ocean Islander' for the southern Caribbean and Venezuela, as the ship suffered a serious engine room fire off the Sumatran coast early 1992. Passengers were taken off by P&O's 'Sea Princess' on a world cruise and landed on Bali. I believe it was another captain at that time.

Does anyone remember my cousin from Shaw Savill Line? He was Keith Murray Brown.

He married an Aussie called Helen and he left The Sea and had 5 children. They settled in Auckland, New Zealand. Keith spent his working years as Chief Berthing Master for Auckland Harbour. I used to visit him and family everytime we came into Auckland on Oriana.

Also, Derek Kemp? (Name escapes me!), was with Keith on Shaw Savill. He was Relief Captain on "Discovery", the old IP. when I worked on her. Do any of you remember Derek?

I remember a few times in my first year on Canberra in 1979, that Alchohol and sunshine got the better of me in the Canaries. Suddenly it hit me hard in the back of my neck.

By the time I worked on SAGA they would breathalise you!! They never, ever did me, but by that time limits were VERY STRICT. It ammounted to approx 1 glass of wine spread over a 3 course meal. Nothing to what we drank with P&O and I was a lightweight. I was known for "not drinking much"!

All makes for happy reading.

Thanks Jamie I'll ask on the Aureol Memories facebook page of others who may remember Jesse. Now you mention, Jesse rings a bell. She must have been there when I sailed. It was probably Sandy that was Chilly-Ho when I was catering in 1972.

Yes it was your post that David put up that led me to your write-up that I responded to.

The 'Aureol' went in 1974 to be used as an accommodtaion ship in Saudi Arabia. ED's integrated with Blue Funnel & Glen Line so I had continued employment with them serving on general cargo, tankers and containerships until I tried my hand in training......of Pacific Islanders to become stewards and cook assistants for overseas shipping companies. On return to UK was recruited by P&O Bulkshipping as PCO, mainly for their gas ships on the spot market. Look out for a story on that soon. It all gave good grounding for a training job with P&O Cruises, Swallow Hotels (briefly) before going back to sea as Purser / Catering / Hotel Management on cruise ships and ferries. Ended up (for my sins) with the Compass catering & facilities management company in Nigeria, mainly training and Health & Safety. Then a consultancy for them in other African countries until the price of oil dropped!

There is a picture of Aureol in one of David' posts...under 2nd.Time Lucky.

'Lazzy' was our reference to Las Palmas. So cheap, I bought all the champagne for my wedding there in 1970 - even declaring it. Thankfully the Avonmouth customs were generous souls.

The 'Aureol' was my first ever ship in the MN, early 1967 Jamie. One 'fam' trip with the same colleague as mentioned above. I also had various 'in port' roles during her Liverpool turn rounds, eventually serving in her as Catering Officer (deputy to Chief) some five years later.

That's me, 2nd. Left.

If I remember rightly the Chilly-Ho was called Sandy. I am led to believe she wrote a book about her experiences. Here she is with some of her charges.

For now...............

John

I also luckily survived being 'found out' about being 'drunk in charge'. It was the final voyage of Elder Dempster's passenger liner 'Apapa' in 1968. Along with another Catering Cadet (they had such training), we were both required to join the ship as most of the hotel crew were Nigerians and many were being left behind in Lagos. We were going to be required to run a section of tables in the restaurant on her return voyage to Liverpool.

My mate and I on a formal night. Probably on the cruise out of Lagos to 'the line'

We always stopped at Las Palmas outward and homeward for bunkers and stocking up with fresh fruit & veg. As I'm sure most Salty Seadogs on this site know, 'Lazzy' was effectively a Duty Free port. The four residents of the Halfdeck decided they would stock up. As dark rum was my favoured tipple with coke, especially in the tropics, I bought a few bottles of John Morgan's. One needed drinking before arrival Liverpool to meet the customs allowance of two bottles. After evening service we thought we might broach our purchases. Not noticed by me, my 'friend' and colleague decided that I was going too slow and was surreptitiously enhancing my glass. All seemed well until I decided to 'turn in'. The room spun, I ended up calling for Hughie down the cabin sink plughole.

Our 'stash'. My mate maybe pretending to be Lawrence of Arabia.

The following morning I was decidely ill. I managed the early morning beer carry to the bars but when the 3rd. Mate found me with mop and bucket on the same stairway after he had been aft to raise the ensign he said I didn't seem to have got very far. In realty, I had had to abandon said cleaning gear and make a dash to the nearest toilet.

My passengers were very sympathetic when they noticed the condition I was in when they came for breakfast. They said I could have just left a note of the table and asked them to serve themselves. As it was, I took their orders, took it through to the service counter - dashed to the Catering PO's toilet, washed my face after another bout of upsy daisy - and back to pick up the orders. One of my tables was the Chief Engineer's. I was glad he rarely took breakfast with his passengers. (Although he did owe me one for speedily reporting an oil bunkering spillage the previous year - but that's another story.)

Had anyone else noticed? I'm sure they had, but in those days it all seemed to go with the territory. However, I did realise that it was not a very good example to set to my crew colleagues.