7 Miles from Sydney and 1000 miles from care
Posted: Sat Jun 22, 2024 11:23 am
7 Miles from Sydney and 1000 miles from care was the slogan used by the Port Jackson & Manly Steamship Company in 1940 and it still holds true.
7 Miles from Sydney and 1000 miles from care .. Maureen Clifford © The #ScribblyBarkPoet
Seven miles from Sydney and a thousand miles from care
was a phrase that one heard often way back when
the ferries did the city run from Manly wharf to Sydney –
the largest ferry on the harbour she was then.
SS South Steyne they named her she was fast, and she was sleek
And she sailed from Leith in Scotland to our shore
A journey of fourteen thousand miles, a sixty-four-day trip –
not uneventful in the worlds lead up to war.
She faced up to French warships, then Italy took a look,
and in the Suez a submarine took a squiz.
A passing tankers bow wave washed her off course into mud.
A fouled line in her bow propellor caused a tizz.
But South Steyne was undaunted, she sailed on through heavy seas
that the Red Sea threw at her to test her pluck.
Undeterred she ploughed on through, for now this girl was Sydney bound –
And quite unfazed by Neptune’s rage that ran amuck.
Along with other ferries they painted her white bits green –
It was war time – now she’d not be seen at night
by Jap midget submarines that had broached coastal defences.
Creating mayhem and causing a deal of fright.
On hundred thousand trips she made doing the Manly run
between nineteen thirty-eight and seventy-four
with a little argy bargy – and a collision or two
HMAS Melbourne rammed into whilst still moored.
To be fair she couldn’t help that, evasion was required…
sailing boats tacked in her space. That was a worry.
Luckily no one was injured though embarrassment was rife –
an event that no one forgot in a hurry.
Years have passed she sails no more- she is berthed at Berrys Bay –
she’s been homeless now for eight years which is sad.
She was recommissioned for our Queen in 1988,
once converted to a restaurant. Now there’s no room to be had.
There is no room in the harbour for this old Queen of the Sea
She’s a testament to boatbuilders who built ships sound and strong
Come 2038 she ‘ll reach her century –
SS South Steyne is heritage listed – it’s in Sydney she belongs.
Now she’s mothballed in Sydney – where there are thousands who care,
and are searching to find her a permanent berth.
People dedicated to the task of keeping her alive –
She’s our heritage, our history – we must value her worth.
16.6.2024
7 Miles from Sydney and 1000 miles from care .. Maureen Clifford © The #ScribblyBarkPoet
Seven miles from Sydney and a thousand miles from care
was a phrase that one heard often way back when
the ferries did the city run from Manly wharf to Sydney –
the largest ferry on the harbour she was then.
SS South Steyne they named her she was fast, and she was sleek
And she sailed from Leith in Scotland to our shore
A journey of fourteen thousand miles, a sixty-four-day trip –
not uneventful in the worlds lead up to war.
She faced up to French warships, then Italy took a look,
and in the Suez a submarine took a squiz.
A passing tankers bow wave washed her off course into mud.
A fouled line in her bow propellor caused a tizz.
But South Steyne was undaunted, she sailed on through heavy seas
that the Red Sea threw at her to test her pluck.
Undeterred she ploughed on through, for now this girl was Sydney bound –
And quite unfazed by Neptune’s rage that ran amuck.
Along with other ferries they painted her white bits green –
It was war time – now she’d not be seen at night
by Jap midget submarines that had broached coastal defences.
Creating mayhem and causing a deal of fright.
On hundred thousand trips she made doing the Manly run
between nineteen thirty-eight and seventy-four
with a little argy bargy – and a collision or two
HMAS Melbourne rammed into whilst still moored.
To be fair she couldn’t help that, evasion was required…
sailing boats tacked in her space. That was a worry.
Luckily no one was injured though embarrassment was rife –
an event that no one forgot in a hurry.
Years have passed she sails no more- she is berthed at Berrys Bay –
she’s been homeless now for eight years which is sad.
She was recommissioned for our Queen in 1988,
once converted to a restaurant. Now there’s no room to be had.
There is no room in the harbour for this old Queen of the Sea
She’s a testament to boatbuilders who built ships sound and strong
Come 2038 she ‘ll reach her century –
SS South Steyne is heritage listed – it’s in Sydney she belongs.
Now she’s mothballed in Sydney – where there are thousands who care,
and are searching to find her a permanent berth.
People dedicated to the task of keeping her alive –
She’s our heritage, our history – we must value her worth.
16.6.2024