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THE FRIENDS OF THE P.S. OSCAR ‘W’

P.O. BOX 527 GOOLWA S.A. 5214

NEWSLETTER

www.oscar-w.info

Please pass me onto a friend

January 2015

Volume 26 Number 3

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INDEX Dates for Your Diary page 2 Milang to Goolwa Yachting Classic page 3 Echuca Fleet page 4 Notice Board page 6 President’s Report page 7 Secretary’s Report page 9 Maintenance Report page 10 From The Galley Window page 11 Quiz Question page 11 Mannum & Milang Trips page 12 AMMC Report page 14 Minutes from AGM page 15 Quiz Answer page 18 Committee members page 19

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY CRUISES 1 hour cruises 11:00am 12:30pm 2:00pm Taking in points of interest along the River Port of Goolwa

FOR BOOKINGS GOOLWA INFORMATION CENTRE 1300 466 592

CRUISING FARES Adult S20 Concession $15 Child $ 8 (5 – 15 years old, must be accompanied by an adult) Family $48 (2 ADULTS + 2 CHILDREN CRUISING TIMETABLE Saturday 21-02-15 Wooden Boat Fest. Sunday 22-02-15 Wooden Boat Fest. Monday 09-03-15 Adelaide Cup Day Saturday 21-03-15 Saturday 28-03-15 Friends Day Out Saturday 04-04-15 Easter Monday 06-04-15 Easter

Saturday 18-04-15 Saturday 25-04-15 Anzac Day Saturday 20-06-15 Friends Day Out

CRUISING SCHEDULE & DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

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Friends of the P.S. Oscar W Inc.—Committee Members

NAME POSITION PHONE & E-MAIL David Finnie President, Council Liaison 0407 717 812 Trips & Charters David.finne@bigpond.com Bruce Martin Vice President 8556 5931 Boiler Purchasing & Steam Engineering bruceemartin@bigpond.com Angela Borchardt Secretary, 0428 813 501 angeladawn@bigpond.com Mike Cordell Treasurer 0423 890 210 trumcordell@outlook.com Anthony Presgrave Council Financial Liaison, Archives 8555 3311 anthony.presgrave@bigpond.com Christine Somervaille Social Co-Ordinator, Archives 8555 2595 christinasomervaille@yahoo.com.au Wayne Burford Maintenance & Engineering 0418 839 861 Wednesday Working Bee burford@senet.com.au Dennis Borchardt Safety & Training, Survey 0408 813 501 lightningaustralia@bigpond.com Don Rowe RBC Souvenir Purchasing 0411 755 480 lerowen@bigpond.com

Graham Pratt Newsletter Editor, Wood Supplies 8555 5098 0418 803 377 Goolwa Wharf Precinct Board grahampratt@westnet.com.au

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QUIZ ANSWER

ANSWER:- Well, we had to have an easy one sometime! The Dart Barge was built in 1914 by David Alexander Milne for the Engineering & Water Supply Dept. Said to be named after William Dart , a shipwright who worked on the construction, the Dart is 72 feet long with a 17 foot beam .The Dart was used largely in snag removal and pile driving having a vertical boiler and pile driver on board. It was also used as a water carrying barge towed to the Mundoo channel with fresh water for boilers being used to build the barrages. Of course it now sits on “ the hard” under the Hindmarsh Island Bridge but its restoration has not been forgotten. The Dart was replaced by a very similar barge called the Bunyip which has welded topsides , not riveted, The Bunyip has been placed on display on concrete beams at Lock 5 , Renmark

Above—Barge DART de-snagging, proba-bly at Waikerie. Left—the DART on blocks under the Hind-marsh Island Bridge, awaiting restoration.

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GRYC MILANG TO GOOLWA YACHTING CLASSIC

The Oscar W was chartered to carry the Commodore and guests of the Goolwa Regatta Yacht Club, on a cruise up river to meet the fleet coming in from Milang at around Clayton. It was a beautiful day, the breeze was brisk, the champagne flowed, and excellent food was served on board by chef Michael Duchow, and everyone had a great day.

Mayor Keith Parkes and PA Margaret Terrell and GRYC guests enjoy the cruise and the yachts as they sail past.

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This article appeared in the January edition of “The Wharf Whistle”, the newsletter of The Friends of the P.S. Industry, and was prepared by the editor, Jackson Wickham. Jackson is a young river enthusiast, still at High School, and does a splendid job. The article is reproduced with the kind permission of the Friends of the P.S. Industry.

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Election of Committee Members for a period of two years – Cr Jim Davis Returning Officer Nominations Received - President

Paul Hannagan David Finnie

Vice President Bruce Martin

Secretary Angela Borchardt

Treasurer Mike Cordell

Committee Members Christina Sommervaille Dennis Borchardt Wayne Burford Anthony Presgrave Don Rowe Graham Pratt

With two nominations for President a secret ballot was conducted and su-pervised by Roly Bartlett and Geoff Braddock. As a result David Finnie was elected President of the Friends of the Oscar “W”. The Vice President, Secretary, Treas-urer and all six Committee members were elected unopposed. At the conclusion of the election Cr Davis congratulated the Friends on their success. He has been one of Councils representatives on the Com-mittee for eleven years but felt his involvement was no longer needed. He paid tribute to the major contribu-tion of Captain EJ Thorp.

Meeting closed at 9.02 pm and a most enjoyable supper followed

NOTE: These Minutes and copies of all reports are kept on file and will be included in the next newsletter (January 2015)

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CHAIRMAN’S REPORT: Graham Pratt presented an entertain-ing slide show recounting events on the trip to Chowilla. An equally enter-taining commentary accompanied the presentation – it was thoroughly en-joyed by all. Graham then addressed the meeting outlining the background to and changes needed to Incorporate the Friends of the PS Oscar “W”. Copies of the proposed new rules have been circulated. The Goolwa Wharf Precinct Board has been established to oversee the revi-talisation of the wharf area. A Volun-teer Co-ordinator has been appointed. Following Incorporation, the Section 41 Committee will be dissolved - when the new Committee is formed it will be able to operate its own bank ac-count. Under the new system, Council will have total responsibility for the Oscar “W”. The “Friends” will maintain the boat, supply the crews and volun-teers for the RBC. Maintenance costs and more detailed budgeting will need to be addressed and accounted for in forward planning. “Friends” liability is limited to 1 years subscription to the “Friends of the Oscar “W” - i.e. $25. Completion of Volunteer Registration forms vital for insurance of all volun-teers. Graham took several questions from the floor and all were answered to the satisfaction of each questioner. MOTION: “That this meeting agrees to establish an Incorporated body for the Friends of the Oscar “W” Moved P Hannagan Seconded B Martin Carried

MOTION: “That this meeting adopts “The Rules of the Oscar W Incorporated” as ta-bled, and agrees that they become the basis for Incorporation” Moved A Presgrave Seconded D Finnie Carried Following the passing of these mo-tions, Graham vacated the Chair and handed over to Cr. Jim Davis to con-duct the election of the new Commit-tee Before the election process com-menced, Roly Bartlett requested he be granted leave to speak and to make a presentation to Graham, who was relinquishing his position, and his wife Joy. Roly thanked Graham for his unstint-ing efforts on behalf of the Oscar “W” and the Friends of the Oscar “W” over many years. Graham responded, paying tribute to Joy who had patiently supported him throughout. Rousing applause followed.

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NOTICE BOARD

FRIEND’S DAYS OUT

The following dates have been set for the next two cruises. Saturday 28-03-15 Saturday 20-06-15 Further dates will be advised in the April Newsletter. (See page 11 for details.)

WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL— - February 21st and 22nd.- Planning is now well in hand for a bumper festival, with a huge number of wooden boats registered to participate. See pages 5 –6 for details of the Flo-tilla coming down stream from Echuca. They will sail into Goolwa on the Saturday morning of the Festival. Oscar will later lead the Grand Parade, and will cruise on both days with passen-gers, as will the P.S. Marion which will be docked at the wharf with Oscar.

The AMMC will hold its annual national conference in Goolwa from February 18th—20th. 2015. Sessions will be held in the Cen-tennary Hall, and some 50 delegates from all over Australia will be present. Many will stay on for the Wooden Boat Festival on the weekend. The Alexandrina Council and The Friends of the Oscar W are sponsoring the Conference, with assistance from Armfield Slip.

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MINUTES OF THE 2014 ANNUAL GEN-ERAL MEETING OF THE FRIENDS OF THE PS OSCAR ‘W’ Meeting held on Friday 17th October 2014 in the Church of Christ Hall, Por-ter St Goolwa, at 7.30pm CHAIRMAN’S WELCOME: Graham Pratt welcomed all present to this very important meeting. There are two nominations for President and a secret ballot will be held. PRESENT: 40 members and 2 Council representa-tives. (copy of list on file) APOLOGIES: 11 apologies (copy of list on file) CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES: Minutes of the AGM held on the 26th October 2013 as circulated in the January 2013 newsletter were ac-cepted Moved B Martin Seconded N Clifford Carried BUSINESS ARISING: Decision made to leave the fees at $25 per single and $3 0 per couple/family Moved P Hannagan Seconded P Kluge Carried OTHER BUSINESS: Graham notified the meeting that due to a very busy program in November it has been decided to combine the Friends Day Out scheduled for 23rd November and the Christmas Picnic. Friends are reminded that these events are for financial “Friends” and

their partners only. SECRETARY’S REPORT: Angela Borchardt’s report was pre-sented and tabled. Read by Geoff Braddock Moved A Borchardt Seconded D Rowe Carried TREASURER’S REPORT: Anthony Presgrave presented and tabled his report Moved A Presgrave Seconded M Cordell Carried MAINTENANCE/ENGINEER’S REPORT: To eliminate duplication the Engi-neer’s Report and the Maintenance Report were combined. Wayne Bur-ford presented the Report via a PowerPoint presentation. Moved W Burford Seconded D Rowe Carried RIVERBOAT CENTRE REPORT: David Finnie presented and tabled his report Moved D Finnie Seconded EJ Thorp Carried AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM CONFERENCE 2015 RE-PORT: Geoff Braddock presented and tabled his report Moved G Braddock Seconded C Sommervaille Carried

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AUSTRALIAN MARITIME MUSEUM CONFERENCE – GOOLWA FEBRUARY 18TH – 20TH. The conference is getting very close – it will start with the Mayor’s reception on Wednesday the 18th of February and conclude with the Wooden Boat Festival start up Barbeque on Friday night the 20th. Much of the planning and organisation is now in place and we have the setting up and taking apart to organise with the Oscar’w group and council. We have had to date -35 registrations and more are coming in all most daily. I hope that we can reach 50 delegates by the time the conference starts. I must give a hearty thank you to my committee for all of their efforts over the past 12 months. They are:- Graham Pratt – Oscar’w’, Janet Alexander – Alexandrina Council, Kevin Jones – Director of the S.A. Maritime Museum and AMMC, Rob Bowring – Chair of the Mannum Dock Museum and AMMC, Peter Shipside – Armfield slips, Mary Burford – chair of the foodies group, Christine Somervaille, Roly Bartlett – Oscar’w’ and AMMC. These people have put in an amazing amount of volunteer time and effort to get the conference planned and ready. There are another group of people who have put up their hands to assist with the preparation and serving food, setting up Signal Point and The Centennary hall.

I need to thank them for their assistance. I will let you know who they are after the event. Mr. Alan Edenborough – the president of AMMC in Sydney is very happy with the smooth running between the Sydney and Goolwa organising groups. During the S.A. Wooden Boat Festival, you will see a number of our delegates visiting the Festival – they will be wearing their conference badges – so step up and say hello and welcome them to Goolwa. Our visitors are coming from all the states and are looking forward to this conference. If you can assist in setting up, taking apart or with the food side of things – please contact me on 85 370 456. Regards

Geoff. Braddock

AUSTRALIAN MARITINE MUSEUM CONFERENCE 2015.

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Can I say from the start it is an honour to repre-

sent the Friends of the Oscar as your president once again. It certainly has been a busy couple of months with many things happening,. The main change is the group becom-ing an incorporated body instead of being a section 41 committee of Coun-cil. This was put to the members at the last AGM and it was agreed this was the way for the Oscar to go for-ward , and my main aim is to make sure that it is done properly for both parties. We received the official certificate in December of last year, after filling in many forms, and this is the first step completed in the transition. Since then Graham and I have had various discussions and meetings with Council to work up a Memorandum of Under-standing , which when completed is vitally important to the Friends and the Council. This broadly sets out our roles in managing the boat and the GRC in the future. . In general the friends, active and sup-porters, will probably not notice any difference as we go forward. Please remember that the executive commit-tee are committed to making it work, and we do believe it will be better overall and the work loads on a couple

of the committee members will sub-side. They need to! The first step you may notice as Friends is a change to the Goolwa Riv-erboat Centre. This will happen during February this year. The management and control will be taken on by the Council, through the Visitor Informa-tion Centre, but the staffing will be by us as normal. The changes will be minimal but the first change will be the updating of the IT system in the office, which is something that we as Friends could not do. The VIC will rely on the current Friends to do their nor-mal thing and to manage the stock required, but the stock will be or-dered through the council system. I will still be doing the rosters as per normal, but that is all. The GRC has been a passion for me, and remem-ber one thing, the reason it is a suc-cess is because of the volunteers who man it 7 days a week, keeping it clean and tidy and making the effort to wel-come the visitors that walk through the door. I am very proud of what has been achieved and all I can ask is that you to keep it up into the future , and I have no doubt that you will. Once this transition takes place the next step will be the Oscar itself and whatever else that is agreed to through the MOU. I will endeavour to keep everyone informed as we pro-gress towards the final change over, which will not happen until my signa-ture goes onto the document. I must say personally I was very apprehensive

PRESIDENT’S REPORT— January 2015

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regarding the whole change at first but our discussions with Council are making me feel that it is a positive step for us. Remember some have been part of the volunteer group for over 20 years, and are the ones that have made the Oscar and the GRC what they are today, NO ONE ELSE, and we should help to shape what it will be in the future. There is certainly a lot of praise from Council as to what we have achieved and the way we have done it , so please pat yourselves on the back. I would like to mention that we will en-deavour to have our Friend’s Days Out as per normal and this is agreed to in the MOU, but please remember those want-ing to participate must get in early when dates are announced, to secure a spot. Remember passenger numbers apply the same as cruising numbers on the Oscar, and because of the increased interest the FDO’s will only be open to financial mem-bers, no one else. I believe there was disappointment for some at the Xmas party last year because we did not go out on a cruise, as the numbers were very high. It seems unfair that if we did a couple of cruises to ac-commodate the numbers, the crew are the ones left out because they are work-ing, and cannot have a drink to celebrate while in charge of the vessel. The 90 plus members that did come to the wharf certainly enjoyed a relaxing and happy picnic celebration. In closing can I, on behalf of the commit-tee, thank everyone for their support in this period of change and encourage any-one who would like clarification to have a

chat with your committee members. I will be at the GRC every Tuesday for the next couple of months, so please give me a ring and I will endeavour to answer any questions. The GRC number is 8555 2108 or my mobile is 0407 717 812. Regards

David Finnie.

Our certificate of Incorporation for The Friend’s of the Oscar W

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Simon piloting his traction engine from the Oscar up to the ‘Yesterday’s Power Rally’. Site at Milang.

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MANNUM AND MILANG TRIPS Two very successful trips were under-taken by Oscar recently. On the weekend of 15th & 16th No-vember last year we accepted an invi-tation to Mannum to take part in ‘MANNUM ALL STEAMED UP”. The boat left Goolwa on Saturday morning and cruised nonstop to Mannum, commencing public cruises on arrival. A dinner at the local Rowing Club on Saturday night was well Attended, before another very busy days cruising on the Sunday. Wood was taken onboard between cruises ready for the return trip home the next morning, when we steamed to Murray Bridge to take a group of young children for a short cruise. We then travelled to Wellington for an overnight stay that included a most enjoyable dinner at the Wellington Hotel. Up bright and early on Tuesday morning to tackle the Lake, arriving home at Goolwa at lunchtime. A 14 person crew took part in nine 1 hour cruises over the weekend and despite a very hectic schedule, a good time was had by all. The organisers of the ‘MILANG VIN-TAGE POWER RALLY” extended an invitation to us to once again attend this very successful event on the week-end 16TH – 18th January.

A “First” for Oscar on this trip was a special dispensation from the Depart-ment of Transport & Industry to take passengers cruising on the Lake. Com-mencing on our arrival at 11am. These short cruises proved to be very popu-lar and were extremely well supported throughout the weekend. Another first for us was the transpor-tation of Simon’s traction engine to Milang where he fired it up and used it very effectively to advertise our cruises. He travelled between the boat and the oval, a round trip of about 1 hour, stopping to chat to peo-ple and drum up business for Oscar. A great little machine and a credit to his workmanship. Congratulations Simon! The weather provided us with a challenge on both days, with brisk winds on both Saturday and Sunday afternoons and an even stronger one in the early hours of Monday morning. However, the small crew handled things very competently throughout. Well done and thanks to them. After a most pleasant crossing of the Lake on Monday we arrived home in Goolwa about 1.30pm! A very special thank you must go to EJ for stepping in to Skipper the boat on Sunday. Dennis

FROM THE FIRST MATE

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Happy New Year to one and all! Lots to tell you about this month – firstly the”Friends of the Oscar “W” are now an officially Incorporated body. Little will be noticed as far as “Friends” are concerned, but some changes will be apparent in the Riverboat Centre in due course. I’ve been concentrating my efforts on getting our Volunteer Registration sys-tem operating to ensure that all our precious volunteers are covered by Council’s insurance. As of now we have 69 registered volunteers who, since De-cember last year, have contributed 1595 hours of their time. The Register of crew qualifications has been amended and updated as well. At our December committee meeting it was decided to remove joining fees from the “Friends” membership application and the new fees are $30 for a family and $25 for an individual. We are in the throes of purchasing an “Oscar “W” commemorative coin dis-pensing machine, the plan being to have it ready for the Wooden Boat Festival. The week before the Festival, Goolwa will be hosting the National Maritime Museum Conference and Geoff and Anthony will be our two local delegates. On the topic of the Conference, I must

mention that some of the Oscar Friends are assisting with the catering for it and Mary Burford is putting in a sterling ef-fort here, supervising and organising us all. What an inspiration she is!

Our congratulations go to Keith Parkes (now Mayor of Alexandrina Council) and Jim Davis (re-elected Councillor for Goolwa/Hindmarsh Island Ward) who were both successful at the recent Council elections. They‘ve both been - and still are - staunch supports of the Oscar, so well done to them! Finally, a word about the sudden and very sad loss of Joy. She offers a salutary lesson to us all – go out and grab life by the scruff of the neck and live it!! Valé Joy. Till next time Angela

FROM THE SECRETARY— January 2015

Joy on the Birdsville Track in June, and in Standley Chasm near Alice Springs. This was a ‘Bucket List’ , last trip to her much loved Outback.

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.

It’s happened again and we can’t stop it. The year has passed so quickly and we have had no option to slow it down. However, I think it indicates we have done a lot of maintenance and upgrades on Oscar W and the volunteer group has had lots of fun doing it. This report is to be a summary of the year so you will get less detail !!!!. The year started with a busy cruising schedule including a trip to Milang to represent at the Steam Rally, so most effort was keeping up wood and readiness to steam. As we came out of the touristy 1st Quarter, preparation started for the biennial slipping at the Hindmarsh Island Marina. In a mix of fair and foul weather a core team worked for 3 weeks to rake out the seams, repack them with oakum and re-putty in preparation for final anti-foul coatings. With a panel cut out and a new sheet welded in at the stern, the steel upper hull was blasted and painted. In the paddle-boxes some hoops and spokes were replaced, along with many new bolts, and the starboard paddle box gunwale was straightened and strengthened. Whilst on slip Government Survey was conducted with a good result. Immediately after slipping we received Safe Work SA approval to weld 5 inspection sockets in the

bottom of the boiler on the firebox end. With Simon Huntington welding, and with outsourced weld supervision and weld testing, we finished with the annual boiler inspection and successfully gained approval. Following this we installed a water-softening system with auto alkali dosing, and prepared Oscar for the 3 week trip away to help Chowilla Station celebrate its 150th anniversary of one-family ownership. All went well with no breakdowns so the team had done well. We learnt on the trip that the generator is not always able to keep voltage and an upgrade is currently being reviewed. The softener unit did accumulate river particles internally after it had processed about 120,000 litres causing a reduced flow, so we are going to conduct trials with a washable inline filter. The steering chain forward pulleys have been renewed recently and one forward- springer bollard moved to have better gate access. The forward hatch covers have been sanded and recoated. Oscar W is to be a significant feature in the Feb 2015 Wooden Boat Festival, so efforts are ramping up to paint the deck and fences. It has been a productive maintenance year with all works done in a planned and preventative way with negligible emergency repairs, so I conclude that the great efforts of our volunteer group are paying dividends. Thanks to all involved. Wayne B

MAINTENANCE REPORT January 2015

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FRIENDS DAY OUT Another year has passed us by and we look forward to 2015 on the OSCAR ‘W’. The Friends Christmas Picnic held in December 2014 down on the Goolwa Wharf was a huge success after a ‘rocky’ start. The Committee apologises to those few who were upset that the OSCAR did not go out cruising, instead combining the Friends Day Out and Christmas Picnic. We had 97 Friends enjoy a wonderful late afternoon/evening picnic, and everyone could celebrate Christmas and our year of achievements together. We have set aside Friends Day’s Out for 2015, the first one being on Saturday 28th March 2015, leaving the Goolwa Wharf at 10.00am, ladies please bring a small salad to share. Meat, sweets and morning/afternoon tea will be provided, BYO alcohol and any other creature comforts you may require for the day. The cost will be $10. Due to the high demand for these trips please note that this will be limited to Financial Members and partners only to a maximum of 52, including the crew of the day. Please leave your name and contact number with the Goolwa River Boat Centre, open between 10am and 3pm each day – phone 8555 2108. There will be a waiting list should all places be taken,

so if you book and are unable to come along – please let us know so that someone else can take your place. We also have a Friends Day Out on Saturday 20th June, confirmation, and further details and dates will appear in the next Newsletter. Looking forward to seeing you all down on the Wharf. Christina

VIEW FROM THE GALLEY WINDOW

QUIZ QUESTION

What was the name of the last vessel of the old era built at Goolwa? Who built it? In what year was it built? Where is it now? What was its replacement called and where is it now?