Photos from Port Adelaide Enfield Council

Official photographer for the City of Port Adelaide Enfield, Sama Reid, has given us some brilliant images of our Tribute to the 645 lost crew of HMAS Sydney and the first one is our new header photo.

From the Portside Messenger community newspaper and website came the the Messenger Shot of the Week.
ABOUT 60 relatives of HMAS Sydney sailors gathered on the Port waterfront for an emotional tribute on Anzac Eve (April 24). Port school children including Daniel Adie of Rosewater released 3000 candlelit replica lifeboats into the Port River.

Photos by David Nearmy and Jenny Fitzpatrick

When South Australian Premier Mike Rann attended the ANZAC Light on the Water Tribute to the lost crew of HMAS Sydney on ANZAC Eve, Tony Iles met him on arrival.

Tony was one of 70,000 fifteen to seventeen year old boys who passed through the merchant navy training vessel Vindicatrix at Sharpness in the UK between 1939 and 1966.

There on the picturesque Sharpness to Gloucester canal they did their basic training before going to sea.

Sadly, in World War Two many of the boys were on vessels torpedoed by German submarines and sent to a watery grave not long after finishing their training.

Tony is “Skipper” of the South Australian branch of the Vindicatrix Association.

About 2700 former “Vindiboys” belong to Vindicatrix Association branches in the UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

The South Australian branch has regular meetings at the Seafarers Centre in Port Adelaide and is the only one where wives have equal status with the former merchant seamen.

Activities of the Australian branches include volunteer work, participation in a range of ANZAC commemorations, reunions, social functions, Sea Sunday and soon the newly recognised Australian Merchant Navy Day on September 3.

The Vindicatrix was formerly the SS Arranmore, a graceful three masted sailing vessel built in 1893, that first sailed to Port Adelaide in 1904.

The skipper of Arranmore would have set the vessel’s chronometer by the dropping of the 1 pm ball on the Semaphore Timeball Tower.

Photo of Tony and Premier Rann by Mick Surfield

Stunning new ANZAC images for Australia

Photographs by Jan Bransbury

The ANZAC Light on the Water tribute to the 645 lost crew of HMAS Sydney provided stunning new ANZAC images for Australia.

Television coverage was extensive with a brilliant feature story leading the Ten Network’s morning show across Australia at 9am on ANZAC morning.

Among a multitude of top news stories including the controversial Olympic torch relay on Thursday and a host of ANZAC events from Gallipoli to Villers Bretonneaux, Dawn Services and Marches here and around the world, the Port Adelaide commemoration was highly visible.

Channel Ten national coverage included interviews with Le Fevre Primary School students and their rendition of the national anthem over footage from the night including the candle-lit boats and floating of wreaths.

There was continuing coverage throughout the day and night on Ten, Nine, Seven and the ABC.

Indigenous and Navy ceremonial spectacles added to the poignant sight of school students, naval cadets and North Haven Surf Lifesavers launching the candle-lit boats on the dark waters of the Port River.

Earlier the SA Pipes and Drums had presented a one hour Ceildhi Music Concert in Black Diamond Square.


Portside Messenger supports local commemoration.



The Portside Messenger community newspaper, journalist Adam Todd and photographers gave front page coverage to our commemoration.

Channels 7 and 10 gave our commemoration extensive coverage and our photos show them getting video footage before ANZAC Eve.

Candle-lit lifeboats in church

Students at Star of the Sea Primary School invited local RSL veterans to a special church service they conducted themselves and took their ANZAC Eve HMAS Sydney replica candle-lit lifeboats and placed them in front of the altar.

Channel Seven filmed the moving and poignant service as children and veterans paid tribute
to the lost crew of HMAS Sydney and all Australians who have served their country.

A number of the students will take part in the launching of 3000 cardboard candle-lit lifeboats with many bearing the names of HMAS Sydney crew on the Port River on ANZAC Eve.

Organisers of this major Tribute to the 645 lost crew of HMAS Sydney have found students at some Adelaide Primary schools who are related to crew members and they
will launch the lifeboats bearing their lost relative’s name.

Adult Peter Laffer who was named after his relative Peter Laffer Ordinary Seaman on HMAS Sydney is flying from Queensland to launch the lifeboat bearing that name.

Several thousand people are expected to attend the Port Adelaide commemoration that will run from 6 pm to 9.30 on April 24.
More information on semaphoresa.com
vindictrix boy.com

Teacher praises ANZAC Eve project

Students at the Adelaide Star of the Sea Primary School have a great connect with HMAS Sydney currently a media star.

The school, a Marine Discovery Centre on Seaview Road with initials SOS, is one of the schools producing 3000 cardboard lifeboats for ANZAC Eve.

Star of the Sea teacher Toby Moulton has sent us the following email.

“The kids had a great experience at the RSL the other day and with the first pictures of the Sydney a couple of days ago its brilliant.
“Kids are getting a real sense of the sacrifice made by many
and are learning so much its awesome.
“Will be a great way to finish the term.”
Three thousand South Australian school students are busily constructing and decorating replica cardboard lifeboats from special templates for a major ANZAC Eve tribute to the lost 645 crew of HMAS Sydney.
Sixty Adelaide school students will represent the 60 South Australian sailors lost in the HMAS Sydney tragedy in 1941 during the ANZAC Eve commemoration on the Port River on April 24.
The focus of ANZAC Light on the Water 2008 will be on the 645 lost crew of the Sydney when more than 3000 cardboard lifeboats bearing lighted candles are launched on the river from the Birkenhead pontoons.

Adelaide and regional schools students and a number of war veterans are making all of the lifeboats.
The names of the 60 lost South Australian sailors will be on the sides of the lifeboats to be launched by the sixty school students.
A special March and Salute by the RAN Ceremonial Unit will be a Dedication to the 645 officers and men of Sydney.
Photos of wreck of HMAS Sydney from Finding Sydney Foundation
http://www.findingsydney.com/