Seadogs Index P-R

I remember Paul clearly but didn’t sail long enough with him to get to know him very well. I think I left the sea shortly after he joined Oriana. I do recall him to be a very warm and friendly guy and I just found out recently from Marty Elliot that Paul is another still at sea and is Chief Technical Officer on the new MV Arcadia. That’s Paul 4th from the left of the guys standing. If anyone can help out with any stories or photos of then and now I’d appreciate it.

Thanks to Captain Steve Burgoine we now have a very recent photo of Paul.

L-R:

Paul Clasby (CTO), Andy Jackson (Guarantee Engineer) and Steve Burgoine (Captain).

There’s more photos of Paul here,

Next Dog

Paul Dixon (aka Tex)

Unfortunately Paul’s another one that I have very little recollection of. I must have sailed with him because we’re in the same photo below but like Paul Clasby it can’t have been for very long before I left. Paul is 2nd from the far left standing next to Nick (Taffy) Williams.

Someone may like to say something about Paul and tell us where the nickname Tex came from.

I’m happy to say that Paul found this site and has emailed me. He’s still at sea and is Chief Engineer on OSV Relume and works for MENAS Marine Services Ltd. He assures me that staying at sea is not all it's cracked up to be. Very few decent companies around. Mercenary contracts. Erosion of standards. No beer. No social life. HSE gone mad. Paperwork up the walls. He cant wait to pack it in and go home.

Paul’s email address is pepd53@yahoo.com

Next Dog

Paul Lightfoot

Finally the illusive and infamous Paul Lightfoot.

Next Dog

Paul Oliver

No photo yet!

Paul sailed on the 'big O' from November 1976 for about 7 months then did several other fly-out cruises to Australia. He was paid off in April 1980.

Paul's email address is aslartibartfast@yahoo.com.au

Next Dog

Paul Robinson (aka Blue)

Blue was Mr Cool and a perpetual prankster. Here he is below putting the rabbit ears on me this time. He never missed an opportunity to take the Mickey out of somebody. All in a good way though, never malicious.

The above shot was taken in my cabin on my last trip on the last leg of the Sydney Homeward Bound just a few days out of Southampton in May 1976. L-R Back: Les Diffey, John Speed, Me just above Speedy, Dave Grant and Blue. And that’s John Russell at the bottom of the shot.

Above is the infamous Lecky shot of 75/76. That’s a top bunch of lads.

L-R

Back:

Mark Sawyer, John Atkinson, Steve Musson, Mick Everson, Paul Robinson, Charles Oxley.

Front:

John Hammond, Tom Douther, Dave Whitehand.

Here’s a great shot of the “Pompey Boys” arriving in Sydney.

L-R:

Paul, Dave Oakes and Roy Arnold.

Another one of Dave & Arnie

Now this is what I want … all the guff direct from the horse’s mouth.

Paul left Oriana at the end of 1978 and decided to emigrate to Oz but had difficulty getting a visa. He then worked for an independent service company fixing ships all over the place whilst he pursued his attempts to get a visa. During this time he got divorced.

He finally got a job in Garden Island (Sydney) in 1981 purely to get the visa that came with it and he finally emigrated in Feb 1982. His UK girlfriend, Gill, and her 2 kids, whom he met after his divorce in 1980, came out to Oz in April 1982 and they got married.

He lasted only 3 months with Garden Island and then left to work for GEC Automation as a Robotics Technician and got to be Engineering Manager and then decided to leave and work for himself in 1986. While he was running his business Gill bought a restaurant in 1989 and ran that for a couple of years and then they both went into a Horse Riding business on the North side of Sydney.

They then bought 100 acres in the Hunter Valley, set up a Riding School (1992) and later a Guest House to go with it (1997). They stuck with that until 2002 when they decided to come back to Sydney (Berowra) as they were about to become Grandparents (Grandson Jake courtesy of daughter Anita).

Since moving he tried a short spell with a Robotics company but couldn't stand working for accountants, so he revived his old business again and hasn't looked back since.

They’ve recently become Grandparents again (Granddaughter Abby courtesy of daughter Anita).

Blue made the fatal mistake of telling me where some holiday snaps were posted on the Net so with his permission here’s what he looks like now.

Now there’s a line there like “which one is the real Blue?” but I’m not going to use that one :)

Above is a very dashing Blue with his lovely wife Gill. I have to admit Mate I’m very impressed. If I were you I’d be running for Prime Minister, I’d certainly vote for you.

There’s more photos of Paul here

Paul’s email address is robots@dodo.com.au

Business website is http://members.dodo.com.au/~robots/

Next Dog

Paul Truman (aka Freddie)

This photo has been cropped from the Oriana 80's Skivvies Party and I've done this so that I can add this very funny story about Freddie as remembered by Ken Ellis;

"I remember a little story about Paul Truman (also known as Arthur – short for J Arthur Rank!). He was an Engineer Cadet on the O and was sent by the Chief to work with the Leckies for a spell. He was put to work with Paul Mead (Peams). The Chief asked Arthur to find out the correct safe procedure for the detection of a fault on a lighting circuit in the Engine Room. So, Peam sat down with Arthur and ran through the ‘procedure’:

1) Contact Fire Party Charlie (Engine Room Fire Party) and alert them to what you are doing.

2) Replace the fuse that has blown on the lighting circuit with a larger fuse.

3) If this fuse blows, replace it with a larger fuse.

4) Continue to replace with larger and larger fuses until the fuse holds and the faulty light fitting catches fire!

5) Get Fire Party Charlie to extinguish the fire.

6) Replace the faulty light fitting.

Poor Arthur fell for it hook, line and sinker and wrote it up. He then proudly showed his work off to the Chief (can’t remember who it was, probably Mazo or Jumpin Jack) who promptly hit the roof!

Next Dog

Pauline Miller (now Scott)

L-R Back:

Josie McKenzie, Dianne Ashworth, Rosemary Walker (Deceased), Sandra Whaites.

Front:

Pauline Miller, Celia Cowan.

I remember Pauline well but I don't think we ever spoke to each other during our time on Oriana. I'm very pleased to say that Pauline has recently contacted the site to add some information about Rosemary Walker and I can tell you she's fit and well and currently running a B&B in Cornwall with her husband Richard.

Pauline's email address is richard.scott77@virgin.net

Next Dog

Peggy Gillies (now Askew)

Courtesy of Don Askew

Peggy was a passenger on Oronsay where she first met Engineer Don Askew in 1967.

Courtesy of Don Askew

She must have really enjoyed it as she came back in 1968 but this time to work as a Children's Hostess. The romance blossomed and they were married and emigrated to Vancouver together where they still are.

You can see them both as they are now in the Reunion section where every year a group of ex Oronsayites meet.

Peggy can be contacted through Don's email address daskew@telus.net

Next Dog