Last week’s meeting guest speaker was Rotary Melbourne member Philip Cornish, former Interim CEO of Mission to Seafarers. Philip spoke on‘The Mission to Seafarers - Caring for Seafarers Around the World’. You can view his presentation HERE.
Its always great to hear from one of our own members and Philip Cornish did not disappoint. Recently finishing as the Interim CEO of Mission to Seafarers, Phillip gave us quite an insight into the organisation that has been part of Melbourne for many years. Apart from providing a safe haven for the men and women who provide a critical service that Australia probably doesn’t appreciate as much as we should; given that so much of the goods we need have to come by sea, Mission to Seafarers have played a major part in the fabric of a growing city over the years.
Apart from giving us a good description of their distinctive and historic building, Phillip provided an interesting insight into the challenges faced by seafarers during the shipping boycotts of Australian goods into China as well as the challenges they suffered during all of the COVID restrictions which to some extent they still suffer.
Often being prevented from coming ashore today in case they bring Covid back on Board and then create major difficulties for the ship owners, means being confined on board when they crave a little bit of human contact with some new faces that we take for granted.
Yet another great address by one of our own – thanks Phillip.”
by Bob Glindermann
You view the whole meeting please click on the You Tube link: HERE.
A Note from PDG Bronwyn Stephens
When I was at Rotary Melbourne South for many years a member (Robert T.B. Iversen) championed a “Mental Health of Seafarers” project including many agencies as well as Mission to Seafarers. He was noted in academic journals and his work still is relevant.
Click here to view the project.
Also attached here is a copy of Robert's findings.
Another serendipity moment. DIK regularly donates care bags for the seafarers stuck on vessels. Over covid times when shore leave wasn’t possible the care bags were crucial. DIK provides pallets of caps, water bottles, stubby coolers, knitted beanies, branded merchandise from tennis Victoria and the Grand Prix. All sorts of paraphernalia as well as toiletries and even sweets. Bob is too humble to mention this.
