PHOTOS FROM OUR DAYS AT THE VINDI

If you would like to have your photos of those days shown here please send them in via this link.

mailto:reefknot@vindicatrix-originalnswact.org?Subject=Contact%20From%20Vindi%20Website

Were this all started (Who'd a'thowt it!)

The view today looking south from up near the old railway bridge towards the Vindi's berth.

Looking over the Vindi's old berth from the lawn outside the (now) Dockers Club (then) a Pub I have forgotten it's name. ?anyone.

The Customs house & the old crane today but still as it was in my Vindi days.

Hut C3 1955 sent in by Roy Peters who is in the centre of the photo below. 

If the other 2 Vindi Boys recognise them selves, drop me a line and I will pass it on to Peter.

Above is John - Brian Chaplin's best mate on the Vindi in 1956 (i think?) unfortunately like most of us time has faded John's surname from Brian's memory, so if your looking John drop us a line.

Remember being a Bridge Boy, wasn't it a bloody marvelous feeling!

The Bridge. 

That bridge across the Severn was twenty two spans wide

And we used it as a counter, starting on the other side.

For a ‘bridge boy’ at the Vindi had twenty two days more

And he counted off those arches from Wales to England’s shore.

When only seven spans remained he knew he’d stood the test,

 He then became a ‘pool boy’, the envy of the rest.

For a ‘pool boy’ at the Vindi had seven days to go,

Seven spans to Gloucestershire, seven days so slow.

It’s a pity that the engineers who built the famous bridge

Never knew the story of all those Vindi kids

Who used those spans and arches to wish away their days,

Time they’d gladly use again in many different ways.

That bridge is part of history now along with our old ship

But it lives in all our memories as part of that great trip

Along life’s chequered highway that led us from the place

Where a bridge became a stepping-stone

At the start of life’s long race.

 David Partridge.

The Bridge from the Lydney side of the river.

The Bridge in 1965 after the Tug towing oil barge/s collided with it.

I was told the bridge was dismantled and re-errected in South America- I was never able to confirm this Anyone out there know?

Deck class March - June 1953

Back row left Johnny Hilary - middle row right George Davis - Front row left Don Ross - Front row right Phil Scales

Photo sent in by NSW vindi boy Phil Scales V1953- Phil lives near Batemans Bay now & then but you can find him mostly touring in the caravan!

My Vindi group photo taken late July 1953.

Thats me front row left.

Unlike Phill above I sadly can not recall any name but my own ( I have trouble with that sometimes)

I don't understand why there are only 8 lads in the picture when there were over 20 in our June to Sept. deck class. I have met and shared photos with 2 vindi boys who were on the same course as me but we all have different group photos?? a mystery.

The photo above is from Terry Calpin of the fair city of York.

Unfortunately the photo was damaged when Terry's place got flooded out, Terry is on the right of the second row under the word ME.

Terry was on the same course as me but has a different class photo?? 

Me outside Hut 3a (i think) in August of 1953.

Coming from mucky Owd Oldham I was very impressed with the lovely clean countryside in Gloucestershire.

I always wanted to go back and see it all again, didn't make it till 1993 40 years later.

On the right Ralph Cook Vindi June 1951 who started of the South Oz Vindi branch and had that wonderful and the worlds first Vindicatrix website.

The other fellow?? alas. Ralph would love to get in touch again. 

This group photo is from Frank Challoner a 1948 Vindi Boy, there is an X next to Franks right lughole, he used to live in Pincnic Point, Sydney during his 2 or 3 years with our NSW branch but he emigrated to that other country up north, Queensland!  And never sent me his new address as promised.

Were are you Frank.

The above class photo is from Des Jenkins Vindi 1949.

All looking very clean and smart, you can see the difference between this and the above photo, rationing must have eased!

Des was a very keen NSW Vindi member until his recent move to the land of the long white cloud.

he is now living in Wangerie in the north island.

I forget now were Des is in this photo, I know Des frequents this site along with all the others so let us know which is you Des.

Not exactly from our Vindi days but a face from our vindi days even though you can't recognise it behind the beard, it is in fact the late Capt Scott who was the chief officer on te Vindi from I think about 1952 until the Vindi closed.

Capt Scott (Les) and his family moved to tasmania after the Vindi closed, he became safety Officer at the Hobart Harbour Board until he retired.

He was involved and started up some of the ex MN associations in Tasmania and was of course involved with the Tassie Vindi Boys.

Kevin Bailey (front left) photo from his Vindi days, nace to have the 'Bridge' od sughs in the background, I gues it must have been taken on the fore deck of the Vindi.

Kevin dosn't remeber any names for the other lads on the photo, so if you recognise your self drop us a line.