RIP Patricia Fowler

To All,

We are sorry to advise of the passing of dear friend, Patricia Fowler. Pat left us on Saturday evening the 14th March at Caloundra. Our condolences go to Rosie, Rick, Raelene and Roslyn and their families.

The Fowler family came to Bougainville from Victoria`s Gippsland, in 1973. Bill (Chookie) was a Senior Foreman in our Milling Department. In 1977 Bill was transferred to the Mary Kathleen uranium mine. In 1978 we visited them there. Rosie and her husband, Andy Christie were visiting at the same time. A few years later Bill was transferred again, to Boyne Smelters.

Bill always held high pressure plant maintenance roles.  Much of the management of domestic and family affairs fell to Aunty Pat.

We count ourselves most fortunate to be, to this day, close family friends of the Fowlers.  We will miss you, Aunty Pat.

The funeral notice will be in Wednesday`s Courier Mail. The service will be held on the Sunshine Coast on Thursday 19^th March.

Davo

Thank you, Rosie and Andy.

Black Tie Ball 17th May / Tribute to Wally Sanger

All, To coincide with our 25th Reunion at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre picnic area (Sunday 17th May) we are conducting our ball at the Brisbane Irish Club. Tickets are now available from the people listed below.  The tickets will not last. We urge you to call one of us forthwith.  Tables of 10 are still available. The proceeds are going to a most worthy cause in the enhancement of the medical facilities in Arawa and Buka. We have 2 x sea containers of medical materials already under process. There have been many contributors to these works including transport OEM, AB Volvo, Rotary International and the committee of the Brisbane Bougainville Community Group.  You will meet some of these people at the ball and / or the picnic. We will endeavour to accommodate any special dietary requirements.  Please advise such needs at the time of your booking. Monica; 0413 495 919; monica@monicalarcombe.com Nicole; 0412 503927 nicole@smartrider.net Cathy; 0448 337600; tha_moores@optusnet.com.au Ted (from Mandurah WA) 0438 816 382 Regards All, some lovely tributes came through for Wally.  The one received from David and Lyn Hatch, see below, I just had to share with you. Wally RIP " From: David Hatch <dfhatch@westnet.com.au> Sent: Thursday, 5 March 2015 12:41 PM Subject: Our Sincere Condolences Hi John & Merran It is with a great deal of sadness that we became aware of Wally’s passing. Thank you for sharing the news with Lyn and I and if you are able, please pass on our condolences to Nok. On a personal level, Wally and I worked together on the Automatic Truck Despatch Project and during that time got to know each other pretty well. We were diametrically opposed in regard to our styles of boating; Wally was of course a genuinely passionate sailor and I was a “stink boat” owner and operator. Wally was instrumental in persuading me to order our 21ft Savage boat out of Melbourne during the time when we worked together. I fitted the two 70HP Tohatsu Motors myself under our house in Arawa and as a family we have so many of the fondest memories of our boating days at Bougainville. Whilst limited by fuel capacity and associated range compared to a sailing boat, we typically ranged from the Zuene Islands down near the Aropa Airport up to the islands on the West side of Buka and would sometimes call in on fellow sailing seafarers at some remote location, incl Wally & Merran, John & Carol Golden and Jerry and Gay van Drie. I cannot forget the many glorious sand bottom lagoons up and down the coast framed by coconut palms etc. Wally and I were working together at the time of the famous America’s Cup regatta. I remember very well that we’d planned one morning to drive up to Panguna early so we could observe the night to day shiftchange with stopwatches etc and gather data for the truck despatch project. Many of us had been up for a fair bit of the night listening to the radio broadcast of the final deciding race. We picked Wally up at Birempa on the way up as I recall and of course he was pretty edgy as the race was in its final stages. Whilst driving up the mountain, we all agreed that it wouldn’t hurt to drop in to the Cricket Club before going in to work just to see how the race finished. We walked through the doors as Australia II cut across the bow of Liberty just before the last mark, with only one leg of the race remaining. Of course, we were all transfixed and couldn’t leave at that point. I remember Wally saying to me as the race neared the end that Australia would win and he was pretty shattered. At the conclusion of the race, we were about to get up and leave when the first bottle of champagne hit the table. My recollection is that between 6 of us, we drank 9 bottles of champagne and then thought we’d better go to work, arriving at the office around 9.00am. What a day! I am happy to acknowledge that Wally was a very positive influence in my life. His worldly advice and ability to act as a sounding board for a young professional was constructive and appreciated and I was happy and grateful to have Wally as a mentor. He certainly played a part in encouraging me to pursue our boating and fishing exploits. Lyn and I have just recently sold our quite large aluminium trailer boat that we had custom built for us in 1998 after many happy times; our kids are all developing their own lives and of course working hard and it is now quite difficult to get them together for our regular fishing trips up North. The boat had become too big for Lyn and I to handle, especially when launching and retrieving in windy conditions. But, we’re not ready to sign off yet as we both still love our boating and fishing. We’ve just ordered a new custom built, but smaller trailer boat to be built by a builder in Caloundra, Qld and hope to be launching in June. I’ll remember Wally with great fondness; a big man with a big heart and with a love of life, especially on or near the ocean. Regards, condolences and best wishes from Dave & Lyn Hatch "

RIP Wally Sanger

All,

It is sad to hear of Wally`s passing. The BCL Recruiting Department did quite nicely by being open to employment discussions with the many sailors who called at the Kieta Yacht Club. Wally was one of the most notable recruits who came to us from this direction. To get him onto the BCL payroll there was some inventive collusion and juggling of manpower establishment between the Mining Division and the Computer Department.  Wally was placed across our mining systems under the handle of Project Leader.

Wally (and Merran) nearly did not make it to Bougainville. They were sailing along the coast of Santa Isabel on their way from Honiara to Kieta. During a storm Wally was knocked overboard and Merran was obliged to turn around the boat (without a mainsail) and search for him. After some 40 minutes he was recovered.

Davo

Thanks, Merran and thanks, Derek.



From: Merran Sanger [mailto:msanger@ausbuild.com]
Sent: Tuesday, 3 March 2015 1:38 PM
To: John Davidson

Halo Wantoks

It is with great sadness that I bring the news of the passing of Wally Sanger, 74 years young, Tuesday night February 24 at “Paradise Lost”  Ko Kradan, Thailand, of natural causes.  His big heart ‘just stopped’.

My sincere condolences to Nok his partner and Wally’s Ko Kradan “family” . He may be gone but I am sure his spirit will well and truly be felt for ever more.  Wally is being farewelled in traditional Thai funeral in the coming days.

To all those who knew Wally-  with his kindness & generosity,  laugh, stories and classic one liners – through work, sailing, fishing,  travelling and especially to all  those who shared his time on “Windstar”- the crews and their families- through the haul-outs, the races, the marriages on board  and the parties, I believe Wally would be saying…… “Thank you all for being part of my journey and enriching my life…it’s been a helluva ride.  Aloha nui loa”

I have included a link to an article written by David Luekens, a travel writer who met Wally a little while back.  David is more than happy for me  to share his article and credits Wally for being his inspiration to write.  I  think the article sums up Wally’s life and philosophy well.  Thank you David. Click here to download

R.I.P Wally –  aka   “The Craptain”