Coastal Master To Retire

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31316, 11 March 1967, Page 24

Coastal Master To Retire

Captain Robert Greensill; who has commanded vessels of the Northern Steamship Company for a quarter of a century, will retire at the end of this month. His home is in Auckland and he has no special retirement plans. He was born at

Renwiek, near Blenheim. A former Nelson College pupil. Captain Greensill said that he finished his schooling in 1917 and went to sea in 1918 at the age of 18 aboard the small coastal steamer Invercargill. He later served aboard the Nova Scotian barquentine Louis Theriault in the Tasman timber trade. He also served in Nobel’s well-known explosive carriers,

Huia and Piri. Then came service in the New Zea-land-based Royal Fleet Auxiliary tanker Nucula. His first contact with the Northern Steamship Company was in 1929 when he joined the Ronaki as an able seaman. In all he has been connected 38 years with the company.

His first command was obtained in 1942, when he was appointed master of the scow Pono. He has since commanded ail the company’s vessels, except the new Awanui. Captain Greensill, who will be 66 next month, admitted that his long coastal service had been hard, but conditions today were completely different from those of his early sea days, he said.