A GISBORNITE ABROAD

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18253, 23 November 1933, Page 11

A GISBORNITE ABROAD

WITH BLUE STAR LINE TjRADING TO S. AMERICA filter an absence from Gisborne of 2£ years, Mr. W. (Bill) Bowie, elder son of Dr. and Mrs. W. A. Bowie, has returned home on a short holiday visit. Leaving in March, 1931, Mr. Bowie, who has taken up a seafaring life, -proceeded Home on the Rangitiki, and in London joihed as a cadet the Rodney Star, a large Blue Star liner trading to South America. ]Jrly. Bowie has made eight trips between London and South America, the route being via Lisbon, Tenerifte, Buenos Aires, Rio Grande do Sul, Santos, ltio de Janeiro, Teneriffe and back to Lon-

cloti. In addition to large shipments of' chilled meat, big consignments of oranges, as much -as 52,000 cases in one * shipment, are carried to London. On one occasion the ship conveyed 45 aeroplanes from England for the Brazilian Government. South America is notorious for frequent revolutions, and on one trip Mr. Bowie was ashore at Rio de Janeiro when fighting was in progress, and the ship was unable to enter Santos owing to a blockade. The harbor of Bio de

Janeiro, one of the finest in tho world, is dotted with numerous bush clad

islands, whilst a striking feature of the city is an immense statue of Christ erected on a hill, overlooking tho town, and illuminated by floodlights at night. After three trips on the Rodney Star, Mr. Bowie was transferred to the Avelona, on which he made five trips, the average length of the round voyage being about seven weeks. He described the life at sea as being very strenuous, but the study of navigation and seamanship proved most interesting. With tho advent of the Blue Star’s new service to New Zealand, Mr. Bowie was fortunate in being transferred to the Tuscan Star, which arrived at Auckland on her initial trip last week. Ho rejoins his ship at Wellington, and hopes to visit, the East during his next period of service.