Bert Van Manen (Forde, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On 29 August I had the pleasure of attending the Greenbank RSL memorial for Merchant Mariners Day and the commemoration service by the Naval Association of Australia Greenbank subsection. It was a moving service to commemorate our merchant mariners for their past and ongoing service to our country. Merchant mariners who sacrificed their lives at sea are often the forgotten servicemen. They are the unsung heroes of war—the Australian Defence Force personnel and civilian seamen who served in the merchant navies across the world. Without our merchant mariners, we would not have been able to supply our troops with food, ammunition and supplies. Commercial vessels assembled as part of the war effort to act as hospital ships, carry supplies and patrol our waters. Their job was perilous, as they often carried valuable cargo and ferried troops to and from war zones.

While many men marched onto the battlefields of war, our merchant mariners sailed the seas under the constant threat of enemy fire from ships, submarines, aircraft and mines. More than 400 Australian merchant mariners lost their lives in the line of duty, many of those aboard the hospital ship Centaur. The service and sacrifice of our merchant mariners will never be forgotten, and I would like to commend Greenbank Naval Association Vice-President Len Kingston-Kerr for the Merchant Mariners Day service.