Bottle Recommitted to the Ocean – Sunday September 30 2012.
On Friday , September 28 2012 Maree and I left Sydney at 12.30pm to begin the next adventure with my bottle – the recommittal of my bottle ,which was put into the Southern Ocean, south of Albany ,Western Australia on April 19 2012 . This bottle resurfaced 180 miles east on Albany. It was found on May 22 2012 by a Perth fisherman on the beach as flotsam at Bremer Bay, WA and returned to me in Perth on July 28 2012.
My 2 King Charles Cavalier Spaniels were dropped off at Rhonda’s in Wollongong, where I also met my new dog , Harry- a delightful 3 year old Blenheim Cavalier. (Sadly William passed away on August 6 2012 , whilst I was in Darwin for the Darwin Cup .)
Then on to Nowra for the night where we caught up with Maree’s friend Merry , a horse breaker and a journalist , and Chris, her partner for dinner .
We left Nowra at 9am for the long drive to Eden , stopping at Ulladulla, then Moruya for lunch , Cobargo , and then the Bega Cheese Factory for afternoon tea. Maree and I then arrived in Eden at 5.30pm. We stayed in a wonderful property overlooking Snug Cove into which George Bass had sailed in 1797.
Before Tilba Tilba , a National Trust Village , we had the pleasure of driving through beautiful countryside, the cows were coming in for milking , and 2 vintage wedding cars with the bridal party in them,were in driving in front of us . A surreal experience . …
On Sunday morning, September 30 2012 , at 5am I was up and ready to leave at 5.40am to walk to the port in Eden . At 5.45 am Richard , Paul and I were on “The Connnemara” leaving Eden .
We made it out to sea 16 nautical miles. In the distance, we could see whales, as they were creating spray – hump backs on their way south to Antarctica. Albatrosses were flying overhead , as were the mutton birds from Siberia.
At 8am at 37 degrees South 150 degrees East after photos and a video were taken , and a reading of a Burns poem , I recommitted the bottle to the ocean . This time we marked the bottle with a texta “ MESSAGE IN THE BOTTLE “
We moved some distance away and then put out a second bottle . This bottle was to acknowledge my Yorkshire connections – my great grandfather William Field (1831-1903); Harold Ward (1940-2011) ; and my beloved King Charles Cavalier Spaniel , William , (2001-2012 ). He was named after William Field . Again, a video and photos were taken .
The weather changed on our return journey. We arrived back into port at Eden at 10.15am.
I had again wished both my bottles “God Speed “- I trust that they will both move out into the Pacific, and stay there for some time …….
On Monday, October 1 2012 , Maree and I drove to Mallacoota in Victoria. I wanted to photograph Cape Howe ,as my bottle had originally been put to sea in the Southern Ocean south of West Cape Howe, Western Australia.
I was able to locate Cape Howe Marine National Park, which is located 15 kms east of Mallacoota, adjacent to the Croajingolong National Park . It extends along the coastline east of Gabo Island to the NSW border, excluding Iron Prince Headland Reef. (The Park extends offshore 3 nautical miles to the limit of Victorian waters.) I photographed Cape Howe in the distance from the beach at Mallacoota, Victoria..
I contacted Mark in Albany, Western Australia to inform him that my bottle had been recommitted to the ocean . I also contacted Geoff in Port Welshpool, Victoria to inform him as well. I checked with him if he is still completing his trips to the bottom of Wilsons Promontory – Bass Strait for the PHD students at Deakin University, Melbourne who are completing research on fur seals. An isolated , cold and barren place to be completing research !
Maree and I had an extraordinary week in our journey to and from Eden . We met some interesting people, and we both loved the wonderful coastal scenery.
At the Albany Whale Museum we met Ron , who had taken 7 weeks to ride around Australia on his Harley Davidson bike to raise money for cancer . ( His favourite place in Australia– Coral Bay )
Claire McMahon , a 72year old lady, took Maree and I to Pambula Rotary Club Meeting . Claire was an amazing lady – a career with Austrade in a number of overseas countries, and now running a beef farm on her own out of Eden.
At the Rotary Club Meeting, Dr Max Alexander from Southern Area Health was the guest speaker – updating the community on the new Bega Hospital ,which is due to be opened in 2016. Dr Max, as the locals called him, chatted with me whilst we were in the coffee queue.
I told him that I had served on St George Hospital Board during part of the 1980’s, before going on to spend 17 years as a Local Government Councillor.
My bottles are now out in the Pacific Ocean , albeit minus GPS trackers. My bottle’s journey to date has been extraordinary – I could never have anticipated the events after April 19 2012. I await with interest the next chapter , now that there are 2 of my bottles in the Pacific Ocean . Who knows who may find my bottle/s and where they will turn up ?
Anne Field
Kogarah
Sydney
October 6 2012
