The Mission to Seafarers - Australia
INTERNATIONAL HONOUR FOR AUSTRALIAN CHAPLAIN
Fremantle's Flying Angel Club
chaplain Dennis Claughton was
recently the recipient of a
wonderful award.
During a ceremony at the International Maritime Organisation in London, the secretary general
of the ILO Mr Koji Sekimizu announced that Dennis had
won the international "Welfare Personality of the Year" award
for 2012 - sponsored by the International Committee on
Seafarers Welfare.
The award recognised Dennis' herculean service to seafarers visiting Fremantle Port over the last two decades.
It seemed most fitting that Dennis shared the award
jointly with Father Giacomo Martino (of the Apostleship of the Sea,
Italy) deservedly acknowledged for his lifetime achievements as
a frontline seafarers welfare worker and policy maker.
Both Dennis and Giacomo were thrilled to be able to - as spiritual
comrades - witness their Christian love and admiration for
the world's seafarers in front of a plenary IMO sitting, made up of
dignitaries from the world's shipping nations.
Bravo Dennis and Giacomo!
PORT GILES and NEWCASTLE
On the same night that the London awards were taking place, the Lloyd's List Shipping Industry awards were being celebrated by nearly 500 industry members, at its annual dinner in Sydney.
Great excitement was generated when it was announced that the Port Giles Mission to Seafarers had won the Seafarers' Welfare category award described as "a special award to an organization deemed to have made an outstanding contribution to the welfare of seafarers".
Congratulations to Port Giles' chaplain Geoff, June, Joan and Thomas all of whom were present at the
ceremony and understandably overjoyed.
Newcastle Mission to Seafarers also received a "highly commended" award in this category which was timely recognition for all the hard work our Newcastle team put in over the past 12 months.
A big thank you to Australian Maritime Safety Authority for sponsoring this award and particularly to Allan Schwartz - AMSA's general manager ship safety division - for his friendship and presentation on the night