[BITList] Fwd: BISN Itaura

[David Harvey]

Mr Burns set up a trading store near by to the jetty Mr Towns built on the
creek (name eludes me) that presesnt day Townsville sits on. Burns
was joined by a partner Mr Philp and as the business expanded they bought a
schooner and the business expanded to inter-island and a coastal service.
They were agents in several ports for BI and after MacDonald
Hamilton took away the agency business they did retain the agency in a few
ports and were outward agents in Sydney, Darwin was one. They had small
vessels that traded only within the South Pacific which acted as feeder
vessels for their mainline routes to Australia. The business grew across
Eastern Australia into many shore based enterprises. They purchased steamers
from E&A (who had purchased then from P&O) and ran in friendly competition
with E&A to Singapore. (E&A later switched their route to HK and Japan
dropping Singapore. MacKinnons were Agents in Calcutta I think.

They were running to Singapore and to Calcutta until around mid 50's, the
last ship on the Calcutta route was "Burnside", port of registry Glasgow.
"Montoro" ran to Singapore and another ship also of similar name.. They
carried a mixture of crews depending on their route. Pacific Islanders,
Australian deck crew and Chinese ER, or Indian crew. Some vessels carried
cadets as distinct to apprentices, in other words cadets did not sign
indentures but signed articles. Some flew the red ensign, some the
Australian red  ensign, if under the red ensign the port of registration was
Glasgow, Australian ships were Sydney IIRC and I think a few were registered
in the Islands.

I am not at home at the moment (freezing in Melbourne) so I cannot refer to
my books, but I think the only connexion between the two companies was that
there may have been a director from Burns Philp on the first board of AUSN
which was largely, but not wholly, a BI subsidiary.

"Itaura", is as we all know, a BI name, could not be a BP ship. Maybe
"Itaura" was under charter to BP.

The BP funnel was black, white on passenger motor ships with a chequered
black and white band. From a distance sometimes it could be mistaken for two
white bands. House flag red white and blue vertically with a green Scottish
thistle thereon.


On 15 September 2011 15:25, John Feltham <wantok at me.com> wrote:

> G'day folks,
>
> Can any tell us where the seaman's records are stored in the UK please?
>
> Burns Philps, to my knowledge only sailed around the South Pacific Islands,
> by I may be wrong.
>
> Their HQ was located here in Townsville.
>
>
> ooroo
>
>
> Begin forwarded message:
>
> *From: *Eileen Pye <eileenpye at bigpond.com>
> *Subject: **BISN Itaura*
> *Date: *15 September 2011 10:44:36 AM AEST
> *To: *John Feltham <wantok at me.com>
>
> John,
>
> I  know of your interest in BISN Co. through reading INDIA Roots messages
> over the years.
>
> My father Gerald Stuart O'Brien was in Merchant Navy for about 5 years from
> about 1897 to 1904 but it was only recently that I found his name as
> clerk on a ship from a Burns Philp list.  It  was  on a voyage of SS
> "Itaura" to Brisbane, Sydney & Melbourne in 1903 so hopefully I will be able
> to trace  his time at sea now that I at least know the name of one of the
> ships he was on.
>
> He left his home in Calcutta when he was 16/17 after a disagreement with
> his family - a rebellious teenager - and "went to sea". So he started off
> from Calcutta.  His father was Head Storekeeper for Kidderpore Docks.
>
> After he left the sea,  G.S. O'Brien was in Rangoon and worked for Port
> Authority & Thomas Cook & Sons. before coming to Australiai in 1912.
>
> I  know he had been to England, that he had been on sailing ships but don't
> know how to work back from "Itaura"?
>
> Any suggestions?
>
> Thanks,
>
>  Eileen Pye
>
>
>
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