Dan’s Mission: accomplished
Charity provides support to seafarers
DAN Gadd knows the importance of looking after the millions of people who spend their lives working at sea.
The Geelong-based marine controller has travelled across the globe during a seagoing career that stretches back to 2002, and he was among those to be recognised yesterday as a leading charity paid tribute to seafarers worldwide.
Mission to Seafarers held its annual Sea Sunday event with a special service at St Andrew’s Anglican Church in Corio.
More than 6500 seafarers from 41 countries visited the mission’s North Shore centre last year, most arriving into Geelong’s port on bulk ships and staying for up to two days.
Mr Gadd, from Barwon Heads, said the mission provided invaluable support to seafarers with a place to relax and contact their families back home.
“The mission is extremely important, especially today as seafarers are less seen and understood than in the past due to the increasingly quick turnarounds and reduced crew sizes of vessels these days,” he said.
“Having the mission available to these crew, to help them get safely off the vessel to shore and to assist them with any issues they might have is immensely important.
“The mission is a trusted organisation all around the world and crew members would struggle to find support without them.”
The Geelong chapter of Mission to Seafarers dates back to the 1890s.
Its chaplain, Reverend Noah Park, said it was vital to care for seafarers given they were often “hidden and relatively forgotten”.
“Life at sea brings unimaginable stresses from seasickness, injuries, loneliness and depression and even on occasions, bullying and threats onboard between sailors,” he said
“At the Mission to Seafarers, we respond to the call to serve seafarers by visiting seafarers on their ships, welcoming them to our seafarer centre and providing them with practical assistance.”
For more information, or to donate or volunteer with the Mission to Seafarers, visit mts.org.au/geelong