The capricious Ballina bar crossing has long been the bane of ship’s captains and navigators. In his 1997 study “Shipwreck Heritage of the Richmond River”, Mike Richards lists some eighty- eight vessels which had come to grief on the bar dating back to 1844 when the sloop Northumberland was wrecked. By a strange quirk of fate or plain bad-luck her namesake the Schooner Northumberland fell foul of the bar the following her. By a stroke of providence no lives were lost. In those early days the river crossing from the open sea was much different to present days which now see

SS Protector:  - Fenwick Brothers Ballina Most famously Tom Fenwick a blunt, strong willed man. Who came to rule the river mouth at Ballina as an operator of tugboats. SS Pprotector was esigned by James Pashley – South Ballina especially for work on the bar and shallow river mouth Built in 1884 110 ft long  25ft beam  draught of 8ft Twin funnel steam driven paddle wheel tug Used the engines from the Francis Hixson Dangerous bar: The Fenwick Bros had lost  prior to:  Protector, Comet, Union, Francis Hixson,  William Langford, Sarah Fenwick Protector had been previously involved in the rescue of the steamer Chingtu for which Cpt Thomas

As a region we owe much to a well-heeled son of nobility with a penchant for sporting pursuits and in particular horse racing.   When Captain Henry Rous anchored his ship Rainbow off of the mouth of a yet unnamed river in eight fathoms of water and six leagues south of Byron Bay he had the opportunity to fulfill his ambitions to be an explorer and name yet unknown parts. Just days before, in August 1828, he had been anchored further to the north and had explored the Tweed River, which he had mistakenly thought to be the Clarence. He had narrowly missed

The recent commemoration of the D- Day landings during the second World War serves as a reminder of the sacrifices made by our enlisted personnel in times of war. It also reminds us of those who faced great danger to care for the sick and wounded in the aftermath of battle. The task of providing further care and transporting the wounded home or to the nearest land-based hospital often fell to hospital ships. Staffed by nurses and doctors as well as the sailors required to sail and manoeuvre the ship.  The Australian Hospital Ship Centaur was such a vessel. When the Australian