Mornington Memories

By Bob Galbally

Memories: the diary we all carry around with us…

Mine are anchored in Mornington Harbour and in the era of the 1960’s.

The family holiday home at Tanti avenue, Mornington, a school mate in Martin Bryan, his family holiday home on Beleura Hill and his father Leo Bryan, owner of TANDANYA.

No GRP boats there yet but what a world of wooden boats to immerse oneself in.

NERIDA, 14 metres of beauty, a yawl then and owned by Max Glover. The owner had a valved marine radio at his home on the Esplanade and when NERIDA was on her mooring, you could hear through the radio waves she was sailing somewhere around the bay!! Owned previously and since by the Hardy family.

NERIDA on the left and an H28 owned by Ron Hillis on the right

CARIAD, the 8 metre William Fife designed sloop was then white hulled and owned by Dr Hamley Wilson.

NAUTILUS, a similar length to NERIDA and owned by local manufacturer John Mayes, she was a sight. Intending to lead the fleet on Australia Day in this era, she was supposed to collect the Frankston mayor and his brass band from the Frankston pier but ran aground 50 metres short of the pier leaving the official party landlocked.

NORSEMAN: this 28 foot Norwegian sloop, owned by the owner of Peters ice cream, Emil Christensen was a museum piece.

MYSTIC, a 30 foot Lacco built cabin cruiser was owned by Colonel Wilson of The Esplanade.

TANKERAY, a 26 foot Lacco built cabin cruiser was owned jointly by Max Glover and Leo Bryan after both had sold their yachts. Named after their favourite gin brand,she was eventually donated to the Mornington Yacht club, renamed RETRIEVER and used as a crash boat.

There was Ron Hillis’ H28, Jubilees, Tumlarens, Top Hats, Couta boats and the list goes on.

Finally, TANDANYA, a 33 foot Kauri sloop, the pride and joy of solicitor Leo Bryan. Martin and I were crew as teenagers, racing in the Hovell Light cup, the now renamed ANA weekend at Geelong and cruising. Registered R19 at RYCV, she would sail to a mooring over summer.

The two photos depict TANDANYA, the first departing Mornington Harbour about 1964, (the author on the stern) and the second depicting Martin in the hatchway. (click to enlarge)

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His encyclopaedic memory of wooden boats is legendary and having worked in the timber industry and supplying timber to boat builders, I have no doubt the seeds were planted in this era and among wooden boats. The brownie box camera seen on deck may have been an aide memoir- that diary we all carry around with us.

All this when the curve of the earth prevented a view of the city skyline from Mornington harbour.

Happy sailing, Bob Galbally

TANDANYA in 2023