My friend's grandfather, from Brisbane in Australia, sent this postcard home from Whakatane (the town, not the ship) and she wonders what he was doing there. It is undated and unaddressed (probably sent in an envelope). It was sent to her grandmother, his second wife. His first wife died in 1903, so it was certainly later than that. He remarried in 1912, so it is probably after that, but I suppose it could have been sent to his fiancee perhaps as early as 1910. He died in 1919. It may have been during World War I but there is nothing in their clothing to suggest they are connected with the war. In his later life he was an engine driver and we think he was probably a fireman on this ship, whatever it was. She thinks he is the man on the left at the front. The message on the card says: "I hope you won't take a fit when you see this. It was taken on board at Whakatane. The crowd is all the sailors and firemen. Will" I understand that the town was an important shipbuilding and trade centre from the 1880s on, but wondered if anyone had any ideas what this group might have been doing there. Thanks as always, Geoff
