Material relating to brothers George and William Clark sailing their cruiser MALUKA

Images(12)

Material relating to brothers George and William Clark sailing their cruiser MALUKA

Date1930s - 1940s

Object numberANMS0384

NameArchive series

MediumPaper

ClassificationsPhotographs

Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from Bill Gale

Terms

DescriptionThis archive series numbered [001] - [175] consists of material relating to brothers George and William Clark of Sydney and their cruisers MALUKA and MATHANA. It includes two Christmas cards, a locket of hair, and 170 silver gelatin photographs. The photographs depict scenes of the MALUKA on rocks on the Victorian coast, fishing trips, visit to a dam, the Great Ocean Road, the Twelve Apostles, a car ferry, waterfall, lake, crew of CAPPILAR, dog on the Tuckerbox at Gundagai, Palm Islands, Townsville, group picnic, beach scenes, Queensland views, waterskiing, steam locomotive, butterflies, coconuts, tree logging, Aboriginal performances and corroboree, pearl lugger, MS MANUNDA landing passengers, lighthouse, cane fields, women rowing, canoes, the Great Barrier Reef, baby turtles, fish traps, Hawkesbury River cruise, an amateur yacht race and Sydney Amateur fleet on Sydney Harbour.HistoryGeorge and William Clark were introduced to sailing by Cliff Gale in 1929, and pursued it as a leisure activity after moving to Sydney in 1930. They purchased BELLBIRD and joined the Sydney Amateur Sailing Club in 1930, winning the Kelly Cup in 1931. In BELLBIRD they sailed the Myall Lakes, Broken Bay, Port Hacking and Jervis Bay. The Clarks sold BELLBIRD in 1932 and commissioned the building of the cruising yacht MALUKA, in which they undertook cruises to Tasmania, the Great Barrier Reef, Lord Howe Island, and a five month cruise to Queensland in 1933. During their second trip to Queensland in 1935 - 1936, they struck a cyclone on the return from Lord Howe Island, an event which was described in "The loss and discovery of Maluka". Their second cruising yacht was called MATHANA. The Clarks also sailed to China by ship.SignificanceThis collection is significant in documenting, through personal accounts, club records, photographs and newspaper clippings, a picture of Australian racing in Sydney in the period between the wars, especially the growth of cruising in the 1920s and 1940s.