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Material relating to the cruisers MALUKA and MATHANA
Material relating to the cruisers MALUKA and MATHANA

Material relating to the cruisers MALUKA and MATHANA

Date1930s
Object numberANMS0382
NameArchive series
MediumPaper
ClassificationsEphemera
Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from Bill Gale
DescriptionThis archive series numbered [001] - [036] consists of material relating to the Sydney brothers George and William Clark's cruisers MALUKA and MATHANA. It includes a silver gelatin print, two logs and two manuscripts relating to MALUKA, and 31 negatives and prints depicting the cruiser MATHANA on Sydney Harbour, moored at Shell Cove, and at sea.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.