Save the Warana
Donation protected
Hi , My names Bren and I have traumatic brain injury (TBI) and PTSD from some time spent during the instabilities of the Iraq campaign.
As I can no longer work in my chosen fields or any associated duties due to concentration issues and tremors in my hands
I have decided to embark on the restoration of an old timber boat with historical significance called “WARANA”.
I negotiated,purchased the boat and took on this monumental project in the hope of restoring this lady to her former glory, and to save her from the scrapyard.
I discovered she has some very interesting history, in that it was a boat sailed into the Muroroa Atoll area in the early 70’s as a “protest vessel”, protesting against the French Nuclear tests that were being carried out at the time.
There is a book written that explains what went on with the boat, the cruise, the crew and the various adventures along the way.
“WARANA : The Story of an Australian Protest Yacht”
“In 1973, Brian Crawford was a 25-year-old hippie out to see the world and have adventures. After nearly two years on a schooner in North Atlantic gales, he was looking for warmer water. He went to the Kingdom of Tonga, where his brother was training Peace Corps volunteers. Although he loved the people and country of Tonga, his tourist visa expired and he had to leave. With no money, his options were few. Then he found a yacht that would take him on as navigator – Warana, the Australian nuclear protest vessel, bound for Mururoa atoll in French Polynesia, to try to prevent the French from testing more nuclear weapons there. He joined a disillusioned and discontented crew of misfits, all of whom soon gave up and returned home. With the skipper Peter Sturgess and a crew of American hippies rounded up from waterfront bars, they began the voyage back to Australia. Visiting Fiji, New Hebrides (now Vanuatu), New Caledonia, Brisbane, Sydney, they eventually returned home to Melbourne, only to set out on the gruelling 650-mile Sydney-Hobart open ocean race.”
Greenpeace and the Maritime Museum, whilst immensely interested are unable to contribute funding to the restoration of WARANA.
I have currently rented an industrial space for the next year and am in the process of having the WARANA moved from Sydney to just outside of Geelong where she can be worked on.
Any funds will go directly into the restoration project and I intend to keep a full photographic log of the works as they are undertaken and completed to include as they will become part of the history of this lovely Lady.
Your support is truly appreciated
regards
Bren
As I can no longer work in my chosen fields or any associated duties due to concentration issues and tremors in my hands
I have decided to embark on the restoration of an old timber boat with historical significance called “WARANA”.
I negotiated,purchased the boat and took on this monumental project in the hope of restoring this lady to her former glory, and to save her from the scrapyard.
I discovered she has some very interesting history, in that it was a boat sailed into the Muroroa Atoll area in the early 70’s as a “protest vessel”, protesting against the French Nuclear tests that were being carried out at the time.
There is a book written that explains what went on with the boat, the cruise, the crew and the various adventures along the way.
“WARANA : The Story of an Australian Protest Yacht”
“In 1973, Brian Crawford was a 25-year-old hippie out to see the world and have adventures. After nearly two years on a schooner in North Atlantic gales, he was looking for warmer water. He went to the Kingdom of Tonga, where his brother was training Peace Corps volunteers. Although he loved the people and country of Tonga, his tourist visa expired and he had to leave. With no money, his options were few. Then he found a yacht that would take him on as navigator – Warana, the Australian nuclear protest vessel, bound for Mururoa atoll in French Polynesia, to try to prevent the French from testing more nuclear weapons there. He joined a disillusioned and discontented crew of misfits, all of whom soon gave up and returned home. With the skipper Peter Sturgess and a crew of American hippies rounded up from waterfront bars, they began the voyage back to Australia. Visiting Fiji, New Hebrides (now Vanuatu), New Caledonia, Brisbane, Sydney, they eventually returned home to Melbourne, only to set out on the gruelling 650-mile Sydney-Hobart open ocean race.”
Greenpeace and the Maritime Museum, whilst immensely interested are unable to contribute funding to the restoration of WARANA.
I have currently rented an industrial space for the next year and am in the process of having the WARANA moved from Sydney to just outside of Geelong where she can be worked on.
Any funds will go directly into the restoration project and I intend to keep a full photographic log of the works as they are undertaken and completed to include as they will become part of the history of this lovely Lady.
Your support is truly appreciated
regards
Bren
Organizer
Bren Worth
Organizer
Wandana Heights, VIC