Australia Royal Visit

Hi to all

I have posted this because it seems a bit expensive for an airmail envelope from Perth WA.

The other reason is that it originated from a cruise ship
Regards
Horamakhet

The Orontes was not a cruise ship at that time,
it was used for ferrying immigrants to Australia
usually families paid 10 pounds for the privilege.

We arrived in Australia on her sister ship the RMS Orion 3 years later.

I am incorrect with "sister ship" sorry,
we always thought so, because we knew them so well.

The RMS Orion's sister ship was the Orcades.

All were similar in design, and livery of doeskin cream and white.

website
http://www.oceanlinermuseum.co.uk/orcades.htm

Hi Rod222
I remember that now, thanks for the information. Ten Pound Poms I think they called them.

They were the Orient Line as the Envelope says, which was later absorbed by P&O
But still a lot for airmail postage, Is it a first day cover?
Regards
Horamakhet

It cannot be a FDC it has KG6 aboard.
I cannot find my postal rates, but
I recall 2/- was the air rate to UK and US at that time [1/2 ounce]
Internally I don't know.
I cannot offer any explanation of the 3 and tuppence franking. [3/2d]
It doen't seem to have been overweight by viewing it.

Hi Rod222
Got me puzzled, maybe they just wanted some-one to have the stamps, or Maybe they wrote the letter at sea on route to Australia and then bought the stamps at sea and it was posted in Fremantle
Regards,
Horamakhet

A reasonable conclusion,
but it lacks a "paquebot" strike,
and it would have been posted after the visit at Naples
any mail offloaded at Fremantle would not incur any further cost AFAIK

I can only conclude the cover had extra weight, photos? postcards?
the format of the stamps affixed dosn't suggest a philatelic
inspired reason that I can see.


You have a part of the flap of the envelope
concealing a message looks like "Letter No2" ?

Hi Rod222
Yes it does say letter number two, so maybe it did contain some-thing extra like postcards.
I love philatelic mysteries.
Thanks for all the help
Horamakhet

I'm a Ten Pound Pom, having arrived on the MV Castel Felice of the Sitmar Line in 1970

Hi Jubilee,
The famous Fairstar was once a Sitmar ship,
I think there was Fairstar, Fairsea and Fairsky, and they were acquired by the P&O line.
Wish they had had the same deal from NZ, but we had to pay full fare.
Regards
Horamakhet

Two ten pound Poms on SCF...
Boy! have we raised the bar :)

Yes, the cruise liners were part of the fleet. If I recall, from one of the Italian crew, SITMAR was an abbreviation of Sociale Italiani Maritimi.

He she is in all her glory. Our trip was the last one. She sailed on to China and was scrapped.



There were two reasons we chose Australia. My uncle was here, and it cost £10! NZ ripped you off

It was a very exciting time for an 11 year old. (sorry to derail the thread folks....)

Back on track, I think the cover is purely philatelic (although interesting), and overfranked for purpose

My Dad said we were "going out to help the colonials and improve the gene pool"

Of course, many were called "Ten pound tourists" because they satyed at Government expense for 12 months and shot back to the UK!

Like Jubilee, I was also an 11 year old "10 pound Pom".
Only difference is I flew in a jet and took only 2 days, not 6 weeks.
I came to Perth in 1969.

I hope the Aussies, at least, noticed the mis-spelling of "Freemantle" on the back of the envelope.

Steve

Hi to all

You are correct Jubilee about Sitmar, also Freemantle was originally spelt with two "E", it is like the town in Victoria called Ballarat, it should be spelt Ballaarat, but every-one leaves out the second A and the yarra river is actually the Yarra Yarra.

That is what makes Australia so diverse, we are many but we are Australian,.
Although I was born in NZ my parents backgrounds are Scottish, German, Roman, Russian French Spanish. I am a Heinz 57 varities.
But although I have relations spread out all over Europe and Great Britain and Scotland, I would never leave Australia permanently, only for holidays. My Children were all born here and so was my wife, even though her Parents were ten pound poms with a bit of Irish thrown in.
Regards
Horamakhet

Am I the only real Australian on SCF then?