TSS Stimar Fairstar - Passenger Lists

[leluka]

Long shot......does anyone still have the passenger lists that we received onboard.  Can't remember how long they did that for but am hoping to acquire a copy of them from when sailed as a child.   Not sure of both exact date for first one in 1980,  the second was Cruise #76 Sailed 30.12.1981 - 16.01.1982 i believe.  Would so appreciate any help with this.  Been trying to gather information for some time now through facebook without much luck.  

Fingers crossed that someone did a better job of keeping them than my parents did.....lol.

[Chiliburn]

I don’t know where you would get a passages list for a cruise that far back.
 

There must be some special memories for you.

[arxcards]

I haven't seen any significant resources for that.

 

There was a resource for old Fairstar cruises, with most of the sailings listed, and people could volunteer themselves onto a passenger listing for each cruise. Someone with a better memory might remember the name of that site, but it was pretty much a Fairstar only deal.

 

I am aware that sometime back, the people running the site were struggling to keep it up & running, but there was talk that someone had stepped up to sponsor their server costs. I haven't heard anything about it for ages though.

 

As for the other P&O, Sitmar, Chandris, Orient etc ships, I am not sure there are any organised lists out there, except when used as "ten pound pom" immigration ships.

[Aus Traveller]

Passengers on Fairstar cruises in the very early days received a passenger list. We cruised every year for several years from 1983. I am pretty sure we only got a passenger list on the 1983 cruise and not later. The reason stated was "privacy reasons".

[Docker123]

The National Library has a lot of genealogy resources.  My father had chased up ancestors through their records.

 

I am not sure how recent or comprehensive they are, but worth a look.

[leluka]

4 hours ago, Chiliburn said:

I don’t know where you would get a passages list for a cruise that far back.
 

There must be some special memories for you.

Yeh....finding it very difficult track down.  Running out of avenues.

[leluka]

4 hours ago, arxcards said:

I haven't seen any significant resources for that.

 

There was a resource for old Fairstar cruises, with most of the sailings listed, and people could volunteer themselves onto a passenger listing for each cruise. Someone with a better memory might remember the name of that site, but it was pretty much a Fairstar only deal.

 

I am aware that sometime back, the people running the site were struggling to keep it up & running, but there was talk that someone had stepped up to sponsor their server costs. I haven't heard anything about it for ages though.

 

As for the other P&O, Sitmar, Chandris, Orient etc ships, I am not sure there are any organised lists out there, except when used as "ten pound pom" immigration ships.

Wow i haven't seen any sites like that, it would be good to track that down.  Sounds like it would have the information i am looking for.

[leluka]

3 hours ago, Docker123 said:

The National Library has a lot of genealogy resources.  My father had chased up ancestors through their records.

 

I am not sure how recent or comprehensive they are, but worth a look.

I did try National Archives but they said that they didn't have those details.  

[leluka]

4 hours ago, Aus Traveller said:

Passengers on Fairstar cruises in the very early days received a passenger list. We cruised every year for several years from 1983. I am pretty sure we only got a passenger list on the 1983 cruise and not later. The reason stated was "privacy reasons".

Thought it was great that it had passengers listed, great keepsake.  We traveled 1981 and 1982 so i am hoping that it may have.  

 

[Chiliburn]

24 minutes ago, leluka said:

Yeh....finding it very difficult track down.  Running out of avenues.

Who bought out Sitmar ?was it P&O ?

Would Carnival have anything?

 

[leluka]

3 minutes ago, Chiliburn said:

Who bought out Sitmar ?was it P&O ?

Would Carnival have anything?

 

Correct, P&O.  Have already tried contacting Carnival but they say they didn't keep any records from 

Sitmar.

[Chiliburn]

1 minute ago, leluka said:

Correct, P&O.  Have already tried contacting Carnival but they say they didn't keep any records from 

Sitmar.

They couldn’t point you in the right direction?

 

[Aus Traveller]

9 hours ago, Chiliburn said:

They couldn’t point you in the right direction?

 

They could point them to a warehouse in Italy where Sitmar's old records are stored 😁 .

 

Anthony Albenese told the story of the search for his father. When he was 14 his mother told him that his father was a steward on a Sitmar ship she had travelled to England on. Mr Albenese decided to try to find his father. He sought help from Australian officials who contacted P&O.  Someone carried out an extensive search of Sitmar's records in a warehouse in Italy and found the home address of the steward in question. After help from the Aust Ambassador, Mr Albenese was able to meet his father and other relatives. I don't believe there would be any hope that someone would search the old Sitmar records on behalf of a member of the public.

[leluka]

57 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

They could point them to a warehouse in Italy where Sitmar's old records are stored 😁 .

 

Anthony Albenese told the story of the search for his father. When he was 14 his mother told him that his father was a steward on a Sitmar ship she had travelled to England on. Mr Albenese decided to try to find his father. He sought help from Australian officials who contacted P&O.  Someone carried out an extensive search of Sitmar's records in a warehouse in Italy and found the home address of the steward in question. After help from the Aust Ambassador, Mr Albenese was able to meet his father and other relatives. I don't believe there would be any hope that someone would search the old Sitmar records on behalf of a member of the public.

Had never heard of this, all P&O said was that none existed.  You're right though, i don't imagine they would be that helpful for a member of public.  Might be worth the enquiry.

[Aus Traveller]

11 minutes ago, leluka said:

Had never heard of this, all P&O said was that none existed.  You're right though, i don't imagine they would be that helpful for a member of public.  Might be worth the enquiry.

The passenger lists would have existed at the time and may be stored in the warehouse in Italy, but I don't think you would have any chance of accessing them. Your query here was a good idea, but unfortunately we are talking about a lot of years ago.

[Chiliburn]

2 hours ago, Aus Traveller said:

They could point them to a warehouse in Italy where Sitmar's old records are stored 😁 .

 

Anthony Albenese told the story of the search for his father. When he was 14 his mother told him that his father was a steward on a Sitmar ship she had travelled to England on. Mr Albenese decided to try to find his father. He sought help from Australian officials who contacted P&O.  Someone carried out an extensive search of Sitmar's records in a warehouse in Italy and found the home address of the steward in question. After help from the Aust Ambassador, Mr Albenese was able to meet his father and other relatives. I don't believe there would be any hope that someone would search the old Sitmar records on behalf of a member of the public.

I knew someone here would have a good idea.

Also what about insurance companies like Lloyd’s?

 

And I thought we where here just to chat about Princess medallion.

[arxcards]

1 hour ago, Aus Traveller said:

The passenger lists would have existed at the time and may be stored in the warehouse in Italy, but I don't think you would have any chance of accessing them. Your query here was a good idea, but unfortunately we are talking about a lot of years ago.

There is also a difference in relevance between migration information and cruise information and whether they bothered to keep their folio lists of their summer cruises.

 

Princess/P&O Australia don't have ready access to those either. Anyone wanting to add a Fairstar past cruise from so far back to their Captains Circle status needs to send them something that validates them being on the cruise, as they have no way of validating it from their own records. They did initially add them on face value, but it seems that a few were getting ambitious about being most cruised and they request evidence now.

[arxcards]

12 hours ago, leluka said:

Wow i haven't seen any sites like that, it would be good to track that down.  Sounds like it would have the information i am looking for.

I will have a dig later this afternoon. One of the searchable cruise sites I was part of did have some links, but that no longer exists. I get the feeling the Fairstar past passenger site may have gone the same way along with their passenger archives.

 

For now, the best I can find is the SS Maritime page for Fairstar. Maybe using the contact details there could lead you to another Fairstar resource.   http://ssmaritime.com/fair1.htm

 

[boeckli]

12 minutes ago, arxcards said:

For now, the best I can find is the SS Maritime page for Fairstar. Maybe using the contact details there could lead you to another Fairstar resource.   http://ssmaritime.com/fair1.htm

 

 

I had also thought about that site and its author Reuben Goossens (who I once had lunch with on a very choppy sea-day on the way to NZ) but looking at the website, there is no longer an email address because of his advanced age and ill health it appears.

[NSWP]

Have you tried going through the Australian Consulate in Rome? Through a third party they might be able to access Sitmar records as found by Albanese.  You never know your luck.

 

I was on Sitmar's 'MV Castel Felice', Southampton to Sydney in 1966. They were a good line.

[arxcards]

There are some wormholes available from this site, and first I had noticed that Sitmar was a nice abbreviation of Società Italiana Trasporti Marittimi. 

 

http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/lines/sitmar.shtml

 

A nice photo of a passenger list from 1979 (no, I wouldn't buy it at that price, even if I was on it)

https://www.ebay.com/itm/114911993607

 

Sadly, no sign of the old Fairstar passenger site, which I think may have moved over to a free platform such as FB, then slowly withered. Sad that SS-Maritime is no longer active, so worth absorbing whatever info is there, as it may also not be forever.

 

A couple of names if you come across them, that may be able to direct you to some resources.

Rob Henderson (P&O archivist/historian)

Peter Plowman (a couple of books from the later end of the Sitmar era)

Peter Knego (was active in ship keepsakes, and had a bit of Fairstar info, although maybe from her final days)

 

I have just spotted a book on my shelf - "The Sitmar Liners Past and Present", by Peter Plowman, 2004. A bit of a quick browse, I didn't spot any reference to passenger lists.

 

 

 

 

[leluka]

2 hours ago, arxcards said:

There are some wormholes available from this site, and first I had noticed that Sitmar was a nice abbreviation of Società Italiana Trasporti Marittimi. 

 

http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/lines/sitmar.shtml

 

A nice photo of a passenger list from 1979 (no, I wouldn't buy it at that price, even if I was on it)

https://www.ebay.com/itm/114911993607

 

Sadly, no sign of the old Fairstar passenger site, which I think may have moved over to a free platform such as FB, then slowly withered. Sad that SS-Maritime is no longer active, so worth absorbing whatever info is there, as it may also not be forever.

 

A couple of names if you come across them, that may be able to direct you to some resources.

Rob Henderson (P&O archivist/historian)

Peter Plowman (a couple of books from the later end of the Sitmar era)

Peter Knego (was active in ship keepsakes, and had a bit of Fairstar info, although maybe from her final days)

 

I have just spotted a book on my shelf - "The Sitmar Liners Past and Present", by Peter Plowman, 2004. A bit of a quick browse, I didn't spot any reference to passenger lists.

 

 

 

 

Thank you for all the information.  Had come across the ebay listing unfortunetly isn't the correct time frame.  Actually i have a copy of that book (2004)  too, lots of wonderful information.  I will see if i can chase up any information of the others you mentioned.  May be making some headway!

[Aus Traveller]

1 minute ago, leluka said:

Thank you for all the information.  Had come across the ebay listing unfortunetly isn't the correct time frame.  Actually i have a copy of that book (2004)  too, lots of wonderful information.  I will see if i can chase up any information of the others you mentioned.  May be making some headway!

I am usually an optimist, but on your quest, I don't think so.

[leluka]

23 hours ago, NSWP said:

Have you tried going through the Australian Consulate in Rome? Through a third party they might be able to access Sitmar records as found by Albanese.  You never know your luck.

 

I was on Sitmar's 'MV Castel Felice', Southampton to Sydney in 1966. They were a good line.

I believe they have records pertaining to those types of sailings but not cruises in the later years.  Might still be worth the follow up though.

[snag]

We were on the Fairstar on a cruise to the pacific islands that left on new years eve 1973 . We had bunks and a toilet that kept overflowing into the shower on C deck. I remember the midnight buffets as we never got up in time for breakfast. Drinks were 20 cents but cocktails were $1. A packet of winny  blues was 20 cents. Oh ,the good old days