Welcome to the Swire Mariners Association (SMA) online.
This picture of 'Soochow' alongside in Lae in 1963 was taken and contributed to this site by SMA member Alistair Thomson. Visit our 'Rogues' Gallery' to see more of his pictures.
You've arrived at www.swiremariners.com. The SMA is sometimes colloquially known as SOFA. If you have to ask why, you're probably not a member yet.
Thanks to the founding (fondling? foundering?) efforts of our hero, Stuart Shields, the Swire Mariners Association is achieving a substantial membership of stalwart salts. This worthy association of ex-Swire seafarers had its first official meeting in Bournemouth in March 1997, when some sort of rules (none too onerous) was drawn up by a quorum of thirsty souls. Membership is a mere £15 per annum and all old hands from China Navigation Co. Ltd. and Swire Pacific Offshore are welcome. When not galavanting around the Home Counties researching curry houses, Stu will be happy to receive your cheques or folding stuff.
The second annual event took place in May 1998 in Scarborough. Social pleasantries were again exchanged in Bristol in March 1999, at the "Millennibum Meet" in Chester in October 2000, and in Portsmouth in October 2001. The 2002 gathering was north of The Border in Dundee, 2003 in sunny Chatham, 2004 in Plymouth and 2005 was held in York. Falkirk hosted 2006 and Chepstow 2007. The lads meandered up to Newcastle-on-Tyne in 2008. Look out for news of Warwick 2009! This website includes appropriate photographs of the men who forged the future of the Far East (and, probably, a few cheques along the way). It has been decided not to publish minutes of meetings on the Internet for fear of spousal abuse, but Stu sends copies to all members. In the meantime, please keep us notified of all relevant scandal and check the Ship's Log Entries often. You can leave news there if you wish: it's an open forum. Do let all old shipmates know we have set up this facility - particularly, Taikoo Boaties in Australia and New Zealand.
The "funnel" menu, top left, is on all pages and there's a veritable Piccadilly Circus of extra stuff below. Visit our site map for full, ever-changing details of what's new. Blind Stu is the man if you wish to contact SMA for more information. For questions or updates specifically related to the SMA online, contact your friendly web-brat, Mark Beaumont, who will try to put his beer down for long enough to reply to you.
visitors to this site is a lot and you would have won a T-shirt if we had any. You arrived on
We also know where you live. Thank you for visiting and drop by again soon for exciting updates.
