BALMORAL

While research my great-great-grandfather, John Griffiths (c.1832 - 1902), a boatman with HM Customs in Port Fairy, I discovered that he was nominated for a Victorian Humane Society (now Royal Humane Society of Australasia) award for bravery for his role in saving the crew of the Balmoral. A news article from the time reads: "The latter vessel, when thrown upon the reef, was in such a dangerous position that the crew — about eight in number — took to the mainmast ; from which they were rescued by the gallantry of Captain Mills, who, with a boat's crew, comprising Captain Woods, Mr. McDaniel, and Messrs, Pressnel, Johnson, Griffiths, and White, fought a passage through the breakers, and took a rope on board, by means of which the drowning men were conveyed to a place of safety." "The gallant conduct of Captain Mills and his crew deserves the highest praise for venturing out to the vessels at the imminent risk of their own lives. The poor fellows on board would undoubtedly have been lost, had not these brave mariners undertaken their rescue." Source: SHIPPING DISASTERS IN BELFAST BAY. (1868, July 15). Hamilton Spectator and Grange District Advertiser (South Melbourne, Vic. : 1860 - 1870), p. 3. Retrieved April 5, 2018, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article194471906