PROFESSOR ROSS DOWLING
When Covid hit in April 2020, the Germany-based cruise ship Artania came into Perth for medical assistance as a number of crew and passengers had Covid.
The then Premier, Mark McGowan, did not want the ship berthing here but it eventually did due to humanitarian reasons. At least 81 passengers and crew had Covid and three people died from the virus while in WA.
One of the few bright things coming out of the visit was the organisation of The Great Postcard Project, where WA people, mainly children, wrote postcards to the crew of the Artania, most of whom were confined to their crew quarters. This lifted the morale of the whole ship and was one of the greatest acts of kindness I have seen.
Artania visited Fremantle again last Sunday and my wife Wendy and I were invited on board.
The organiser of The Great Postcard Project, Catherine Kolomyjec from local charity Soul Gestures Inc, was also on board the ship on Sunday, with a number of the young people and their parents who were involved in the project.
Some of Artania’s crew, who had been on board the ship in April 2020 when it was in Fremantle, were there again on Sunday and it was a very emotional reunion . . .
CATHERINE KOLOMYJEC
Sunday was simply unforgettable. Five years ago to the day, I was asked to cook a Norwegian Easter dinner for a Norwegian captain stuck on a cruise ship in Fremantle Port — the Artania, the infamous ship of our first Covid lockdown.
That little moment led to The Great Postcard Project, where Perth young people wrote postcards to the 400 Artania crew who quarantined and isolated in their rooms, many without even a window. The postcards were placed on the crew’s dinner plates the Thursday night before they left WA.
The response to the postcards was incredible and for the next 48 hours I received pictures from the crew thanking the writers for their humanity. A video clip of their response went all over the world.
A year later, the crew sent postcards back to our young people from their first cruise back to Norway, and then Artania returned to Freo on Sunday.
We were invited on board for a tour of the ship, drinks with 2020 crew and a special lunch alongside others involved in the response.
It’s hard to describe how emotional today was. I shed tears before even leaving home, thinking about that time that seems so surreal now. When we boarded the ship, the love we received from every crew member we met was overwhelming.
The crew wondered what the writers are up to now and even though it felt like yesterday to me, five years is a long time for our youth. They learned of engagements, a baby, studies and careers!
Stan the engineer told us that he still had his two postcards with him on board, raced back to his room and came back with the postcards in hand — just wow.
Staff Captain Alen Vugrin told us the impact the postcards had at the time. They were all frightened and missing their families and home. They knew that WA did not want them here. We were frightened too. It was tough.
He said they were OK physically, but they really needed “somebody to hold our hands and walk with us, giving us hope for a safe journey home”. He said this is what the postcards did, that they were so much more than just postcards.
The crew said the postcards were the kindest thing that happened in that whole saga. They will never forget the young people who made them feel like human beings again.
The lunch menu on Sunday was filled with signatures and the words: “From the Heart for People with Hearts.” Our simple act of compassion had left an enduring impact on this crew.
Lunch finished with crew coming out to thank Fremantle and a singalong. So much kindness from crew members who gave up shore time to be with us.
The one thing I can’t adequately describe was seeing people who I have only seen in photos before. Watching these old images come to life, in smiles and hugs and laughter, is one of the best things I have ever experienced.
