Old Ships Company
OLD SHIPS COMPANY
ABOUT THE
OLD SHIPS COMPANY
THE CREW
The Old Ships Company brings together Tasmanian philanthropist John Kennedy, and broadcaster Chris Wisby's mutual passion for boats, social history and historic restoration as they follow the story of the May Queen's story through her glory days to her final years rotting away in Hobart's docklands.
The May Queen was always special, and this story of a community rallying to save this much loved local hero.
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Broadcaster and passionate boat lover,
Chris Wisby, follows the restoration story
of the May Queen
THE DOCUMENTARY
THE WAKE OF THE MAY QUEEN
This special documentary was a two-year labour of love, conceived and funded by John Kennedy, a maritime buff and former Naval engineer. John inherited his sea legs from his great-grandfather, a prominent Hobart shipwright in the late 19th century who learnt his trade under William Denny on the Clyde.
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This heartwarming homage to the beauty and service of May Queen celebrates the resurrection of a unique piece
of Australia's living history. May Queen is now one of only 30 ships in the world to be awarded the prestigious Maritime Heritage Award by the World's Ship Trust.
THE MAKING
THE RIVER DERWENT
Each year the restored May Queen is towed out of Hobart's docks and upriver to be hauled out for vital inspection and repair. Presenter, Chris Wisby, joins the passionate volunteers and shipwrights for the journey. Chris also travels to the shores of the beautiful Huon River on the edge of the vast Tasmanian South West wilderness. Here he discovers the actual spot where the May Queen was launched in the winter of 1867.