COMPANY HISTORY
The company's history began in 1919. Retired sea captain Algernon Sydney Fitch was growing apples in Tasmania for a living when he read about a barge named the Southern Cross going aground in the Bass Strait. He decided to salvage it and travelled to Melbourne to raise 5,000 Pounds sterling and find a suitable ship for the salvage operations. He discovered a 90 ton coal burner, built in 1855, called the SS Queenscliffe. A group of businessmen backed Fitch and together formed a company which they appropriately called Steamships Limited. Fitch's plan has no connection with Papua and New Guinea as the country was then called. But what happens next was not in the scheme of things. The Southern Cross sank beneath the waves. To make matters worse the syndicate ran out of money whilst making the veteran Queenscliffe seaworthy. Fitch proposed that he sail the ship to Port Moresby and earn some money by trading along the Papuan coast. In 1924 the Public Company was formed.STEAMSHIPS TRADING COMPANY HISTORY BOOK
During its 90 years of existence, Steamships Trading Company has become a Papua New Guinean icon. From its humble beginnings in 1918 as a one-vessel trading operation to its present position as one of the largest private employers in the country, Steamships' history has tracked that of Papua New Guinea itself, and that of its peoples.In this book the Company's history has for the first time been researched and recorded. The author, James Sinclair, was himself a long-time resident of PNG. He has done meticulous research and conducted many interviews. Perhaps uniquely in a history of this magnitude, he has been able to speak with all but three of the Managing Directors who have steered the course of the Company from its beginnings, and has also drawn on the memories and records of many other people, for whom Steamships was an integral part of their lives. All this makes this history a very personal document, as it charts the struggles and achievements of many people, Papua New Guinean and expatriate, who played their parts in the building of this great company.
I believe that this history highlights what has made Steamships successful. Its founder, Captain Fitch, was a dynamic, dedicated and progressive man, not averse to taking risks and standing up for what he felt was the right course. His approach has been followed by successive management teams over the years, with results that speak for themselves.
When I joined Steamships in 1956 it was the junior brother in the triumvirate of Burns Philip, W.R. Carpenter and Steamships. Burns Philip has all but disappeared and is not but a fading memory in PNG. Carpenter's is still there, but not as a major presence in the perception of the public. Steamships is now the premier trading company of PNG.
I was directly involved with Steamships, as employee, Director and Chairman, for 47 years between 1956 and 2003. This history brings back a wealth of memories for me, as it will for a great many others. It also stands as a proud guide for those who will come after, ensuring that the story of the Company, and the lessons of the past, will be there to help shape the future.
James Sinclair has done an excellent job in bringing together the tangled threads of this complex story, and producing a fascinating and very educational book.
Don Harvey
Chairman 1976-1986
