Life's A Ship And Then You Fly

Life’s a Ship and then you Fly is essentially a comparison between a voyage home from Australia to the UK in 1972 and a nostalgic return cruise taken in 2012, retracing similar sea lanes. This is a humorous travelogue that reflects a love of the sea, the ships that ply those waters and the ports experienced along the way. It combines a distrust of anything remotely modern with a misplaced bias for all things traditional.

Described by one publisher as being “engaging and charming” and as having “a knack of making narration feel casual and fluid”, the 420 pages of text and 32 images offer a compelling account of visiting yesterday with a suitcase of memories.

Photo of a new book by Steve Clutterbuck

Life’s a ship and then you Fly is a humorous and down to earth comparison of events that are separated by four decades. In 1968 my family emigrated to Australia, only to return to the UK in 1972, aboard a classically traditional liner. These pages tell of my return to Australia, aboard a modern day cruise ship, tracing our original wake as closely as possible. They tell of a young man grown up, of his journey of a lifetime, half way around the world aboard a wonderful ship, plying the seas that captivate him so, across the Pacific that has tempted him for so long and finally back to Australia where, after forty years, friendships are rekindled and memories, dreams and hopes are unravelled. It is a vivid comparison between the recollections and experiences of a young lad and the desire to relive them through the same eyes but with the dubious benefit that maturity bestows. It is a contrast between a time gone by and the inexorable march of progress, of how people, places, ideas, dreams and expectations have changed across four decades, two oceans and a host of countries and cultures.

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This is the story of how I went back to Oz aboard a luxury cruise liner and sat on my old porch with a glass of herbal tea, as you do

Published February 2014

ISBN 978-1-908616-48-7

If you are interested in buying, please use this link: Life's A Ship And Then You Fly

Welcome all visitors to the S.S. Australis Website, which has now been online since 1998!

I will continue to update the site if I receive a new story, or if you have interesting photos taken on the ship during your voyage on either the southbound, northbound, or on one of the South Pacific cruises. We used to do those trips several times a year from Melbourne, Sydney and Auckland (New Zealand).

I am deeply moved by the interest and wonderful contributions from the numerous passengers and crew over many years.

You can send an e-mail to me on the link below:

A HUGE THANK YOU

Warm Regards

Ken

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