On the 13th
of November 2006 my brother James Galloway, or Jimmy as some of you knew him,
was finally laid to rest. I would like you to know that he fought through his
illness with great courage and dignity.
What kept his spirit so alive was the love for his two daughters, Katie
and Rosie and his dear friends who had once sailed with him on the open seas.
One of those dear
friends, Maureen Thyer (or Mo, as Jim loved to call her) he’d say: “Get Mo,
she’ll sort it out, she’s a class act!”
And she sure
is! She would stay by him always, right
to the end. She fought and fought for him. She got him from a place of darkness
into light, to a place called Dene Barton. It was there that I would see him
for the last time. I sat with him in the garden and I remember how he looked up
at thesky, took in a deep
breath and said how good it was to breathe the fresh air and feel it on his
face – Something so simple yet now priceless to a man, who when young had stood
on the deck of one of these great ships and looked out across the vast ocean to
the horizon far beyond. Mo, how can I ever thank you!
My brother was a
journey man. They say if you journey long enough you’ll find what you’re
looking for. You’ll find the most precious gift of all – you’ll find
yourself. I believe my brother did when he sailed on those great ships.
He would come home and tell me he had found the
best pals in the world.
Again, thanks to Mo
who would not let my brother go without a great send off, I got a gift. I got
to meet some of his old pals. They made me laugh as they shared their memories
and told tales of their times at sea. And they gave me back my brother, the
brother I always knew.
Jack Galloway
Here is a poem by Emily Dickinson which I would like to
dedicate to Jimmy and to all his fellow voyagers.
EXULTATION is the going of an inland soul to sea,
Past the houses, past the headlands,
Into deep eternity!
Bred as we, among the mountains,
Can the sailor understand
The divine intoxication
Of the first league out from land?
Bon Voyage Jimmy
First trip to
Aust on the Empire Brent Jimmy falling in love with shipboard
life
Hey Vicky, Jim got the girl…
…And I got the jumper!
Home. | History. | Maritime Links. | Tv Documentary. | Chandris. | Memorabilia.
Mr. Kaparis. | Bill Miller. | The Picture Gallery. | Alferdoss. | Where are they now.