The Christine J, originally the Alma G II, was constructed in 1947 in Forster on the mid north coast.
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She was one of two boats constructed to be used to ferry people between the coastline and the Pacific Highway prior to the bridge being opened in 1959.
Her sister boat, Alma G was constructed first in 1946. Now known as The Tom Thumb, the Alma G is still in service today, as a tourist operation in Cronulla.
Wylie R. Gregory operated the twin boats to ferry people across the across the entrance to Wallis Lake between Tuncurry to the north and Forster to the south for a couple of months.
The first vehicular ferry was established in 1924 enabling vehicular access and passenger movements between the two towns.
This method of travel would often take up to 30 minutes.
The first Alma G was sold in 1948 to the Cronulla Ferry Service.
Alma G II stayed on operating after Alma G left in 1948. Wylie Gregory finally gave up arguing with bureaucracy in October 1949 and the Alma G II was only used for lake tours, airport service on Wallis Island.
Gregory operated the Alma G II until his death in 1953. His family continued the operation until 1956 when his son Wesley Gregory took over running the vessel on his own.
He had her converted to a fishing boat by the original builder (Alf Jahnsen) not long after 1957.
it was sold to Dave Adams in Cronulla in 1963.
One story of the Christine J (found on the Great Lakes Manning River Shipping, NSW website and P Howard’s 1995 book The Ferrymen, published by the Great Lakes Historical Co-Operative Society Ltd) told of the Alma G II being involved in a dramatic rescue in 1949.
The Northern Champion - 11 May 1949 reported - “When a small flat-bottomed boat was swept over the bar and capsized in the surf at Forster, on Wednesday, two people were rescued in dramatic circumstances. An outstanding feat was performed by Mr. Wellesley Gregory in the rescue of the two people in the boat — Mr. McIntosh and his daughter, both from Cessnock, visitors to Forster. The visitors' small boat was caught in the surf over the bar, and capsized. Mr. Wellesley Gregory went to their assistance in his launch, but got into difficulties because of the seas. A dramatic turn came when his brother, Mr. Wylie Gregory, rushed to his assistance in his launch, the Alma G II. After lines were passed to Mr. McIntosh and his daughter in the surf, they were taken aboard the boat be longing to Mr. Wellesley Gregory. However, his boat was then in difficulties, and frequently almost filled with water. The two drenched and severely shocked visitors were transhipped to the Alma G II, Mr. Wylie Gregory taking a grave risk in his attempt to assist his brother who also had been in grave danger most of the time of the rescue.”
Adams renamed her Christine J; his daughter’s name.
The vessel had its top ripped off and was made into a trawler, but its hull proved too shallow.
The Adams family brought the vessel to the Shoalhaven, believed to be around the early 1980s.
The cabin area was reconstructed and the boat put into service on the Shoalhaven River, with Norn Schulz managing the boat during that time.
It was sold to Michael Grech in 2005, who operated Shoalhaven River Cruise. It remained in service until 2007 when the company bought its current vessel, the Shoalhaven Explorer to continue its river cruise operations.
Mr Grech said he had plans to refurbish the vessel for personal use, possibly as a house boat, but “never got round to the project”.
He sold the vessel in August last year, which was sold again earlier in the year.
The boat originally weighed 16-tonnes, a fact found on a plaque in the engine area when the boat was being dismantled last week.
The boat, when craned from the water on Friday, weighed close to 30-tonnes.
Christine J history
Name: Alma G II (Later Christine J)
Origin of Name: Named after Wylie Gregory's wife - Alma Gregory
Type: Ferry
Length: Estimated 45 ft
Builders: Alf Jahnsen and Leo Royan
Launched: October 1947
Owners:
1947–1953 Wylie R. Gregory
1953 – 1955 Estate of the late W. R. Gregory
1956 – Wesley Gregory
1963–1969 Dave B. Adams (Cronulla)
1964 - Renamed - Christine J – Registration: On 317060 (1/1964)
1969–1995 Estate of D. B. Adams
1995 – Joan and Don Adams
2005–2016 Michael Grech (date uncertain)
2016 - Sold in Nowra.
2017 - Sinks in Shoalhaven River in January and February. August removed from the water and destroyed.
- Information - Great Lakes Manning River Shipping, NSW - References - Howard, P (1995). The Ferrymen. Published by the Great Lakes Historical Co-Operative Society Ltd.