How Cruise Passenger brokered the chance of a P&O exhibition at our maritime museum

• Pensioner Rob Henderson has the biggest collection of P&O Australia memorabilia at his Wollongong home.
• But plans for an exhibition at the Australian Maritime Museum foundered amid rumours of possible legal action.
• Now Cruise Passenger has found the owners of the P&O brands, a huge multinational in Dubai and London and told them of the dilemma. And they have agreed to start talks that may make the exhibit possible.

In 1932 the first P&O Australia ship carrying passengers embarked on a seven-day itinerary, making calls to Brisbane and Norfolk Island.

Now, 92 years on, the historic cruise line is on the cusp of sailing its final voyages. But its historic archives are still looking for a home.

As this crucial part of Australian maritime history comes to an end, calls for P&O Australia’s story to be preserved in the Australian National Maritime Museum seemed to be foundering on claims that any exhibit could be hit by legal action.

Now, thanks to Cruise Passenger, the threat of any legal action may be lifted. The Maritime Museum is set to consider mounting the collection. And the owner of thousands of photographs, posters and videos says he will donate them all in return for a cruise ticket from Carnival Cruise Lines, which operates the P&O Australia brand.

DPWorld, a global logistics company, has told Cruise Passenger it would investigate. Its heritage division, which bought all the P&O brands some years ago and preserved them and puts them on public display, said in a statement:

“We look after the P&O heritage collection which numbers over 33,000 items, and an entire business archive which we have lent to the National Maritime Museum here in the UK. 

“We take our P&O heritage very seriously.  I know that Rob has a wonderful and very extensive collection originating from our P&O office in Sydney and subsequent donations.  Unfortunately I’ve never been able to see it in the flesh but we’ve shared pictures in the past. 

“It definitely should be preserved and hopefully in its entirety.  We would love to add it our P&O Heritage collection but there’s naturally a strong case for the substantial local interest. “

Speaking to Cruise Passenger from his Wollongong home today, which is stacked with the line’s memorabilia, Rob was delighted by the news that his collection could at last be put on public display.

“I have been thinking about the collection a lot – it has cost me my health and I had to spend a lot of money to preserve the paper collection.

 “Yes I will donate the archive collection – but I would like Carnival Cruise Lines to offer me a trip from Australia to the UK. I’m sure we can come to an arrangement.”

Carnival Cruise Lines has been contacted for comment.

Rob has received offers worth tens of thousands of dollars for his collection over the years, but as the line is shuttered he is keen to have his precious collection preserved for the nation.

He is not alone. A Facebook post on Cruise Passenger has received scores of comments calling for some kind of P&O Australia exhibition.

Influential industry figure David Jones, a former Carnival Corporate Communications Manager for Australia, has written to the Australian National Maritime Museum calling for the collection to be put on public display.

“As you will be aware, the renowned shipping brand P&O Cruises Australia will be closing in March following a proud history of more than 90 years operating in Australian waters.” he wrote in a letter.

“During the past 20 years, P&O led the resurgence of cruising in Australia making this market one of the most successful in the world.

“It is important that, with the closing of this iconic brand, the heritage of the shipping line in Australia should be saved for future generations to know and understand its contribution.”

Jones is calling on the museum to contact P&O and bring together the existing records of the line’s Australian reign. The Museum is reviewing the proposal.

Henderson backs the call. He rescued archives from P&O dating back to 1852 from being destroyed. Today, they fill his home.

“I have thousands and thousands of photographs, posters, brochures that Carnival was about to be destroyed and burnt when I pleaded with the company to leave the archives to me,” Henderson told Cruise Passenger.

“The Maritime Museum, the Mitchell Library, and the National Museum in Canberra would be the ideal permanent home for these archives which chart of history of the P&O line.”

He adds: “There are only two of us living in my home – the P&O archive collection and I. You can’t open a cupboard without some historical piece of P&O falling out.

“I’ve have been told that if I sold 15-20 of the rare posters which are stored under my bed, they could easily fetch $100,000. But I’m not interested in selling. These historical documents of P&O should remain in Australia, ideally in a library where they can be exhibited.”

The collection includes leather-bound annual reports of P&O, leather-bound itineraries of cruises, and art-deco posters. 

Henderson has worked for P&O all his life, starting out in the 1960’s until he retired. He recalls the first P&O cargo ship, the Chusan which arrived in Sydney in 1852 carrying mail from the UK. Over the years, P&O ships carried migrants and mail to Australia and wool, meat and other produce back to the UK and Europe.

“History is so important,” he said. “P&O line was instrumental in developing Australian exports, transporting meat, lamb, and wool to the United Kingdom and Europe. Over the years, P&O would have transported about 2 million passengers to Australia.”

As part of his job, he went on his first cruise onboard the Oronsay, which carried about 1400 passengers and sailed to Hobart, Melbourne, Christchurch, and Wellington. He was smitten.

The video below offers a shot of nostalgia as well as reminder of the longevity and impact P&O Australia has had in Australia and surrounding countries across cruise, travel, and culture.

What are your greatest memories with P&O? Should the cruise line live on in memory in the Maritime Museum? Let us know if the comment section below.