News and Information About the 2013 Reunion

Mike Newton 66, Male near Manchester United Kingdom: Share on Facebook MySpace Tweet

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UK Wellpark 'refugees' in News

Started Apr 5, 2009

New members: how do I Find ALL the information on this site?

Started Apr 5, 2009

Mick Moran (Villa Mick)
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Started this discussion. Last reply by Angie Nguyen Dec 21, 2008.

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Once upon a time...........

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Your Name:: Mike Newton

About Me:: Deck Cadet Mike Newton

I did a few more years at sea after Wellpark, getting my 2nd Mate's ticket before returning to the family farm in the north of Scotland. After a year I travelled south and found a job in airfreight near London, moving cargo around the world. Since 1993 I have been a partner in a company at Manchester airport, specialising in moving dangerous goods world wide. I'm married with three children, now aged 23, 21 and 18.

I've compiled more background information on the 'Wellpark' at www.shipsnostalgia.com/guides/MV_Wellpark

You will also find more of my photos on www.flickr.com/photos/13974083@N07/

Relationship Status:: Married

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The Sunday Post -1st September 2013

See The Sunday Post article about the event of 35 years ago and the 2013 Wellpark Reunion http://www.sundaypost.com/news-views/news-review/amazing-story-of-the-scots-who-saved-346-lives-1.126872

Posted on September 3, 2013 at 3:25pm

Who’s idea was it to have a reunion?

Who’s idea was it to have a reunion?

What was the catalyst that brought a few like minded people together with a desire to rekindle the extraordinary bond originally forged in a chance meeting in the South China Sea almost 30 years before?

No one who had been part of that encounter could have forgotten the events of the first stormy night and the amazing two weeks that followed it. But since then, over the intervening decades, the 395 people who were on “Wellpark” in… Continue

Posted on May 3, 2009 at 6:30am — 4 Comments

PART 1 :The rescue – etched on my mind forever.

Here I start to try and describe the rescue and the two weeks the Vietnamese were on Wellpark. As a lowly second trip cadet I was not party to everything that happened so the following is my own experience, complemented by detail and my impressions of what happened else where. I apologise if in any way part of my description is not completely correct as a result. .......................

My mind drifted for a moment, drawn to the glass of ice cold water sat on my desk. The… Continue

Posted on August 1, 2008 at 2:00pm — 3 Comments

PART 2: Safely on board Wellpark, the first days

We were already in to October 2nd, but I didn’t get to sleep that night. At 6am I headed downstairs to change into deck work clothes. We tended to wear a variety of boiler suits carried over from previous ships. Some cadets had orange or grey boiler-suits, but most had one that had started life as white when first made, or navy blue. Mine was navy blue, but I had torn off the sleeves for extra cooling. We were used to changes in routine and so were prepared for something new in the orders of… Continue

Posted on July 31, 2008 at 1:33pm — 2 Comments

PART 3: Wellpark arrives to an uncertain welcome in Taiwan

It was decidedly hotter on Wednesday 4th October. The horizon was hazy and the coastline of Taiwan was veiled in mist as we got closer to land. Many of the teenage Vietnamese had been standing at the ship’s side, day-dreaming as they watched the water slide past Wellpark’s hull as she powered forward. Only two whole days after their rescue it seemed they were at home on the ship and enjoying the experience like some low cost cruise.

But arrival in Kaohsiung meant confrontation with… Continue

Posted on July 31, 2008 at 1:32pm

Comment Wall (44 comments)

At 11:02pm on February 29, 2008, Chi Pham said…: Hi Mike,

Welcome to our site. We will miss you at our reunion but will post the pictures on our site for everyone to view.

I have been trying to email you through the web site shipsnostalgia for the past two weeks but didn't hear back from you. I guess the email did not get to you. Anyway, I am trying to get contact info on captain Hector Connell and Mrs Andrew Griffin to invite them to our reunion. I also need the contact info for Pentlandpirate to get his permission to post all the pictures to our site. In addition, I believe the love of his life is a friend of mine name Trang Trinh. We lost contact when we left Kensington 30 years ago. Would love to hear back from you soon. Chi

At 1:31pm on March 1, 2008, Mike Newton said…: Hi Chi,

No, I never received your messages, until I got my “invite”

Let me introduce you to a few of my friends:

Carmel Fenton is 2nd Officer Griffin’s daughter. Carmel can put you in touch with Mrs Griffin.

Jo is Jo Wall, who made the film, “The Wellpark Story”. I know that some time ago she said it would be great to be able to make a film if there was a reunion in the future.

Christopher Long is a reporter and it was his family that invited many of the families to an English tea party when you first arrived in England. (You can see his reports on the link from
http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/guides/MV_Wellpark )

Janey Phung is Trang. I see you plan to have singing at the reunion and you should be advised Janey is a beautiful singer.

And I am Pentlandpirate. As far as I am concerned the photos belong to the people who shared this experience, so please feel free to use them as you wish.

I have added a link from the shipsnostalgia site so I hope it helps bring a few more “Wellpark” people to you. If there is anything else I can do to help, please just let me know.

Good luck for a great 30th Anniversary reunion!

Mike / PP

At 5:41pm on March 8, 2008, Paul Tran said…: Hi Mike,

I'm glad to see you on here and I think I'm the only Brit VN on here. I'm based in South London since moving from the Kensington Barracks and was 4 years old when we got here.

I think the memoirs of yours or another colleague from Wellpark are fascinating. It would be a pleasure to speak with you some day.

I have also made contact with Jo Wall too and we should be meeting soon and to discuss a potential screenplay I'd like to develop.

My parents (Mr and Mrs Tong Van Tran) still get Xmas cards from Captain Hector and his wife every year.... such thoughtfulness.

Again, thank you so much for your efforts and the Wellpark crews support back in 78' and through the documentation both in the journals and online.

Wishing you the best in life and hope all is well.

Best,

Paul Tran

At 7:42pm on March 9, 2008, Chi Pham said…: Hi Mike, thanks for the comments on the pictures. Now I know what Stewart Fraser and Graham McQueen look like. Is Andrew Dryburgh on the pictures you took? Did you see my comments? Chi

At 5:35pm on March 15, 2008, Angie Nguyen said…: Hi Mike,

I spent an enjoyable few hours reading your letters sent to your family from onboard the Wellpark. You are blessed to be such a gifted writer. Your letters are historic and (as my daughter commented) are comparable with Samuel Pepys' diary on The Great Fire of London. In fact, I seriously advise you to consider approaching a film producer. Your adventures at sea would sell - as you so vivivdly described- , the danger, bravery, adrenaline, courage, exhaustion, perseverance, camaderie, bonding, heartache, loneliness and romance.
That would definently be criterias for a blockbuster!

Thank you Mike and to your colleagues for your acts of kindness. Special thanks to your dear mother for preserving your letters and artefacts to keep history alive.

God Bless
Anh-Chi

At 12:35am on March 16, 2008, Mike Newton said…: Hi Anh-Chi,

I was just one of almost 400 people on Wellpark who has special memories of that time almost 30 years ago. I think my letters to my Mum are a useful record of one person's experiences, but what excites me now is hearing other people's memories of the event, even 30 years on. I am delighted that on Chi's initiative this reunion site is filling up with new members, photos and information, more every day. You might encourage me to write a more complete record of the event, but it is you Vietnamese that made the journey, it is you who showed the courage from the outset, you who took the risks, and I urge you to write down your memories so that future generations can better understand why our world is the way it is.

30 years ago the crew of Wellpark knew nothing of the Vietnamese. You have heaped praise on us, but for those of the crew who have already been re-united I think I can speak for all in saying we have been humbled by the way you risked everything for freedom and a safe future for your children. The exodus of Vietnamese is one of Life's great human stories, that will probably not be fully appreciated in history for many generations.

At 7:01am on April 14, 2008, Howie Luong said…: Hi Mike,

Thanks for your kind words. Myself & my family are most grateful to the Wellpark crew for the rescue. The letters & photos you've kept all these years are fascinating, & are a great record of such an important historical event for myself & my family.

At 7:26am on April 14, 2008, Mike Newton said…: Howie, 30 years on, I think it is time for all you Vietnamese to acknowledge you did something amazing for yourselves. We were just doing our job. You just made it easier for us by being such nice people!

At 1:18am on May 1, 2008, Thuy Pham AKA Bich Thuy said…: Hi Mike,

Thank you so much for being such a great historian! Without your wonderful letters, photos and informations, this website would not be complete.Thanks for the memory.

Thuy

At 1:41am on May 1, 2008, Lauren Truong/aka: Van Bich Pham said…: Hi Mike, this is Chi's & Thuy lil sis again. I'm just going to say "dito" to what they both said abt you. Otherwise Chi would say she's embarrass for me. Just kiddin :)

THANK GOODNESS FOR YOU & YOUR CREW!