["Master Mariner's Days in Sail and Steam", The West Australian, Tuesday 04 October 1949, page 10]

MASTER MARINER'S DAYS IN SAIL AND STEAM.

A West Australian boy who went to sea when he was 11 years old for a wage of 1/- a month and who became one of the most expert master mariners on the North-West coast is living in retirement at East Fremantle.

He is Capt. Andrew Mills, who was master of the ships owned by the West Australian Steam Navigation Co. Ltd., which traded for many years between Fremantle and Singapore. A son of Mr. W. Mills, who was the officer-in-charge of the water police at Fremantle, Andrew Mills was born at Geraldton in 1870. He accompanied his father to London and

<<>> CAPTAIN A. MILLS.

later worked his passage back to Australia in the barque Eastern Chief in 1882 at the age of 11 years. He worked with his uncle at Geraldton with the intention of becoming a ship's carpenter, but, desiring to get back to sea, he returned to Fremantle and joined J. and W. Bateman's barquentine Iris (Capt. T. E. Shaw) as an apprentice. He served three years in the ship, trading be tween Fremantle. Singapore and Hong Kong. He then joined the barque Mary Blair (Capt. Askew), in which he obtained his second mate's certificate. He eventually sailed in the ship as the second mate. Six years later he joined the schooner Mida, an inspector of fisheries vessel commanded by Capt. Mida Smith. It was while with this ship that Capt. Mills passed his examination for his master's ticket. He then entered steam as third mate of the Australind, owned by Bethell Gwyn and Co., of London. He served for a time in the cattle ship Darwin (Capt. Edwards), trading between Darwin and Singapore, but returned to the Australind as first mate, which started his long association with ships of the West Australian Steam Navigation Co. Ltd. trading between Fremantle, the North-West and Singapore. He was given command of the Australind at the age of 27. Later he was master of the Minilya, Paroo, Minderoo and Gascoyne.

SEAMANSHIP.

Capt. Mills retired from the Gascoyne in 1925, and until the Minderoo was lost at Port Hedland in September, 1935, he was marine superintendent of the company at Fremantle. When he retired from the Gascoyne, Capt. Mills was presented with a loving cup by the officers of the ship, and from the staff of Boustead and Co., of Singapore, he was presented with silver plate in appreciation of his service and the high esteem in which he was held. During his long service in ships on the North-West coast, Capt. Mills experienced many willy willys. In 1912, when he was master of the Minderoo, Capt. Mills was presented with an illuminated address by the officers and men of the steamer Colac for a good job in towing the ship off after she went ashore at Derby in a willy-willy. One of his most notable feats of seamanship was when the Minderoo was caught in a severe willy-willy off Montebello Island. near Onslow, in 1917. The ship was almost ashore, but Capt. Mills managed to manoeuvre the Minderoo round so that she could get out to sea again.

notes:

Mills' first name was Andrew.