What an excellent artice by the Echo's feature writer Linda Colling in the Good Friday edition of the Echo entitled "Why isn't it 'ship ahoy' for our sinking city?" about the City of Adelaide ship which is in real danger if being broken up in Irvine Scotland if a successful rescue is not achieved.
Tom Lynn recenly had a very good letter on these very pages championing the cause for Linda standing as a candidate for becoming a mayor of the City of Sunderland having read the piece on the Adelaide I can see where Tom is coming from and I know who I would vote for.
Linda mentions the crowds flocking into the Hartlepool Marina over Easter where they have done a tremedous job showing vision and the will to achieve things. Indeed Hartlepool have even offered a birth for the historic Wearside icon which was built by the geninus Sunderland shipbuilder William Pile whose relatives are getting behind this vital campaign. Even Tyneside has expressed an interest in OUR ship !
The Aussies are backing their campaign so its high time Wearside showed its teeth as it was built in our own back yard and not in Australia.
As Linda points out Sunderland was the biggest shipbuilding town on the planet but what evidence is there of this in our city in 2010, very little and this is an absoulte disgrace.
We have the National Glass Centre and the historic St.Peters Church currently on the banks of the River Wear and what a trio it would be if the City of Adelaide ship was added to the this impressive pair.
What a fantastic opportunity it would be for the youth of our city to restore this part of Wearside history and surely lead to them feeling a great sense of pride similar to which their forefathers felt while working in the shipyards of Sunderland.
As Peter Maddison founder and chairman of SCARF says in the piece:
"The City of Adelaide is in the hearts and souls of Sunderland and there is a need here, not just a curiosity or desire"
Maybe as our local politicans seem unable to grasp the importance of this massive opportunity its time for the citizens of Sunderland and the people of Co. Durham to back this campaign. Wearside is rightly proud of its tradition of giving generously to worthwhile causes, well now is our chance to help bring back some genuine history to Sunderland.
£400,000 is needed to bring the Adelaide home and half of this has been raised in pledges, so come on people of Wearside we can pledge the remaining £200,000 and help get our beauty home to her rightful place on the Wear.
Yours sincerely
Tony Ratton
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