Obituaries

It is with deep regret that MUNZ recently received the sad news of the passing of retired seafarer Ricky Tidmarsh. Our condolences to family and friends in New Zealand and Liverpool. I sailed with Ricky on the Aotea running to Japan, he was a great shipmate and very principled man. Ricky made a big contribution to the former Seamen’s Union and Seafarers’ Union and to the trade union moment in the Nelson district. Ricky was asocialist who fought for a fairer society free from poverty, racism and war. We have lost a great friend, shipmate and trade unionist. Gone but will be never forgotten. Rest in peace Ricky. See you one day at Fiddlers Green! Submitted by Mick Williams

Former South Island Branch Secretary, Seafarers’ Union passed on 16 September 2022 in Christchurch. A battler, Terry represented the south and shipped many Lyttelton deck boys out. Terry was Seafarers’ Branch Secretary in Lyttelton from 1972 until 1999. He then returned to sea briefly before continuing as a night watchman until he retired. – Info submitted by Hector Thorpe and Gary Horan

New Zealand trade union leader died on 14 September 2022, aged 86. Douglas led the union movement from 1979 to 1999, first as the Federation of Labour secretary, then as the inaugural president of the Council of Trade Unions.

The Maritime Union of New Zealand notes with sadness the passing of Maggie Morgan peacefully at home in Masterton on 7 November 2022. Maggie was known to many maritime workers as the wife of the late Dave Morgan, former President of the New Zealand Seafarers’ Union and Maritime Union of New Zealand. Maritime Union of New Zealand National Secretary Craig Harrison says Maggie Morgan was held in high regard by maritime workers. Mr Harrison noted she and Dave had met in 1970 while on an anti-Vietnam War protest march in Auckland, and she had been very active organising dental nurses to fight for better pay and conditions in those times. He passed on the condolences of the Maritime Union to family and friends. Former Wellington Branch President of the Maritime Union, Mick Williams, expressed his condolences to family and said “like Dave, Maggie fought for a fairer society free from poverty, racism, war, and injustice. Maggie was a great family woman, and a kind and intelligent person who will be missed by all.” Her passing was also noted by President of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) Paddy Crumlin who passed on the deepest sympathy to Maggie’s family and friends on behalf of the ITF and Maritime Union of Australia, on the passing of a “woman and comrade of family, progress, peace and union.”

From a large maritime whānau, Joe was the first Māori Secretary of the Seamans Union and remained a staunch advocate for Māori, community, and Merchant Navy matters. “Gordon was my dad. He was the oldest, then Joe, then Hori. They had all sailed together a lot when they were at sea. Joe went ashore stevedoring before I shipped out in 1976.” Submitted by Ihaia Briggs

The Maritime Retirement Scheme (MRS) is an industry-based scheme providing retirement and other benefits to workers in the waterfront and seafarer industries throughout New Zealand. MRS provides benefits to members in the event of retirement, death, total and permanent disablement, sickness or injury, redundancy and resignation.

If you join the Maritime Retirement Scheme, and work for a participating employer, the MRS collects contributions from you and your employer. These are a percentage of your wages and are usually deducted direct from your pay. These contributions are invested into the fund to earn a return (interest). Over time, the combined payments from you and your employer, plus your returns (interest), will grow. The MRS is an investment fund, not a bank account. This means the returns you get from the MRS will vary over time and so the amount in your account can go up and down. These investments will generally increase in value over time despite short term fluctuations. Due to the type of investment, there are no guarantees regarding returns or performance. Many maritime workers have benefited from the MRS.

Maritime Retirement Scheme PO Box 1096 Wellington 6140 Freephone 0800 947 357 Email maritime@mjw.co.nz www.maritimeretirementscheme.nz

The information contained in this document is provided for general information purposes only and does not constitute financial advice or take into account your particular financial situation or goals.

The Trustees of the Maritime Retirement Scheme and the Maritime KiwiSaver Scheme are the issuers of the scheme. A Product Disclosure Statement for the offer of membership in each of the Schemes is available online at www.maritimeretirementscheme.nz or from the fund administrators:

Maritime Retirement Scheme PO Box 1096, Wellington 6140 Freephone 0800 947 357 Email maritime@mjw.co.nz