RAGNAR RAMSTADIUS
| Town/City | Bega |
|---|---|
| First name | RAGNAR |
| Last name | RAMSTADIUS |
| Country of Origin | Finland |
| Date of Birth | 26/06/05 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1923 |
| Submitted by | Brenda and Paula Ramstadius (grandaughters) |
Story
STORY
OF
RAGNAR ALFRED RAMSTADIUS
Ragnar Alfred Ramstadius was born in Abo/Turku in Finland on 26th June 1905 and died in Melbourne, Australia in 1989. In 1923, Ragnar (aged 18) sailed for Australia on the 3 masted ‘Kathara’ to Newcastle, NSW to load coal for Chile. This took about 160 days and his salary was Two Pounds a month.
The ship was moored to a buoy in Newcastle Harbour and on a cold wet night in July 1925, Ragnar dived over the side and swam to Stockton (near Newcastle NSW) then walked some 10 miles up bush, thus becoming an illegal immigrant. His entire fortune being 2 cold potatoes and a sodden 10 shilling note.
The problem of illegal entry into the Commonwealth was solved by the then Governor-General Sir Isaac Isaacs, who promoted Ragnar to Australian citizenship in 1931.
In 1937, Ragnar enlisted as a volunteer in the Australian Navy and later to commissioned rank.
In May, 1940 whilst Duty Commanding Officer on board HMAS ‘Gerard’, patrolling off Port Kembla (NSW) a midget submarine was sighted and Ragnar tried to ram her, but missed by a few feet as the sub slid away into the murk. Two days later, the subs were in Sydney Harbour, attacking the U.S. Cruiser ‘Chicago’.
When the war ended, Ragnar resumed his career with the Port Phillip Sea Pilot Service (Melbourne) as Chief Officer until his retirement in 1979.
Ragnar was married twice and had three sons and a step daughter, 12 grandchildren and an expanding number of great and great/great grandchildren. He was also an artist of some repute with many of his works displayed around Melbourne, including two model ships of the Wyuna and Akuna at the Pilot Station in Queenscliffe, Victoria. He was well respected as a loyal and talented officer as highlighted in his Obituary in the Port Phillip Pilot Service Journal the Voicepipe in 1989.
This account is rewritten by his granddaughters Paula and Brenda Ramstadius from Ragnar\’s biography in the Port Phillip Sea Pilots Journal of September 1985.