I was honoured to be the representative of GFS at the Scattering of Ashes of Rob McAuley on Sunday 15 January.
Rob died in January 2020 but due to Covid, his last wish, the scattering of his ashes off Sydney Heads, was delayed for two years.
On a perfect Sydney summer day his family and friends, including his great mate, John ‘Shero’ Sheridan, left Wharf 7 on the James Craig tall ship for a 4-hour voyage. At 2 nautical miles off North Head his wife Anne and son Cameron and daughter Rohan privately scattered his ashes into the sea.
Rob was a cinematographer, director and documentary film maker. He had crewed on the William Fife 74-foot schooner Astor which won line honours in the Hobart race in 1961, 1962 and 1964. He joined GFS and revived our newsletter and called it ‘Humbug’. Here he raced with a Thunderbird and later an Etchells.
He is best known for 3 documentaries: The Liners, The Battleships and The Airships. These were so good that they were sold to most countries in the world.
Rob filmed the 1970 London to Mexico Car Rally and it was a pleasure to meet a Volvo co-driver, Gerry Lister, who told me that Rob was such a bad driver that they made him sit in the back seat and make their coffee!
There is a short obituary on the GFS website that can be accessed by the Search button and a longer one on the CYCA website.
The best way to remember Rob is by watching the CYCA Archive Project Episode 17, Parts 1 and 2.
John Amos
