Our new parish priest and spiritual adviser Fr. Michael, is Maltese and during World War II he was a three year old boy when Tom Fisher's ship, HMAS Sydney was covering convoys with badly needed food to Malta. At one period, Malta was only weeks away from total starvation, but the navy managed to fight their way through covering convoys and our own warships carrying food on the decks. It only seems like yesterday but it is close to sixty years ago. Malta was awarded the George Cross by King George of England for their valiant stand against fearful odds. For Tom Fisher's part, he was awarded the replica of the George Cross to Malta.
Tom Fisher being presented with a Replica of the George Cross	The George Cross
Tom Fisher remembers... Way back in 1940 on Christmas morning, I was walking back from Mass to my ship, HMAS Sydney in Malta. One of my shipmates told me that one of the dockyard workers working on our ship had a brother who was unemployed, ill and six young children. He told me that his uncle in NSW was in the St Vincent de Paul and assisted poor people. He asked me to accompany him as he was scrounging tin foods and ‘goodies’ from the sailor’s Christmas parcels from home to take out to the family. I agreed and contacted the Chief Cook who gave me slices of ham and beef as well as a slab of Christmas pudding. As we were not allowed to take food ashore I approached the ‘Master at Arms’ who was an Irishman and a fellow Catholic. Explained the situation and asked for permission to take food ashore. In his rather humorous Irish way he said. ‘If I see you, then I didn’t see you’. A wink was good as a nod. At about 10am. We stepped off the ship and caught a rickety old bus that had a crucifix and a photo of the Virgin Mary above the driver’s head. That and faith just kept the old bus going. We arrived at a small two room house and the man looked very ill and there was a great need, as severe wartime rationing was in force and no social security as we know it here. He had six young children under twelve years of age. We explained that we were Australians from an Australian warship and wished to make their Christmas a happy one. They were given the food, some clothing and woollen gear that our sailors had donated and plenty of chocolate that we had bought at our canteen onboard The man wept and said that he would pray for us every day, that we would come through this terrible war unharmed. I do not know about the other sailor, but I am here and nearly 60 years later doing Society of St Vincent de Paul visits, but nothing like the poverty I saw that Christmas Day in 1940 in Malta. The ‘Sydney’ was lost with all hands, 645 men, eleven months later and I had left her as she sailed on her last trip, never to return. Those poor man’s prayers in Malta were looking after me. Especially later in 1943 when my ship HMAS Hobart was torpedoed. I had just gone to the bathroom when we were hit and the man who slept next to me was cut in half. Once again I was spared.