Historic ketch Falie left high and dry as funding pulled

The future of Port Adelaide’s historic Falie ketch has hit rocky waters after the State Government announced plans to scrap its funding this year — but with a reprieve until the middle of next year.

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The future of Port Adelaide’s historic Falie ketch has hit rocky waters after the State Government announced plans to scrap its funding this year — but later offered a reprieve until the middle of next year.

History lovers say any decision to axe the annual $50,000 needed to maintain the ship at its McLaren Wharf home — which was secured until 2022 by the former Labor government — would spell disaster for the “Port icon”.

Funding for the replica tall ship the One and All will also stop in June 2020 but volunteers are hopeful of working with the government to secure private funding.

Cuts to both ships will save $1.2 million over the forward estimates, a spokesman for Tansport, Planning and Infrastructure Minister Stephan Knoll told Messenger Community News.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Falie and Keith Ridgeway, the volunteers’ spokesman for the ketch, says the State Government’s move is a “terrible present”.

“The latest 12-month extension of funding to June 2020 is good news as it will give us a bit more time to get everything in place such as the dry docking and any minor repairs that need to be done,” Mr Ridgeway said.

“But after that we may have to lay up alongside some wharf and go into mothballs, which means shutting everything down and maybe in another five or six years they’ll open Falie up again when they find some more money.

“It’s so important that in its 100th year the vessel is still afloat but, to be realistic, Falie will never sail again. However, it's a key window to our history and on open days we have up to 300 people coming on board and its all free.”

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Mr Ridgeway said it was vital the Falie stayed in Port Adelaide “because it’s all part of the area’s history, more so than any other vessel”. This includes the role it played in World War 11 when it served two years as an examination vessel in Sydney Harbour and then supplying Aussie troops with all their needs up in New Guinea.

“It’s not all doom and gloom because the Government has told us that the vessel will in coming months be slipped, the bottom plates cleaned and receive a couple of coats of antifouling so that it can be put back in the water.

“That should last for five years so that gives us a guarantee of staying in the water which is important,” he says.

A post on the Historic Ketch Falie — HKF Facebook page tells its 500-plus followers: “Yet again, it seems we are being asked to justify the value to our community of this unique trading ketch and authentic piece of South Australia’s maritime history.

“We have written to the Minister seeking a meeting so that we can better understand what the government has in mind for this icon of the Port.”

Port Adelaide MP Susan Close said the funding the Labor government committed to for the Falie was “only small” but “extremely important”.

“Dry docking the Falie would be a disaster. Once it’s out of the water, that would be it,” she said. “Our goal was to keep it in the water and keep people engaged, come on board and have a look and host parties and so on there.”

Mr Knoll said the government’s first budget had “required tough choices”.

“To continue celebrating the history of both the Falie and One and All the State Government intends to transition the vessels to the community and work towards a model of self-funding,” he said.