NT Correctional Services’ prison industries help get Viking boat battle-ready for Henley on Todd
Help to save a beloved Red Centre river regatta has come from an unlikely source, with a fuel disaster fixed just in time.
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The Henley on Todd Regatta is back for 2024, and with two weeks before the event, prison industry workers have been busy repairing an integral part of the regatta: the Viking battle ship.
Alice Springs Correctional Centre prison industries acting manager Stephen Rosier has been busy overseeing the repairing of the boat, which is currently held at the prison industries workshop.
Mr Rosier said the prison industries workers have been making sure the ship is in tip-top shape for this year’s regatta, due to run on Saturday, August 17.
He said the team had been going over the ship “with a fine tooth comb”, servicing the engine and conducting remedial work as required.
The team fixed a fuel disaster on the boat – draining the unleaded fuel out of the diesel engine – and checked the carburettor, all free of charge to the Henley on Todd committee, according to Mr Rosier.
Henley on Todd Commodore Lester Hamilton said the ship will be ready for this weekend’s Henley on Todd test run – due to be held Sunday, August 11.
“We were concerned at one stage we wouldn’t have the Viking boat in the battle royale at the Henley on Todd because of mechanical issues,” he said.
“(It) was left over from last year's battle, which it failed to finish because of the mechanical issues.”
Mr Hamilton said he wasn’t fully aware of the mechanical “dramas” the ship had.
“There was mentioned that there wasn’t a lot of oil in that in the engine when it was last run and there was concerns that we might need to replace the engine, but that it hasn’t turned out that way,” he said.
Mr Hamilton said anyone looking to volunteer at this years event can fill out a form online to register their interest, or alternatively, they can come down this Sunday to lend a hand.
“We’ve got a couple of new events that we’re wanting to trial out as well,” he said.
“So we might wait have to wait for the cover of darkness to give those a trial so the secret doesn't get out.”
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