Saturday, June 3, 1972, a small convoy of vehicles and equipment from Shepparton drove through the Barmah Forest to the Murray River where the wreck of the paddle steamer Alexander Arbuthnot lay. A remarkable salvage story was about to unfold. Built in Koondrook in 1916, the Alexander Arbuthnot worked the river until one night in 1947 when the river rose sharply, and she listed and sank. Join us for the story of recovery and restoration and the small, enthusiastic team of people led by John Sutherland that made it possible. Shepparton local, Helene Sutherland (pictured), wife of John Sutherland, introduces her book The Salvage of the Alexander Arbuthnot when she speaks at the Shepparton Library on Tuesday, April 29 at 2.30pm and Nathalia Library on Thursday, May 1, at 2.30pm.
