WELCOME TO MELBOURNE - SEA SHEPHERD HEROES!

ALV is excited to again extend a warm welcome to the brave crew of the Farley Mowat, Sea Shepherd's flag ship, which returned to Melbourne's Victoria harbor on Tuesday July 25. The crew are here for a four month stay preparing for an all-out assault on the Japanese whaling fleet in the Southern Ocean later this year.

The striking all black Farley Mowat is renowned and feared by pirate whalers world-wide for preventing their illegal and barbaric slaughter of whales and other marine animals. For 30 years, the Sea Shepherd organization has accrued an unprecedented success rate in their efforts to stop the killing. Japanese whaling ships immediately take flight when they hear the Farley Mowat is on the way!

Despite international condemnation, the Japanese whalers have doubled their planned slaughter quota this coming season to more than 1000 animals, including, for the first time since the 1980s, 50 endangered fin whales and 50 endangered humpbacks.

"The Sea Shepherd is the most effective front-line animal organization in the world", said Patty Mark, President of ALV. "Animal Liberation Victoria will do everything we can to assist the crew of the Farley Mowat during their stay in Melbourne. Captain Paul Watson is tops in my books as an animal activist. He's an excellent strategist and without doubt the best friend the whales have ever had. It's so exciting to have the passion, bravery and enthusiasm of the amazing Sea Shepherd crew here in Melbourne. Watson and his team are living legends and when it comes to giving all one has to help animals we couldn't be in better company!"

ALV are honored to be major supporters of the Sea Shepherd organization. Sea Shepherd crew are all complimentary members, and have free web access at ALV's internet cafe. Last year our AGM raffle funds were donated to the SS as well as vegan food supplies for their voyage to save the whales. ALV will be fundraising for similiar contributions this year and we encourage our members and supporters to give generously to this great cause and to donate vegan food supplies and goodies to the crew.

In February this year lst Officer Alex Cornelissen was appointed Caption of the Farley Mowat, allowing Captain Paul Watson to focus on the purchase and fitting of a newer, faster ship, capable of out-running the whalers. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society plans that the combined force of two ships in their fleet will block all whaling activity in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary in Antarctica this Christmas.

Captain Cornelissen is an excellent navigator, deep-sea diver, and was one of two people who cut dolphin nets in Japan last year, saving the lives of 15 dolphins. When Alex was appointed Captain this February he spoke about how he became involved with Sea Shepherd:

"By July 2002, I was ready to join. I quit my job, sold my apartment, and put all my remaining possessions in storage. The plan was to join the crew for one year. That year changed my life forever. I learned so much, I saw the destruction that's taking out all life at an alarming rate and realized I couldn't turn my back on it. I decided to stay. You've got to be a pirate to catch a pirate. We're the good pirates, the eco-pirates. We're trying to stop the bad pirates from raping the oceans."

Enthusiastic, 20 year old crewman Dustin Skyler Schramm (San Diego, CA) escorted ALV President Patty Mark, Secretary Erik Gorton and member Peter Carr on a "super-deluxe tour" of the Farley Mowat, which revealed a well organized and maintained ship, though the luxuries of life we "land-lubbers" take for granted, such as daily showers and private rooms, were a world away. The 6'2" Dustin continually stooped as he nimbly negotiated hallways and access-panels, his modest cabin featuring a bunk bed that requires that he sleep in fetal position for lack of room. Crew members are only permitted to shower for 3 minutes once every 3 days. However, the ship's talented vegan chef, Australia's own Laura Dakin, keeps the crew's taste-buds excited and stomaches full with delicious and cost-effective meals.

Anybody wanting to meet the crew and take a tour of the ship can contact Peter Hammarstedt via email at: peter@seashepherd.org. Monetary donations as well as vegan food parcels are always welcome and much appreciated. Helping the Sea Shepherd is helping animals!