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A Tribute to Mackenzie Gregory from Sandy Nelson, Aotearoa, New Zealand
Mac helped me a tremendous amount with the research for my children’s book about HMAS Canberra and the Battle of Savo Island, entitled ‘The Ghosts of Iron Bottom Sound,’ and for the story I am currently working on entitled ‘The Lucky Ship,’ which is about HMAS Shropshire and the kamikazes. It was Mac who taught me that sailors live in ships, not on them, and so much more. It was very special to me that I was able to dedicate my story to Mac, and to meet him and his wife Denise when my family and I visited Melbourne in 2011. I have tremendous respect for Mac, for his career, his meticulous research, his dedication to ensuring the sacrifice of those who gave their lives is not forgotten, and for the help he has given so many, through his website, to put the lost pieces of their family jigsaws into place. Mac once shared an old sailor’s saying “I wouldn’t be dead for quids.” Some people should live forever. Float free Mac, the horizon in the distance, there to ponder upon. Sandy Nelson Aotearoa New Zealand |
