Andy Overend dusted off a piece of Mackay heritage this week to toast two important milestones – his 65th birthday and the opening of Mackay’s commercial harbour.

Andy came into the world the same day that former Queensland Premier William Forgan Smith sailed into Mackay on board the Sydney Star  to officially open the city’s new harbour.

Toasting Mackay Harbour's 65 year milestone this week are Andy Overend (centre), Mackay Port Authority chairman John Taylor and director Robynne Dudley.

“It’s been a double celebration ever since,” Andy said, proudly displaying a silver mug that’s now become a family heirloom.

The small silver chalice was produced to commemorate the harbour opening on August 26, 1939, but Andy’s grandmother Elizabeth Waller thought it would be the prefect gift to celebrate Andy’s birth.

The chalice became Andy’s Christening Cup and is inscribed:” Andrew James Overend; August 26, 1939; Opening Day at Mackay Harbour”. The Mackay Harbour badge, issued to commemorate the event, was fixed to the other side of the cup.

It was the start of a close association the Overend family would have with Mackay Harbour.

“My father was a wharfie and worked at the harbour for more than 30 years,” Andy said.

“It was an exciting place in those days. We would often head to the harbour for a swim or to go fishing – you always came home with a feed.”

Andy’s fondest memory was hitching a ride on the sugar bags as they made their way along a conveyer belt on the main sugar pier.

“We used to ride the sugar bags and hang on for dear life. It was great fun. They would slide onto the wharf and the wharfies would pick up the bags and put them in a sling and chuck them into the hold for stacking.

“The waterfront was an interesting place for a young boy – full of interesting characters.”

Bill Smith was one of Andy’s favourites.

“He was a cartoonist who would record daily events with a piece of chalk – sketching local wharfies on the jetty and the sides of ships,” Andy said.

“He’d draw everyone from sailors to wharfies. Even dad found his face on the side of a ship at one time or another,”

Bill Smith and another wharfie Tony Elliott teamed up to produce a booklet of cartoons depicting the antics of their fellow workmates.

Very few people escaped the satire of Bill’s pen. Terry Hayes, the father of Daily Mercury contributor Terry Hayes junior found himself immortalized in the book. Terry senior was a keen punter. The cartoon shows Terry getting the “good oil” straight from the horse’s mouth.

Andy is now looking forward to retirement after spending 41 years as a compositor at The Daily Mercury and more recently in private business.

“I’ll put the cup away for another year now – and hopefully in 12 months will be able to toast my 66th birthday – and of course the official opening of Mackay Harbour,” he said.