The Esther Williams Trophy

Please watch the video and then read on.




The way we came across the Esther trophy was quite bizaar.
While anchored off some of the most remote islands in Northern Territory called the Wessels , I had noticed a War ship (patrol boat) enter the bay just to the north.
Sheryl's brother is in the Navy and we thought it would be a great co-incidence if he happened to be on this boat. So we called up HMAS Ipswich on the VHF radio, and very surprisingly it was his boat, we got a invite on board and were shown through the vessel.
In the Ward room I noticed a plaque with a photo of Esther and "take me if you dare" written under it. I enquired to the office in charge about it and he told me the whole story and how he had helped in stealing it from another vessel.

Three months later I did some research to find Lindsay Brand the officer from 1942. I scouted the white pages and found hundreds of L brand's, so i picked out just one. I rang it thinking there is no chance this will be him, and surprisingly it was.

He had not heard of the trophy since 1945. I told him that it had circulated through almost 200 ships from 1942 - 1957, Lindsay said " I think I need a drink."

The Navy requested a reuniting of Lindsay and his photo so I was able to film this inspiring event in 2004 (see attached video)
Digital Dimentsions showed support in the project and assisted in editing and production of the short 4 minute video. Big thanks to Digital Dimensions for their efforts in believing in the merrit of the story for the potential of making a documentary.

Excerpt from wilkapedia:

"Esther Williams Trophy" The Esther Williams Trophy is one of two trophies that have circulated among ships of various navies, after originating in the Royal Australian Navy. Initially, in 1942, the trophy was a joke between two friends, Lieutenants Lindsay Brand and David Stevenson (later the RAN's Chief of Naval Staff), serving in HMAS Nepal (G25), an N class destroyer attached to the British Eastern Fleet. Stevenson wrote on a photograph of Esther Williams, “To my own Georgie, with all my love and a passionate kiss, Esther”; Brand (aka 'George') put the screen idol over his bed; the photo was taken to another ship by a fellow officer; and, the 'trophy' was then circulated by officers among some 200 other ships including in US Navy[5], British Royal Navy, and Canadian Navy ships in Asian waters. The original photo became the "trophy copy" to be kept in a safe location, while the second "fighting copy" was displayed where it could be stolen stealthily or taken by force with a good deal of roughhouse between the officers of the ships involved. After the "fighting copy" had been successfully removed from the custodial ship, the "trophy copy" would be presented to the new owners with appropriate ceremony.[6] In 1957, “Esther” was retired by the US Navy and sent to the RAN's Naval Historical Collection at Spectacle Island in Sydney. The trophy was brought into circulation again in 1997 by officers from HMAS Brisbane (D 41), and has been given official standing by senior officers, for instance when an RAN admiral officiated when the elder Brand was re-introduced to the trophy on 30 June 2004 for only the fourth time since 1943[7]. At various times, the holders of the trophy have either flown an Esther flag or sent naval signals (signed 'Esther') to other nearby ships to indicate where the trophy resided. Notably, on 16 April 2008, the trophy attended the memorial service for the newly rediscovered wreck of HMAS Sydney II, off Geraldton, Western Australia, travelling in HMAS Anzac (FFH 150). A documentary[9] on the trophy's history was produced in 2007.