MONTREAL, Que. -- To celebrate the 150th anniversary of Mariners' House, the Port of Montreal presented its managing director Carolyn Osborne with a cheque for $3,212 from the sale of more than 800 tuques.
The Port of Montreal had tuques made specifically for this 150th anniversary, sporting its new logo. About 1,300 tuques were distributed by Mariners' House to all the seafarers who came there for a visit during December 2012.
In addition, more than 800 tuques were purchased by industry members. It is the resulting profit of $3,212 from these sales that was turned over to Mariners' House.
Sylvie Vachon, President and CEO of the Montreal Port Authority, was accompanied by Jean-Luc Bédard, Vice-President, Operations and Harbour Master of the port, to present the cheque to the team at Mariners' House. "This tuque is meant as recognition of the profoundly human character that Mariners' House confers when seafarers visit during their stay in our port. Our tuques are now travelling the world," stated Vachon.
Bédard was keen to point out the generosity of the Port of Montreal's partners, who supported this initiative on behalf of Mariners' House by acquiring dozens if not hundreds of tuques. "They made sales take off. Without them, we would not have had this much success. This is a real sign of appreciation for the work of these seafarers who contribute to the success of Montreal's port operations."
Also present from Mariners' House were chaplains Andrew Thavarajasingam, David Rozeboom, Alfred Chinniah and Jason Zuidema. This was a great idea", said Carolyn Osborne. "The seafarers really liked their tuques and we sincerely thank the Port of Montreal for their generosity".
Mariners' House is located on Alexandra Pier, close to Iberville Passenger Terminal. The Port of Montreal graciously provides these premises. Two vans transport crewmembers between the vessels in port and Mariners' House. In 2012, Mariners' House welcomed more than 12,300 seafarers from all over the world.