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‘Hartley Ferro-cement Boat Owners Ass’n’. It is with sadness that I recently learnt of the ‘Passing on to the great cruising land in the sky’ of Bill Starkey. The Ass’n was founded in 1973 by Jim Padden, Bill Starkey, Richard Hartley and myself. Of the four founders only Jim Padden and myself now remain. The Ass’n was formed with two objectives in mind (a) To formulate and establish an acceptable formulae and code of construction for ferro-cement boats with certification (the baby of Richard and myself)….. (b) To create a combined buying power for amateur boat builders……. The latter Bill Starkey’s baby as he was already handling the bulk buying for the many ‘Span Farm’ projects. Sadly, the original objects of the Ass’n have long since fallen by the wayside (mainly due to government legislation), and the Ass’n is now only a group for organising socials, BBQ’s and cruises.