He did that in a friendly manner, respecting their personal experience and cooperating with them to develop their skills with their new vessels.

Arthur was born in1929 in Invercargill, New Zealand and went to sea after leaving school, spending four years with Denholm Line and a further three years with the New Zealand Marine Department in coastal freighters. In 1962 he joined the Northland Harbour Board, New Zealand and worked in the Harbourmasters Department as a master on conventional Kort nozzle tugs. In 1963 he was sent overseas to the ports of Milford Haven, Liverpool and Finart for experience working on tugs handling super tankers. Arthur became master of the first Voith tractor in the Southern Hemisphere, the Waitangi in 1967.

Built at Brooke Marine at Lowestoft, it was at the time the largest Voith tractor in the world with VSP units, 1,600bhp main engines and a bollard pull of 20 tons. It sailed under its own power from England to New Zealand via the Panama Canal, down through the Pacific to Papeete and ending up at Whangarei after two months at sea at an average speed of about 8.5 knots. Arthur remained master of the Waitangi for the next 20 years and became a real enthusiast of the Voith propulsion system.

Arthur attended the International Tug Conference in London as Northland Harbour representative and while in Europe spent two weeks working on a Voith tractor in Europort. Both events served to increase his enthusiasm for Voith even further. One of the duties he undertook after officially becoming the Voith training master was to train tug masters for the Suez Canal Company.

At his retirement farewell ceremony, Captain Naismith was awarded the coveted 'Suez Canal Medal' by the chief of the Canal Authority, Admiral Ahmed Fadel. The medal is the second highest distinction granted by the Suez Canal Authority and is normally reserved exclusively for statesmen and high ranking personalities from public life.

CEO of Voith Turbo Marine, Dr Jens-Erk Bartels, praised Arthur on his exceptional service to the organisation and to its clients, stating, 'He has been our ambassador and can talk to operational people in their own language and also to higher management. Our success in escorting was only possible thanks to him. He put into practise what we designed, in Alaska, Hibernia, the Far East, the Bosporus and the Suez Canal.

Arthur has a talent for resolving conflicts, calming down emotions between different mentalities and to concentrate on the essentials. He has the ability to train personnel of various cultures and mentalities which needs a very special diplomatic personality. Wherever he travels in the world he will find valuable friends and be most welcome. Arthur Naismith retires to his present home in Brisbane but remains under contract to Voith as a marine advisor, a position requiring considerably less travel.'