28/07/2026
St Mary's Anglican Church โ Keeping the Memory of the Protector Alive
Few maritime tragedies have left a deeper mark on Ballina's history than the loss of the steam paddlewheel tug Protector in 1901.
Measuring 101 feet (30.93 metres) in length and 158 tons, the Protector was entering the Port of the Richmond River when disaster struck. A powerful sea hit the vessel broadside on the notorious Ballina Bar, causing her to capsize. Within moments, Captain Joseph Lewis and four crew members had lost their lives.
The tragedy deeply affected the Ballina community. Captain Lewis and his crew were members of St Mary's Anglican Church, where their loss was mourned by family, friends and fellow parishioners.
More than a century later, their memory continues to be honoured.
Marine Rescue Ballina was recently invited to visit St Mary's Anglican Church by Kerry, who explained that, during the memorial service for Bill and Frank, the congregation also offered special prayers and a tribute in the church's Mariners Chapel. It was a fitting reminder that the church has long been a place where those lost at sea are remembered.
The Mariners Chapel was created around a beautiful stained-glass window that was carefully preserved from the original church. Installed in 1906, the window is dedicated to Captain Joseph Lewis and stands as a lasting memorial to the master of the ill-fated Protector.
Nearby are two further stained-glass windows dedicated to Captain Thomas Fenwick, owner of the Protector and one of Ballina's most influential maritime pioneers. Although Captain Fenwick died in 1896, five years before the tragedy, the windows were installed in 1906 to recognise his enormous contribution to the development of Ballina's maritime industry and the Richmond River.
To thank Kerry and the congregation for preserving this important part of Ballina's maritime heritage, Marine Rescue Ballina presented the church with a copy of SHIPWRECKED. The book tells the story of the Protector, Captain Joseph Lewis, Captain Thomas Fenwick and many other shipwrecks and maritime events that shaped the history of the Richmond River and the Ballina coastline.
The book is now on display at St Mary's Anglican Church, where visitors can learn more about this remarkable chapter of Ballina's past.
Copies of SHIPWRECKED are available seven days a week from the Ballina Fishermen's Co-op at West Ballina.
