16th July, 2008

ANDREA LAURITA

They were one of those families who had it all. Ashley McDonald earned a six-figure salary as deputy harbour master at Fremantle, while his wife Alison worked as a speech pathologist in schools and health care centres. They enjoyed their friends, their house, and their bustling extra curricula activities.

In January 2005, Captain McDonald received an invitation from OM International to serve as captain aboard MV Doulos, one of the organisation’s three ships. “I didn’t need to read it,” Ms McDonald says. “The look on Ashley’s face told me everything”

LIFE OF A CAPTAIN: Master of the Doulos, Ashley McDonald, with the ship behind him.

A year-and-a-half later , the McDonalds and their three daughters - Madeleine, eight, Hosanna, five, and Caitlin, two - left their home in Perth for a life at sea.

Captain McDonald’s dream of driving ships began when he was 16-years-old.

A Royal Australian Navy advertisement captured his imagination. The ad showed an Australian war ship pounding through the waves. The lyrics to the accompanying song were “You’ll be wet, you’ll be homesick and frightened, but the pride of the fleet will be you.” That day, Captain McDonald made the decision to apply to become a Naval Officer and study through the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA).

After he finished high school, he studied a Bachelor of Science degree, majoring in chemistry and oceanography, at ADFA in Canberra. This began his career in the Royal Australian Navy.

He went to sea on several different Navy vessels, joined the diving branch and became a port manager, while enjoying the fast-lane lifestyle.

Several years into his career, when his ship was posted in Western Australia, Captain McDonald visited his older brother, Brett, who invited him to church. As he walked through the church doors, he had no idea that his life was to be radically altered. For the first time he met young men who were not trying to impress anyone. They seemed to be genuine.

FROM TOP: LIFEBOAT PRACTICE: The McDonald family - Ashley and Alison with their three daughters -  two-year-old Caitlin, five-year-old Hosanna, and eight-year-old Madeleine.

The night before Captain McDonald’s ship was due to sail, God allowed him to experience a rare heart condition that put him in the hospital for several days. The ship left him behind, allowing him precious extra time with his new mates and being discipled in his faith.

When he rejoined the ship two weeks later, he walked up the gangway a new man. He continued to grow spiritually and handled difficult situations with newfound patience and grace. Many of his shipmates noted the change in his attitudes and actions.

Twelve months later, while his ship stopped in Darwin on its return to Australia, Captain McDonald attended a church service and noticed a young woman. His future wife was in Darwin doing her final studies in speech pathology. They spent a year and a half having a long-distance romance before they married in December 1995.

In 1999, the Doulos toured Australia, drawing more than 200,000 visitors from across the nation. The McDonalds attended an onboard programme where they met the ship’s captain who told enthralling stories about the unique purpose of the ship.

Almost one year to the day after first stepping onboard in Fremantle, wired with anticipation, Captain McDonald joined Doulos as the ship’s 2nd officer along with Alison and their then 21-month-old daughter, Madeleine. They served onboard for four years.

They returned to Australia - to grass under their toes and the sound of magpies in the morning. The McDonald family - now numbering four - re-settled in Perth. Mr McDonald went back to Fremantle Ports and was being fast-tracked towards senior management. “I was beginning to feel very happy with my new lifestyle,” Ms McDonald recalls.

MEET AND GREET: Captain McDonald gets to know the locals in one of Doulos' many stops.

It was then that the invitation came from OM. The McDonalds both felt that this opportunity was from God. Doulos,the world’s largest floating bookshop, is staffed by an international crew of 330 Christian volunteers. The couple would use their professional skills to train crew, to encourage others in their faith journey and to captain the world’s oldest ocean-going passenger ship.

The McDonald family has now lived onboard for two years. As Doulos’ Master, Captain McDonald has met countless dignitaries and national leaders including two of the men known as the ‘Fathers of the Revolution’ who were instrumental in launching and leading the revolution against communism in Romania.

One morning, while berthed in Mozambique, the president of Mozambique came onboard for a tour and Captain McDonald listened to him describe the politics of his country. The next day the leader of the rebel movement came onboard and demanded a tour.

“Ashley sees each person as an ordinary individual who has the same need to be loved and understood,” Ms McDonald says.

OM Australia has invited Doulos to return for her final Aussie tour. From Queensland, Doulos will sail to Sydney, Geelong, Albany and Fremantle.

“It has long been a dream for me to sail the Doulos into an Australian port, and I’m thankful that this dream is about to be fulfilled five times over,” Captain McDonald says.

Andrea Laurita is a journalist at OM.

DOULOS TOUR DATES:

Brisbane: 31st July to 17th August
Sydney: 21st August to 8th September
Geelong: 11th to 29th September
Albany: 4th to 8th October
Fremantle: 10th to 28th October

~ www.doulosdownunder.org.au

FOR MORE ON THE VISIT OF THE MV DOULOS:

MV Doulos:  OM ship returns to Australia to show "the day of mission is not over"...  | more...|