For more than three decades, Adam Auditori has dedicated his life to preserving the Murray River's historic paddlesteamers.

It is a passion that began with a glimpse of Echuca’s port from a school bus window.

Mr Auditori shared his passion with those attending Rochester Rotary Club’s Community Chat breakfast recently.

Born in Timboon, he moved with his family to Tongala when his parents took up farming, and it was during his daily school bus ride into Echuca that he first caught sight of the port.

“I could look up the river and see the boats and different things and it sparked an interest,” he said.

At just 14, Mr Auditori wrote to the then-Campaspe City Council asking if he could volunteer at the Port of Echuca.

“They probably thought I’d come down for a couple of weekends,” he said.

“But I came back every weekend and every school holiday.”

Mr Auditori joined as a volunteer at the port on weekends, having no knowledge of steam engines or boats.

“I went from being a volunteer to an apprentice, and then volunteered my time on weekends operating their boats, and by the time I was 18 I was a skipper and engineer,” he said.

Mr Auditori completed his apprenticeship, building a rowing boat as part of his studies, and went on to receive several honours including Rotary awards, Western Melbourne Institute of TAFE student of the year and Victorian apprentice of the year.

His career has since taken him the length of the Murray, working as a freelance shipwright restoring historic paddlesteamers between Albury and Goolwa, while also maintaining South Australia’s river ferries.

Mr Auditori’s first daughter was born while he was working on steam engines on his property.

“She used to come to work with me every day,” he said.

“When she was little, I’d take her away for a few hours while Mum had a break, then we’d head home before coming back to work. She grew up around the boats.”

Now 14, she continues the family tradition, working alongside Mr Auditori on the slipway during restoration projects.

Among the many vessels he has worked on, none mean more to him than the PS Melbourne.

After decades of service and later conversion into a tourist vessel at Mildura, the Melbourne fell out of survey before Mr Auditori purchased it.

He stripped away decades of modifications, painstakingly restored the vessel’s original appearance, rebuilt much of its ageing structure, cleared tonnes of built-up oil from the hull and reconstructed the wheelhouse from scratch.

“When I bought it, I had enough money to buy the boat, but by the time I’d paid for six months on the slipway and the restoration work, I only had about $2000 left,” he said.

After completing the restoration, Mr Auditori first operated the Melbourne in Mildura while waiting for river levels to rise.

“The plan was always to come back here,” he said.

The Melbourne has since returned to the Murray, making its way back towards Echuca while offering cruises at towns along the river. It now operates from the Moama Wharf, with Mr Auditori hopeful it will one day return to its historic home at the Port of Echuca.

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