Some while ago, Mr Brocklebank’s colleague Peter Elson suggested to Liverpool City Council that it awarded Freedom of the City to the Norwegian shipping magnate Fred Olsen, as his UK-based company Fred Olsen Cruise Lines played a crucial role in re-establishing Liverpool as the major cruise embarkation port for northern UK.
This very worthy suggestion simply disappeared into the council black hole and nothing more was heard about it.
Now there’s been plenty of bally-hoo celebrating the 20th anniversary of FOCL’s Liverpool cruise ‘turnaround’ (ie embarking and disembarking passengers) programme. Peter Elson headed the Liverpool Daily Post’s Get On Boardcampaign to allow such cruises to take place as initially the Cruise Terminal could only be used for cruise liner calls (ie visits to the city).
What better way to finish the celebrations than to show Fred Olsen, his crew and staff, that we really appreciate the dedication they’ve shown in staying true to the city by giving him that prized Freedom of the City? Not only that, but it will also burnish Liverpool’s image as a serious player in the cruise industry.