Sydney Ports Corporation Marine Towage and Salvage (MTS) Tug TED NOFFS built to scale by Mr Bill Elbourne (in blue), with the model’s owner (at the time of painting), Mr John Woodley, a member of the St. George Model Boat Club, Sydney.

The original full-sized tug was built by Carrington Slipways, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia in 1987 and named in honour of the late Reverend Ted Noffs.

Bill Elbourne commenced his maritime career as an apprentice boilermaker at the State Dockyard Newcastle (SDN) in 1958.

In the middle of his third year, Bill was transferred to the drawing office to compete his apprenticeship, with another four years of study following completion of a Naval architecture certificate.
During the next 18 years, he moved through the ranks – attending sea trials on most of the ships built at the State Dockyard, to become Manager in charge of power stations.

Around the time SDN had major layoffs and around 2700 employees lost their jobs overnight. Fortunately, Bill was kept on and built bridge girders over Darling Harbour in Sydney until 1987 when the SDN finally closed.

Bill then went to Carrington Slipways Fibreglass Division and worked for 12 months as a design contractor, drawing up Royal Australian Navy minehunters.
For the next 20 years, Bill was employed by Cowan Manufacturing where he was involved in designing and building recompression chambers for the U.S. Navy Seals.

After 48 years, retirement from the workforce allowed Bill to continue his passion for marine modelling, which had started around 1976-77 with the first of his scale model ships and tugs.

Bill Elbourne was for many years a member of the Newcastle Marine Modellers Association, N.S.W., until his death is 2024. He specialised in model bulk carriers, tugs (particularly Svitzer tugs) and Australian Navy vessels. One of his later modellers was the iconic ferry, QUEENSCLIFF, on the Sydney-Manly run, commissioned by the vessel's master, Rob Gawthorne.

Some of the scale models ‘built by Bill’ over the years include: GOLIATH, -- TINKERBELL,-- HERCULES, -- HOWARD SMITH, -- HEXHAM BANK, -- CALEDONIAN VANGUARD, -- IRON PACIFIC, -- WALANA (big and small), -- BORAL GAS (big and small), -- WILGA (big and small), -- AUSTRAL SALVOR, -- TOM TOUGH, -- MIGHTY SERVANT III, -- HANNAH N., -- SAMANTHA J. (big and small), -- HMAS CESSNOCK (big and small), -- KAKARIKI, -- HMC SACKVILLE, -- MT TED NOFFS, -- OLIVIA N., -- SAINT THOMAS, -- JOHN W. BROWN, -- HMAS MELBOURNE, -- HMAS WARAMUNGA, -- SHIRLEY SMITH, -- EVA BURROWS, -- AFRICA MERCY, -- DUMBARTON CASTLE, -- USN SHIP MOBILE BAY, -- NORMAND PROGRESS, -- HMAS TOBRUK, -- CHEETAH, -- WARATAH, - -- SVITZER SHORTLAND, -- SVITZER DARLING, -- SVITZER INNOVATION, -- VOSS TRAPPER, -- TIG 69, -- SVITZER AJAX, -- SVITZER EXAM, -- RUBY ROSE, -- HMRT ENIGMA, -- FAIR PLAY IX, -- FAIR PLAY XI, -- FAIR PLAY 30, -- HANNAH 10, -- CAPITAINE WALLIS, -- SVITZER HUNTER, -- BALADHA, -- MAGGIE M., -- USN 967, -- MANLY COVE and THE FLYING FISH just to name a few!

With thanks to the late, great Bill Elbourne, Master Model Maker!

Additional sources:
Newcastle on Hunter (22 September 2020)
List of ship, tugs & ferries built at the State Dockyard NewcastleState Dockyard
Carrington Slipways
Cowan Manufacturing