Emily Raffills
Photographer Susanna Burton-Thompson has lived a remarkable life with plenty of stories to tell. From the rescue of 93 Vietnamese refugees at sea to World Vision missions in Africa, or being rescued by the Chilean Navy after the ship she and 130 others lived on crashed, she’s captured it all on camera.
“I’ve had such a fortunate life,” enthuses Susanna.
With zero prior experience, her first photography job was as a teenager for then-controversial NZ Truth newspaper. Susanna went on to run a successful wedding photography business for 22 years, alongside her sister Penny Jones. She travelled the world with World Vision and the Operation Mobilisation Christian missionary ships, Logos and Doulos.
Sailing the world with a purpose
Crewed by volunteers, Operation Mobilisation still sails the world, selling religious and educational books in ports around the globe. Since 1970, they have welcomed 50 million visitors on board.
“I was so excited walking up the gang plank,” she recalls.
“I had thought I would stay three months, but I fell in love with the whole community and the process of being in a spiritual hothouse, and stayed for three years the first time.”
From dishwasher to official photographer
Initially, Susanna helped in the galley washing dishes for the 130 volunteers. She went on to become the mission’s official photographer, spending a total of nine years on board. She vividly remembers the days the ship took on around 90 Vietnamese refugees. They had been drifting at sea for days and were packed so tightly in such a small boat that they had to sleep squatting.
“There could have been a mutiny or contagious disease spread through the ship, but we just took them on as fellow human beings who needed to be helped,” she explains.
A test of courage in the Beagle Channel
There was also the day their vessel ran aground on rocks while sailing through the Beagle Channel. This happened at the remote southern tip of South America.
“When it happened, we all went to the dining room to pray and I remember thinking it was quite an adventure,” she says.
“It wasn’t until we were being rowed away in the lifeboats toward the Chilean Navy vessels that had come to rescue us that we realised we were leaving our ship and everything in it behind.”
Adventures in Tanzania
A trip to Tanzania with World Vision was another career highlight.
“I’ve slept in a Massai boma [traditional hut] overnight with a grandmother, two babies, three baby goats and a World Vision nurse.”
Her memoir, A Life of Surprises: Random Stories of a Photojournalist, compiles these extraordinary stories and many more.
A late-life love story
But perhaps the most wonderful tale is her own love story. How at 69, she moved house and fell in love with her helpful neighbour Owen Thompson, getting engaged just three months later.
Widowed two years earlier, Owen had been hoping to meet a faithful woman to spend the rest of his life with. When he saw Susanna walking “very resolutely” down the shared Auckland driveway to the auction next door, he wondered, “Could she be the one?”
For three months, he dutifully worked in her garden, often staying for a meal afterwards. Then one moonlit evening, they went for a stroll.
A moonlit moment
“The most beautiful yellow moon came up over Kawau Island and I said to him, ‘I know you want to hold my hand, Owen, and you can.’”
Little did she know that morning, Owen, who shares a strong devotion to his Christian faith like Susanna, had prayed. If she were interested in love, then she would make the first move.
It was just the sign he needed. The next day, Owen proposed.
Saying yes
Susanna shares, “He said, ‘I love everything about you. Will you marry me?’ I felt almost weak with a sense of peace and joy, so I said yes.”
After spending most of her life travelling the world, finding true love was a bucket-list moment. But nothing compared to walking down the aisle in 2021 on the arm of her 96-year-old mother Peggy as Etta James’ iconic song At Last rang out through the church.
“I’ve photographed 600 weddings and never seen such an uproar as the bride entered,” she laughs.
Susanna says she cherishes each day with Owen. She also excited to pursue more public speaking opportunities, talking about her adventurous life.
“I have a feeling things will just keep getting better and I have the most amazing support person by my side,” she enthuses.
A Life of Surprises by Susanna Burton-Thompson (Castle Publishing, (rrp $39.99).
