Strewth...'as he croaked it?
There was a large trawler fleet working out of Townsville back in
the '1970's as I suppose there were all along the Queensland east coast. However
it has always been my opinion that all the "characters", be they skippers or deckies,
congregated at the trawler wharf at the end of Flinders Street during those early years
of the prawning industry.
Names
of boats and skippers that spring to mind are
Dixie on the Jay Dee, Des on the Decoy, Gartlan#1 on the Duroon,
Gartlan#2 on the Auderle Scotty on the Scotty, just to name a few. I
did quite a lot of work on a number of the trawlers over a long period
of time and got to enjoy some good trips after an installation or
repair job. Just to make sure everything was working OK,you understand.
These chaps worked hard and played hard. They earned any penny they
made and some did well. Others went down the gurgler for one reason or
another. All were great characters and the best of mates while they
were tied up along side each other at the wharf. However, it was every
man for himself on the open sea, especially if a boil was spotted or a
set of cod-ends came aboard full of prawns. My time aboard one of the
boats was spent with a pair of binoculars, watching every boat working
the area just to see what came aboard when they pulled their nets. Let
someone bring a full cod end of spikes aboard and he had immediate
company. It was a matter of "get the gear up" and "hit that excess fuel
button" and away we went to join the rest, to get in for a share. All
the maritime rules of right of way are dismissed, and I have been
aboard when two boats have collided so hard that trawl arms have been
bent back along the gunwhales so far it was almost impossible to winch
the nets back on board.I have seen .303 's pointed at boats and the
language on the radio would have made a bullocky blush. I think the
local radio inspecter used to take his annual leave during the prawn
season. These same blokes would be having a beer together at the pub,
as soon as they got back to shore.
Dino, a client of mine had never been on a trawler and he asked if I
could set up a trip for him to see how it was done. I arranged it with
Bob Dix on the "JayDee", and at about 4pm one afternoon Dino arrived
with all his gear and a carton over his shoulder. He was looking
forward to a great 3 or 4 days. Now, one thing I must say is that Bob
enjoyed a cold beer on a hot day, along with the rest of us, but not
once on any of the trips I did aboard his boat, did I ever see him have
a drink at sea. Alcohol and boats at sea don't mix.
It was blowing a strong sou-easter when we left the leads and I had not
thought to ask Dino if he suffered from sea-sickness. I assumed he
didn't as he was so keen to get out on a trawler. Anyway, by the time
we had cleared the Cape, we were punching a good 25-30 knot sou-easter.
The waves were coming over the bow and one big "greenie" hit us hard
enough to break the dingy away from its tie-downs on the wheelhouse
roof. The last we saw of it in the darkness was it and a spare net
slowly disappearing in the trawlers wake. It was too rough to turn back
for it and we were all a bit comprehensive about losing the only means
of survival if we did have to leave ship. Dino asked me if it got any
worse and I tried io assure him that it would't and that it would get
better as we approached the reef.
We punched into it for a couple of hours when I noticed Dino was
standing outside the wheelhouse with his arms wrapped around the "A"
frame upright and had his head lowered over the side. Now, the middle
of a blow is not the time to be outside the protection of the
wheelhouse and he had no safety line attached, so I ventured out to get
him to come inside out of the weather. It was then I realised it was
not all salt spray that was running from his chin. He was very seasick
and would not move at all. I was not worried about him being washed
overboard as I could not prize one finger loose from the grasp he had
on the "A" frame. I lashed a free painter around his waist and made sur
he was safe enough if he happened to let go of the support. He stayed
there for the time we reached the lee of a reef and only then did he
come in and collapse on a bunk in the wheelhouse.
The wind had died to a 10 knoter and we got a shot away before
daybreak. Dixie was chasing scallops this trip and when we lifted the
nets the first time he asked if I wanted to get Dino to see the
cod-ends come aboard and be dumped on the sorting tray. I went into the
wheelhouse and Dino was lying on the bunk, with his mouth open and
staring at the wheelhouse roof. I spoke to him and he didn't answer. I
shook him by the shoulder but he didn't blink or make a sound. I was
starting to get a bit anxious and went back to the sorting tray and
asked Dixie if he would go have a look at Dino for me.
Dixie was only gone a few minutes when he came back to the sorting tray
and said, "Streth, has he carked it on us? well he will just have to
bloody well wait till I get a good load of shell. We can stick him in
the box with the shell, he'll keep for a day or so. Give me a hand to
sort this lot."
I was at a loss as to what to do. I went back into the wheelhouse and
shook Dino by the shoulders. His eyes and mouth were still wide open. I
started to feel ill. I was convinced he had died. Finally, he
spluttered and pushed me out of the way and just made it out the door.
I sighed with relief and asked him to try to eat something to help him
get over the seasickness. He tried a bite of an apple but couldn't keep
it down. We felt sorry for him as we sat up to our meals for the next
three days. All he had during that time was a cup of coffee. We filled
the box with shell and headed home.
The moment we tied the painter to the bollard, Dino was off onto the
wharf. He dropped to his knees and actually kissed the wharf. He
mumbled a polite, "thanks" and set off for his car with the unopened
carton on his shoulder. Dixe said as he watched him walk away, "Just as
well he didn't cark it on us. He would have taken up about 30 baskets
of shell in the box."
I often wonder what version of that trip Dino tells.
