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SHARKS
I have been talking to an old identity of
Forster, Marie Emberton (nee Emmerson) about what she remembers
of her husband (David) killing a shark. My husband, Don Carmichael,
remembers the story well. It was when his father, Claude Carmichael,
came to Forster to service boilers on the Miles tug boats before the war.
Marie's husband was a fisherman and the
shark got caught in the fish net. David had a few swings with an axe, but each
time the creature would move sharply, avoiding impact.
David took the risk and jumped out of the
boat onto the sand and took one almighty swing at the shark, killing it.
I can remember when I first met Don, seeing
the jaws of the shark on the wall of Carmichael's activity room at Miranda,
Sydney.
Marie says it was printed in the Sydney
Morning Herald on 18 June 1941. It was Claude who took a photo of the
shark sending that and the account of the incident into the Herald.
While we were talking about this event,
Marie told me of an incident on Forster Beach on 14 January 1944, when
a shark attacked a youth in the surf. His name was Peter Weir and he
was the son of the then Secretary to the Treasurer of State Parliament. The
family was staying at Russell Court. They had to return home to Sydney but the
boy asked if he could stay a little longer and that was when the attack
happened.
David Emerton had a good friend in 'Bumper'
Farrell, a sergeant of police, who with his family was staying with the
Emertons. The two men were near Pilot Hill when they heard dreadful screams
coming from the surf. Seeing what was happening they rushed to the boy's
assistance with 'Bumper' helping. The lad had lost part of his leg. Max
Wright, who was on leave from the Army at the time, was also on the beach.
Max
rendered first aid to the lad and remembers the dreadful condition of the leg.
Vic Bramble,
well known fisherman and oysterman, tells me sharks were more numerous in
earlier days. The largest one he caught was eleven feet three inches
long (4.11m) with huge jaws. The jaws were souvenired by Bill Day who
had a little shop near the ferry approach. One day he hooked a big bullnosed whaler. It was
making a rush down stream just as Abe McBride arrived with a .303
rifle. Fortunately, Abe was a good shot.
Large sharks would often be seen from the
front of the Forster Hotel to the Bullock Wharf at Nabiac where people
usually swam.
George (Buller) Haden
made a practice of catching several sharks a year to remind swimmers of their
presence.
Vic and Mervyn Wilson hooked a
big jewfish and had it almost out of the water at the Tuncurry retaining wall
when a shark took most of it, returning several times.
In 1943, two big sharks rushed almost
ashore at Green Point, near George Bulmer's gear and crew.
Shortly after, Mick Stein and Dave Emerton netted a shark at Tony's
Point with fourteen young ones inside and Leonardo Amato hauled one
with thirteen young at Pelican Island.
Bill Stein caught
a huge shark in a mesh net at the Wallingat River and George Bulmer
landed many sharks in Coomba Bay. Another crew under 'Doughy' Ravell
and Reg Bramble landed thirty sharks of various sizes in Coomba Bay
in one haul.
Vic helped Jack Hardy (Snr.) land one
eleven feet long (3.35m) on Pig Point behind Kangaroo or Regatta
Island.
SAWFISH
Vic Bramble's report
on the early fishing in this area is of great interest. At Christmas time, when
so many of our citizens spend much time around the waterways, his remarks on the
largest fish caught here and the sharks seem timely.
Vic says the largest fish ever caught in
these water was a sawfish eighteen feet six inches (5.638 metres).
It ran into his set net off the old Peach
Tree Log Wharf one Sunday morning. It was very much alive and it ruined
the net. It took from sunrise till midway through the afternoon to dispose of
it. Tom Batchelor and Harry Wharton used
it for bait in the 'Wallamba' lobster boat.
It was a female that came into the Lake to
spawn and six one metre long young were also entangled in the net. The saws of
the young ones were encased in a hard jelly substance to help birth. No doubt
the jelly would dissolve in the salt water.
Other big sawfish were caught by Austin
Ravell and Albert Bulmer in set nets.
Philip Sciacca and Leonardo Amato
caught several smaller ones in hauling nets.
BULL RAY
Enrico Bonventi used Vic's shark line to catch
the largest Bull Ray ever seen from the old fish wharf.
BREAM
Enrico Bonventi also
caught a five pound (2.33 kg) bream from the old fish wharf, as
did Ernie Wallace on a piano wire.
'Ned Kelly' Fred Bramble landed
a bream of five pounds two ounces (2.82kg) behind Golden Island (the island
has since washed away) and Mick Thompkins hauled one ashore of a
similar five pounds (2.26kg) weight.
FISHERMEN'S LUCK
There are more fish stories from Vic
Bramble.
Vic says luck can work with the fishermen as
Johanne Fazio and son found out when they shot a small net at a mudflat
in a hope to get a basket or two of fish. They landed a boatload of big school
prawns.
William Coombes
struck it rich too when he tossed a coin to see whether they would go home and
mend the net or do a haul. He and his crew hauled and loaded his boats in what
has been known ever since as Toss Up Bay.
SUBTROPICAL CLIMATE
/ FROZEN RIVERS
The Wallingat, Coolongolook and Wang
Wauk Rivers iced up to Coolongolook Point across from Johnny
Thompson's and the Wallamba River was frozen on the top, down from Failford.
John Wright and his
log punt 'Queen II' was anchored near Swan Bay and although a good
fire was going in the furnace the ice still formed all around. It was Thursday
morning and Jack Mitchell and his family were rowing to Tuncurry, they
found lots of mullet and garfish in little rings in the ice, still trying to get
their tails to work.
Mr. McMaster and children of 'Glenora'
at Nabiac, watched as the cream boat came up the river and Bill
Milliken ran from one side to the other looking at the river as the boat
broke the ice.
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