Way Things Were... (ePub)

I was born in 1937, from my earliest memories of a wonderful childhood to the current time, my life has been one long adventure. As a young boy with a love of the water, I was introduced to fishing, boating and the life of the fishermen of Bunbury. My love of the sea and fishing has never wavered. My father would not allow me to become a fisherman, so the next best thing was to join The Department of Fisheries and Fauna at the age of 22. The next 18 years took me from a rookie recruit camping in the sand hills at Jurien Bay through to Senior Inspector in charge of the Geraldton office, which covered the largest patrol area in Western Australia. This book covers the ups and downs of the many Fishing Industries in their early days with stories of the many colourful characters within those industries, especially cray-fishing and also some doubtful characters within The Department. Through political intervention, not only in the function of The Department, but the lives and future careers of the officers within, I chose to resign and 'join the other side'. Becoming a cray fisherman in itself brought many hardships. Firstly from the industry I had joined and secondly, the constant harassment from The Department I had just left. My love of fishing covers my childhood in Bunbury, cray fishing in Geraldton and the Abrolhos Islands, to shark fishing in the Southern Ocean and my life since then. Never a dull moment. I hope you enjoy the journey.