What I See with Peter Fiorenza: Childhood memories of the Abrolhos Islands a beautiful snapshot in time

I have lived in Geraldton for most of my life but have never taken the opportunity to fly across and land on the Abrolhos Islands. Well, I’ve planned to do that very soon with my aviatrix friend, Wendy Mann. I always hear about these unique adventures that Wendy has been doing for some time. So, recently, a mate and I decided to take the plunge, and I am really looking forward to the trip. You see, when I was a kid, my father, Alf, used to skipper a carrier boat that transported mail and goods to the Pelsart, or southern, group of the Abrolhos Island clusters. The vessel was the Southern Lady, a built-for-purpose boat that would return to Geraldton laden with bags of the prized rock lobster. That was back in the 1970s and 80s. At that time, unlike today, there was a dedicated rock lobster or crayfish season, with the island area only being opened for operation by fishers from around March through to the middle of the year. And back then, cray boats didn’t have the water tanks for storing lobster and were, generally, considerably smaller and, therefore, most fisherman and their families lived on the islands during the season. The Southern Lady was, pretty much, the conduit with the mainland. Even though, I certainly didn’t have the sea legs — falling victim to seasickness often — my brother and I went along with Dad on numerous trips across to the rocky archipelago. Easter was the best time. During that break, it seemed, everyone was at the islands. And I have fond memories of heading off with Dad in the early hours of the morning, watching him and his deckhand load the Southern Lady with food and other supplies, before departing the Fisherman’s Wharf. Nearly three hours later, we were called to the bow of the boat to witness something both beautiful and spectacular. “Hey boys, the dolphins are here!” With the huts of Basile Island coming into view, porpoise would be jumping up out of the water in front of the boat as it ploughed through the blue, glistening waves. At times, it seemed as though you could almost reach out and touch them. Once there, the Southern Lady would progressively make its way to one little jetty after another, dropping off supplies, before eventually mooring. Often, a few hours later, Dad would take us aboard one of the fishing boats returning to Basile Island, and we would spend time ashore with friends. That evening, we would return to the carrier boat and awake to the sound of boats pulling along side as the sun was just coming up for a new day. The Southern Lady was, again, the centre of all the action, as boat after boat offloaded bag after bag of rock lobster, until, it seemed, the deck space was completely covered. Then, it was back to Geraldton as we brought the catch home. Today, things are very different. With many fishing vessels even bigger than the Southern Lady, the island community has, somewhat, diminished. And my memories are, simply, a beautiful snapshot in time. Peter Fiorenza is host of Fiorenza on Sundays between 10am and noon on Radio MAMA