Robs post #4 - Fathers Day

Post #4 – Fathers Day

How was your Father’s Day Dads?  I bet it was different to mine. Summary : Sleepin, callout, Benedict, warup lesson, church, reef walk, callout, swim, fishing, Black tip reef shark, stuffed.

Sleepin – we have one particular bloke on the island here with a few mental health issues.  Nice bloke but somewhat neurotic about having heat stroke when working strenuously in the sun.  Lets call him Colin.  Colin hasn’t actually done any strenuous work for over 3 weeks, yet at night , usually between the hours of 2 and 4 am, Colin rings up the on call nurse for “assessment and treatment” of ‘heat stroke’.  There is no heat stroke of course, so his presentation usually becomes more social than any thing else.  Well Friday night ( or more correctly Saturday morning) Colin informed me that it is too hot for him in Yorke Island and he is traveling south to Thursday Island where it is cooler!!!

By now you are wondering why I am telling you this.  Well I have been on call every night since Monday (6 nights). Yesterday, Col left as he said he would, and last night I slept through, with out being woken by him or anyone else.  So when  I was woken by a Call out this morning at 8:30…it was luxury, and a BIG sleep in.

Benedict.

My call in this morning, was an Aka needing medication, and a BSL check, so it was a quick job, and when I returned to the flat, by Ilan Princess had the outside table set, and my favourite eggs benedict and grilled tomatoes breakfast waiting for me.  She whipped up the Hollandaise from scratch, and I cant tell you how good they were because there just no words!!!  Thank you Jo…I love you and it was just so special.

Church

After a good breaky, we heard the ding of the church bell, and went off to the white chapel for some God talk Ilan style.  Only a small stone washed chapel, but the few parishioners, present belted out an awesome chorus accompanied by a huge 100 year old Kundu drum which is called a Warup here.  It was a fantastic cultural event, and the message straight from Matthew was as relevant to us as it was to the islanders.  Where two or more of you come, there I will be with you…amen.

Hunting this afternoon with a spear and Ben, was fruitless, but I cherished the time that we could spend together as Father and son, and just hang out, terrorising aquatic life and trying to kill things, …um…I mean catch some lunch.  We returned empty handed, but richer for the experience.  On our return we had a quick bite to eat, and Ben was off again with a couple of local boys, and came home inside 30 mins with more Kaigas (Shovel nose Rays).  I was called out again for another case of the “Belly run” which is blitzing the island, and then Amy’s little friend from school, came to see if Amy wanted to go swimming at the jetty.  I was a bit nervous about watching Joselyn, and Bens two little shadows at the jetty with no other parents, but it is the Island way, and everyone is just so relaxed, here, that if they were any more laid back they would be in a coma.!!  So we went.

The Jetty was where the real fun began.  One of the boys said, to catch a small fish, then bait it on a hook and throw it out to catch a shark.  The suggest these things with no knowledge of the hopeless fisherman I am.  We went swimming snorkelling, and spear fishing for a few hours, and close to 4pm, after jumping off jetties and having a jolly old time, Malachi, asked me again to catch a shark.

I explained I didn’t know how, and he proceeded to show me.  Line onto Hook.  Hook onto a small fish, through which he had thrust my knife to make it bleed.  Threw out the line into deep, and within 2 minutes, we were on.  The shark cut through the 90 lb line with sharp teeth!!!   Again a second attempt, and as soon as the line hit the water, it was taken and snapped.  So I found some electric wire, stripped off the plastic from both ends, and made a makeshift wire trace.    Cast it out, and Bang.  Landed a nice black tip reef shark.  It was a 15 minute struggle to bring him in and land him on the beach, but with a cheer leading squad, excited boys and wife, it was very very exciting.

Weighing well over 25 kg, this was the biggest fish I have caught, and to place kilos of meat in the deep freeze, after a huge feed of flake tonight was sensational.   This was the best Fathers day ever!!!   It will be one that goes down in history.

From the pen of Rob, that is all for tonight.  Stand by for Jo’s side of the story, with photos.  I cant wait to see them!!!

Yawo!