When I was thirteen my Mum was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer. She was a single mum raising three kids. She sold our family home in Shark bay, the house I was born in so that I would have the money to finish highschool. It was her only asset. That house contained every memory of every birthday and every Christmas in my existence. It was bought by developers from the city to demolish it and build a resort. They eventually chose to build the resort down the road,, the Heritage resort, ruining my best mushrooming spot, ;b but creating an awesome sports bar :) and leaving them with the oldest house in town. The original Pearl buyers house and the first sunday school in Denham. When I turned 19, much to my excitement I was able to buy it back from them. I started a Shark safari/4wd eco toursim business using the equity in the house. It went so well (much to my surprise) that I decided to buy a pirate ship in East Timor to set up as a Shark research vessel. I poured all my energy and finances into it....It sank, a month before I was due to sail her home to Australia where I had a survey planned so I could get her insured..Trevor and Rhonda Humphries, in one onf the most genrous acts anyone has ever bestowed upon me donated me their own beautiful boat when they heard the story. The Katrina-Maree, one of the last of the Broome pearling luggers. I went back to mining to try and raise the money she needed to be bought up to survey standards so she could be insured..during a big southerly blow..she sank in the harbour. I quit my job and returned home to salvage her. It took me months of fighting tides, the laws of physics and economics and government beauracrats to drag her upto the low tide mark where traditionally we used to careen our luggers for repair. I left town, got another job back in mining to get the money needed for her refit and four weeks later received a phone call that the state government had declared salvage rights on my vessel. Refloated her where I had left her, moved her four hundred metres to the slipway and cut up one of the last remnants of our Marine pearling history with chainsaws. They sent me a bill for $100 403 AUD..Thats ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED AND THREE DOLLARS.... of taxpayers money. It cost me my time, a LOT of it, quite a few cartons of beer, lots of skin from my knuckles, a hundred favours and about a thousand dollars to move her to where she was safely careened. I lost everything, my business, my pride, quite a few friends..and most sadly..my family home..the last memories of my family and my mother. I felt I had somehow betrayed her memory.. I couldnt even drive down the street when I visited town.. Yesterday, thanks to the love of my life, Marielle Boersma and four years of twelve hour days in the Pilbara...WE BOUGHT MY FAMILY HOME BACK!! I am speechless.. Shark Bay here we come!! .. Love you babe!!
Posted on: Tue, 09 Sep 2014 11:37:04 +0000
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