the JOHN HARDING

Walter A. Starck, Vic Ley, Ron Taylor, Phil Eather,

Richard Weir, Wally Gibbins, Malcolm McLeod, Gai Girdlestone, John Harding.

The Late IRVIN ROCKMAN   CBE

Springvale Cemetary (Melbourne, Victoria)

Jewish Memorial Garden 2

Row W

Grave 68

Wally Muller, Van Laman-Cropp, Ben Cropp, Kathy Troutt, Lynn Roberts, John Michael Harding Senior, Bob Grounds, Dean Cropp – (a future Legend), Ron Taylor, Trevor Collins (with marlin), Valerie May Taylor, Henri J. Bource.

 

RON IBLE  (White Water Wanderers club, Sydney)  30 April 2013  R.I.P. mate

Ron would not like a whole heap of pretty words – “a real good mate” would sum him up. Ron’s guidance and advice plus friendship to me, as a young starting-out aged 18 diver, set a course I’m forever thankful to him for. Although the following name won’t ring bells, Bill Colbourne introduced us when we all worked at the Sydney Markets. Ron Ible was a tough truck driver – as they all were then. Tough physical work that produced a physique similar to the axe-men at wood-chopping events. When Bill retired he went to live in the fishing village near Ron and his family. Two guys who gave me good advice at a time when kids like I was take things for granted. I recently thanked Ron – but regret not being able to do so for Bill who passed away soon after retiring. 

Ben Cropp is presently returning to Queensland aboard Freedom IV after almost a year in Western Australia.  Here are some pictures of mine taken on our most recent filming in North Queensland.

Due to the remoteness of the filming trips it’s essential to ‘live of the sea’ with fish being a meal aboard every second day- except for me.  I did not mind seafood on a daily basis, especially Coral trout and Barramundi – fresh.

No crowds in the far north.  Dean Cropp has a ski behind his dads’ dinghy.   theJOHNHARDING.com  (2005)

There are always nice Barramundi in Bathurst Bay, and where ever there’s ‘barra there’s crocodiles. Fortunately the water where they are found is mostly so murky you couldn’t see a croc if one was in front of you. Dean Cropp speared this beauty of his recent northern safari aboard Freedom III. with brother Adam. They saw a croc this day too!

It’s even worse in Darwin Harbour where Rick Trippe ‘lives’. More than 100 large crocs are captured alive each year and shipped away to more remote places. Rick has seen a few ‘swirls in the murk’ but is yet to come face-to-face with one. So for courage in a quest for dinner table seafood, no one does it tougher than the trippe. Three meters visibility is a good day in Darwin.

**THE FEAR OF SHARKS** can be extreme to some people. A sinking trawler with a terrified skipper who prefered drowning to be eaten by sharks.

The terrified seaman wrote a note to a friend whom he owed $100, included the money with the note and put it in a corked bottle which he threw into the sea, adding there were so many sharks around his boat, ‘he was going down with the sinking vessel, rather than take his chances in the sea that night’.

**Dean Cropp** salvaged this brass port hole from the sunken remains of the prawn trawler in 25 meters, much of it mud or at least silt. As the prawn nets drag across the muddy ocean floor of North Queensland, they stir up the bottom so that about seven meters has very low visibility. Dean groped around in the murk and earned a rather nice prize, a prize which all divers would treasure.

**Was this the same trawler with the terrified skipper?** Maybe. The fear of the unknown is very real. Conquering our personal FOTU is a challenge of the sea we all must face.

The aircraft was underwater at near Cape York, a prawn trawler had snagged her remains. She was upside down. Tail missing. Wheels exposed. Visibility shocking. **Dean Cropp** groped his way around, avoiding stone fish, sharks and deadly jellyfish and live ammunition.

At great effort he removed this old Browning machine gun from the fuselage. It was donated to an aircraft museum in his loungeroom. Dean hopes to learn the complete history of this aircraft.

**Photo John H/fathom collection**

Zane Grey was a true-life pulp fiction author of the 1930′s. His speciality was paperback westerns. He enjoyed big game fishing for black marlin and sharks. His legendary visits to his holiday base at the fishing village of Bermagui (NSW south coast) is still spoken of today. He put the town ‘on the map’ some say.

Zane occasionally caught a white pointer shark while hoping for marlin. Being a talented writer, he called the white pointer the “maneater”.

In time it became common for any dangerous shark to be called a ‘maneater’ or ‘maneating’ shark, in the common terms. Newspaper headlines enjoyed the term. “Maneater Caught” etc.

Side Show Alley capitalised with ‘tongue-in-cheek’ cheeky stunt to fool the people. A tent at the Sydney Royal Easter Show promised thrills inside: “See a MAN EATING SHARK”! No shark. Just a man seated, eating a plate of cooked shark and chips! A classic con.

Dean Cropp remembered the story and demonstrated with a live epaulette shark on the GBR last year. This shark was of course, not eaten, just ‘mouthed’.

**Photo: JH/fathom collection**Dean blows a few bubbles rings