Life B'long Ali Drummond by Sam Faulkner

Author:Sam Faulkner [Faulkner, Sam]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780855757311
Barnesnoble:
Publisher: Aboriginal Studies Press
Published: 2007-07-01T00:00:00+00:00

A tender’s role is important in the working life of a pearl shell diver. When the diver is below looking for pearl shell, his tender lowers him just a few feet off the bottom so that he can save his energy and drift along with the current, until he comes across a patch of pearl shells. The diver then signalled for his tender to lower him to the bottom to pick up the pearl shells.

* * *

In 1939 Ali was skipper and number one diver on the lugger Charm. His second diver was Jacky Smoke. The other crew consisted of two tenders, a cook, an engineer and two crew.

That season the Charm was one of the many luggers working near Bobo Island. It was a neap tide, clear and still, with a depth of about 14–15 fathoms (about 27 metres). Ali was working on a bottom where the edges would just drop into the ocean and he describes it now as like working on a table top.

The Charm followed the neap to start work just west of Deliverance Island. Ali and his second diver were working at 10–12 fathoms (about 18 to 19 metres) and picking up first-class pearl shells. They found the bottom was different to the old ground at Badu, as there was more mud and this produced shells that were thinner and lighter. They started diving that morning and at about 3pm, when the lugger was going back to do another drift, Ali again got the bends.

A helmet was put on the unconscious Ali and he was put back into the water with another diver to stage him. It was near 10 fathoms (18 metres) when he regained consciousness. As soon as he started to feel better he signalled to the other diver to return to the surface. It was not until six hours later, that Ali was safely back on board.

The Charm also had a close call with a patrol boat in the waters off Papua New Guinea. Ali was picking up good quality pearl shells when his tender signalled him to come up. Ali did not want to go up but his tender started to pull him up. Ali was angry as he was not ready to come up. When he reached the surface his tender explained that a patrol boat had spotted them and was coming towards them.

The patrol boat must have had a diesel motor because the black smoke from the exhaust gave them away. Ali quickly told the crew to start the engine and to head back into Australian waters. With a good easterly wind behind them they soon caught up with some other luggers working very close to the border. They also stopped working and headed for Kemos Reef.

About two hours later all the luggers were safely in Kemos Reef. The patrol boat went amongst the fleet of luggers with a loudspeaker warning them never to cross the border again, because ‘if we catch you, your boat will be confiscated and the crew will be sent to prison’.

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