Interview Graham Rumbelow regarding the history of the Australian fishing industry
Date1 February 1990
Object numberANMS0871[074]
NameInterview
MediumCompact disk and tape
Copyright© Murdoch University
ClassificationsBorn digital media
Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from Murdoch University
DescriptionA recorded interview with Graham Rumbelow in Victor Harbour, South Australia as part of a series titled 'History of the Australian Fishing Industry'. It contains information on Graham Rumbelow's family background, his entry into fishing, boat building, types of fishing, schnapper, impact of recreational fishing, Kangaroo Island fishing, shark fishing, prawning, fishing regulations, Dulcie Smith radio operators, fishermen's organisations, getting started in fishing, changes in the industry, future of fishing, pollution and litter at sea.HistoryGraham Rumbelow has lived all his life on Encounter Bay in South Australia where his forebears, for some for generations, also lived and fished in these waters. Perhaps it was natural that Graham, qualified carpenter as he was, should turn to building fishing boats and eventually to the occupation of fisherman.
Graham Rumbelow tried many different forms of fishing and though he does not mention it, retired only when he suffered very serious health problems. In this account he mentions the efforts of radio operator Dulcie Smith of Kangaroo Island on behalf of the fishermen, a mention that is well merited. What he does not mention however is the lives of members of the Rumbelow family that the sea has claimed nor the reputation his people had of always being the first to respond to a call for help from a fellow fisherman. Graham Rumbelow typifies the fishermen of a by gone era: self-effacing, simple, tough, wise in the ways of the sea and always ready to lend a hand when needed.
This recorded interview with Graham Rumbelow is part of a larger series produced as result of an oral history research project conducted by the Economics Department of Murdoch University and coordinated by Malcolm Tull. The project commissioned researchers in every Australian state to interview fishermen and others involved in catching, processing and marketing fish. Their research involved questions about daily work, personal memories of life in the Australian fishing industry as well as questions about the economics of the industry.SignificanceThis collection of recorded interviews is significant in providing a comprehensive record of commercial fishing from the 1950s to the 1990s across Australia.
