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Interview with Fred Marchese regarding the history of the Australian fishing industry (tape 1)

Date31 October 1989

Object numberANMS0871[183]

NameInterview

MediumCompact disk and tape

ClassificationsBorn digital media

Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from Murdoch University

Terms

DescriptionTape one of a recorded interview with Fortunato 'Fred' Marchese in Willagee, Western Australia, as part of a series titled 'History of the Australian Fishing Industry'. It contains information on Fred Marchese's early life and his father's occupation, the Rockingham Company, early types of fishing, Fremantle fish markets, grounds and seasons, settling of the craypots, fishing grounds, rock lobster season 1920 - 1930, dangers in fishing, loss of his brother, boat numbers pre WWII, boat building in Fremantle, types of construction, number of pots, poor returns, the Depression era and survival, crayfish prices, the market for shark, Abrolhos and Shark Bay, transport for the catch in ice, price of fish at the end of 1930s, involvement with Paddy Troy, working on the railways, return to the waterfront, unionism on the wharves, continuation of Paddy Troy, names of union officials and war service in Australian army.HistoryFred Marchese was a well known Fremantle identity and has close ties with many people in the fishing industry. Due to his excellent recollection he was a valuable source of information about the industry in Fremantle during the 1920s and '30s. Prior to his service in the Australian Army during World War II Fred Marchese worked in the West Australian fishing industry, both afloat and ashore. His father was also a fisherman and seafarer. Postwar, Marchese worked on the Fremantle waterfront and was a prominent member and committee man of what became the Painters' and Dockers' Union. He was a close associate of the late Paddy Troy, who's name will be long remembered in Fremantle. This recorded interview with Fred Marchese 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.