SHIPWRECKS I DIVED
In Western Australia
#Shipwrecks,#EricChristiansen, #Georgette, #SamIsaacs, #Dato, #Sepia, #Ben Cropp,
DIVING on the DRAGON's TREASURE
Memories can be like Dragons!
1656 WRECK OF THE GILT DRAGON
The beautiful, golden leafy sea dragon was so well camouflaged on the reef in the weeds, that as I looked away, it vanished.
Memories are like dragons. No matter how beautiful they are they disappear only to reappear, time and time again, as one ages and savors ones life's experiences, both beautiful and grotesque. |
I have a story to tell of another golden dragon, her name, given to her in the Netherlands 365 years ago, is ‘De Vergulde Draak’ (The Gilt Dragon). When I was introduced to her, she was a well camouflaged shipwreck, guarding her treasure, hidden on the reef in the weeds.
Now that I’m past my ‘Youth by date’ of three score and ten, I recognise a greater treasure is mine, awaiting me in Heaven.
Before my memories vanish from my mind, like the dragon and her treasure, have vanished from the reef, I should write a book!
But can I be bothered? Rex Woodmore (1945-????)
Now that I’m past my ‘Youth by date’ of three score and ten, I recognise a greater treasure is mine, awaiting me in Heaven.
Before my memories vanish from my mind, like the dragon and her treasure, have vanished from the reef, I should write a book!
But can I be bothered? Rex Woodmore (1945-????)
THERE COULD BE SHIPWRECKS
UNDER HOUSING ESTATES
In the 1960's I often used to snorkel near the old cable station in Cottesloe. Near the wreck site of the Elizabeth. There was all sorts of broken things lying trapped in the rocks, old bottles, eartheware olive jars etc. The museum new of several small cannon in the area and I am not sure if it was ever recorded or not but on a dive with a police diver I found yet another cannon. In 1938 workmen making a drive for sewerage work in North Street, North Cottesloe, Western Australia, found the remains of an old boat about 180 metres inland from the beach at a depth of 10 metres to 14 metres underground'? The boat, which was quite small, was stated to be riveted with copper nails, and only the corner of it was seen. But as the boat was not in the path of the drive, and there were no instructions to investigate further, the work was continued and the whole channel eventually covered in. Several other reports of wreckage in the Cottesloe area have not been confirmed because of shifting sand bottom.
The Elizabeth is believed to have had £7000 of silver coins on board. (Where are they?)
The Elizabeth is believed to have had £7000 of silver coins on board. (Where are they?)
WHO KNOWS WHAT TREASURE STILL AWAITS DISCOVERY?
Western Australia has many shipwrecks, some have been discovered, others await discovery. Some of these wrecks are known to have had cargoes of treasure that is now awaiting discovery at the bottom of the sea.
There could even be Pirate treasure and silver and gold coins awaiting detection in the pristine sands of our beautiful beaches or in the mud of reclaimed land now covered in housing.
I feel privileged to have dived on some of Western Australia's oldest known shipwrecks and blessed to still be around, over 50 years later, to share the memories of the adventures, I shared in the 1960's with other members of the Underwater Explorers Club of Western Australia (UECWA).
There could even be Pirate treasure and silver and gold coins awaiting detection in the pristine sands of our beautiful beaches or in the mud of reclaimed land now covered in housing.
I feel privileged to have dived on some of Western Australia's oldest known shipwrecks and blessed to still be around, over 50 years later, to share the memories of the adventures, I shared in the 1960's with other members of the Underwater Explorers Club of Western Australia (UECWA).
1876 GEORGETTE
Buried in The Sands of Time
“Gold! gold!...Over here Dad!... I’ve found gold!”
The ‘gold’ that the fourteen year old, daughter of Eric Christiansen, had discovered was in fact brass fittings, portholes, fire hose taps & fittings, highly polished by the abrasion of sand over a period of 90 years or so. In the shallow, crystal clear sunlit waters, the brass lay gleaming like gold against the pristine white sand of the seabed.
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Eric's painstaking research had paid off, they had discovered the wreck of the Georgette. Shortly afterwards Eric invited a group of his fellow members of the Western Australian Underwater Divers Club (of which I was one of the youngest members) to dive on the wreck with him. While on this UEC expedition, I was in the water when a small charge of gelignite was fired to dislodge a brass propeller from the wreck of the Georgette. Later I was told, by other members of the UEC, that it was donated to a hospital (?) and was put out the front on display. The ship was a twin prop vessel and the first prop had been damaged by an earlier attempt at retrieval. What happened to it, I don’t know. I do know that at least one fire hose tap, portholes (one with glass still intact) and other brass fittings quickly found their way into the private collections of some of the divers.
The explosives ‘’expert” on the day was Allan Robinson who was one of the first divers on the wreck of the Gilt Dragon. We all had complete confidence in Allan's ability and most of us remained in the water when the charge was detonated. The Prop came off cleanly, with no dead fish and no damage to the remaining rusted wreck.
The Western Australian Maritime Museum says the propellor was dragged to the shore, was left there and was lost. In recent times, they even used a magnetometer to search for it in the sand.
I was close to the members of the UEC and yet never heard what happened to the broken prop. I don’t think either of the two props would have been left there long enough to be ''lost''. I suspect it is quite likely the damaged prop became a souvenir of one of the divers and the other is still in the Busselton area, possibly covered in weeds in a garden somewhere..... (?)
If you know please contact me. Rex Woodmore: [email protected]
The explosives ‘’expert” on the day was Allan Robinson who was one of the first divers on the wreck of the Gilt Dragon. We all had complete confidence in Allan's ability and most of us remained in the water when the charge was detonated. The Prop came off cleanly, with no dead fish and no damage to the remaining rusted wreck.
The Western Australian Maritime Museum says the propellor was dragged to the shore, was left there and was lost. In recent times, they even used a magnetometer to search for it in the sand.
I was close to the members of the UEC and yet never heard what happened to the broken prop. I don’t think either of the two props would have been left there long enough to be ''lost''. I suspect it is quite likely the damaged prop became a souvenir of one of the divers and the other is still in the Busselton area, possibly covered in weeds in a garden somewhere..... (?)
If you know please contact me. Rex Woodmore: [email protected]
THE GEORGETTE NEWS! The propellor (screw)
Thanks to Tony Downe for contacting me. July 3rd 2014
In March 1964 as a 14 year old I was there when the prop was dragged onto the beach using a Massey Ferguson tractor provided by local machinery dealer Jim Nicholls.
I have a photograph of it sitting on the beach. I believe it is probably still there covered by sand. Tony Downe.
In March 1964 as a 14 year old I was there when the prop was dragged onto the beach using a Massey Ferguson tractor provided by local machinery dealer Jim Nicholls.
I have a photograph of it sitting on the beach. I believe it is probably still there covered by sand. Tony Downe.
My reply to Tony:
Thanks for that Tony. The ship was a twin prop vessel, but the museum don't mention that and did not bother to answer my mail when I told them.
The first prop (which may be the one you saw) was broken when a couple of UEC members retrieved it. I was not with them on that trip, but I was when the second one was retrieved. I was in the water when the explosive charge was detonated. The props were made of bronze & very valuable as scrap metal. That second prop was given by the UEC to someone.
Interestingly the museum say there were no bronze cannon on the Gilt Dragon, but there were & I touched at least one of them when I nearly drowned on it . The museum did not answer when I told them about it.
The first prop (which may be the one you saw) was broken when a couple of UEC members retrieved it. I was not with them on that trip, but I was when the second one was retrieved. I was in the water when the explosive charge was detonated. The props were made of bronze & very valuable as scrap metal. That second prop was given by the UEC to someone.
Interestingly the museum say there were no bronze cannon on the Gilt Dragon, but there were & I touched at least one of them when I nearly drowned on it . The museum did not answer when I told them about it.
THE GEORGETTE HAD TWIN PROPS
MUSEUM SAYS ''single screw steamer''
They make a point of saying it was:
QUOTE: “…a single screw steamer” and ‘’ the 4-bladed iron propeller …”
Most ships had only one propeller (single screw) ,
so why did the museum need to mention this fact?)
QUOTE: “…a single screw steamer” and ‘’ the 4-bladed iron propeller …”
Most ships had only one propeller (single screw) ,
so why did the museum need to mention this fact?)
Yet there were two props retrieved from the wreck, one broken & one complete. When I saw the complete one, it certainly looked like bronze to the UEC members (including me) who retrieved it from the wreck. Again on their website the museum reported:
EXCAVATION AND ARTIFACTS
In March 1964 the 4-bladed iron propeller (almost 3 m in diameter) from the Georgette was salvaged by divers, but was later lost when heavy seas buried it under sand on the beach. The bell from the Georgette is on display at the Augusta Historical Museum.
Located by members of the UEC, its engine was dismantled for the brass fittings and in March 1964 a propeller removed and dragged ashore, only to be lost. Despite a magnetometer search led by J. Green it has not been found. The bell is in the Augusta museum.
EXCAVATION AND ARTIFACTS
In March 1964 the 4-bladed iron propeller (almost 3 m in diameter) from the Georgette was salvaged by divers, but was later lost when heavy seas buried it under sand on the beach. The bell from the Georgette is on display at the Augusta Historical Museum.
Located by members of the UEC, its engine was dismantled for the brass fittings and in March 1964 a propeller removed and dragged ashore, only to be lost. Despite a magnetometer search led by J. Green it has not been found. The bell is in the Augusta museum.
BRONZE- VALUABLE SCRAP METAL
If my fellow members of the UEC dismantled the engine for the brass, it is inconceivable that a bronze propeller was not recovered for scrap!
What did happen was that the brass fittings, fire hose taps, portholes (some still with glass intact) and other things were souvenired by UEC members. This was at the time quite legal, but when the Shipwrecks act came into force, these items should have been taken to the museum where they were recorded and returned to the finders with value adding Museum certification. However I know of one artifact (a brass fire hose tap) that was found but did not get to the museum, because it was lost again :-(
What did happen was that the brass fittings, fire hose taps, portholes (some still with glass intact) and other things were souvenired by UEC members. This was at the time quite legal, but when the Shipwrecks act came into force, these items should have been taken to the museum where they were recorded and returned to the finders with value adding Museum certification. However I know of one artifact (a brass fire hose tap) that was found but did not get to the museum, because it was lost again :-(
ACCORDING TO MUSEUM OF WA
A survivor of the wreck of the Georgette, Annie Simpson, said:
"Just then another big wave struck the lifeboat and threw it against the ship's side. It broke clean in half from end to end, and I shall never forget the awful screams that went up. All in a few seconds we were struggling in the water and it was then that most of the lives were lost. I floated out on my back, saw the broken boat turn over and float away, and saw the Georgette for the last time".
1st Dec 1876. The Georgette was wrecked at Calgardup Bay near the mouth of the Margaret River. Sam Isaacs, an Aboriginal stockman who worked on the Bussell family Margaret River property. Witnessed the tragedy from a cliff top and he galloped his horse to the homestead and raised the alarm. Then Sam and 16-year-old Grace Bussell rode into the sea to rescue many men, women and children from the raging surf. This courageous act by these two people, made the Georgette one of the most memorable shipwreck events in the history of Western Australia.
"Just then another big wave struck the lifeboat and threw it against the ship's side. It broke clean in half from end to end, and I shall never forget the awful screams that went up. All in a few seconds we were struggling in the water and it was then that most of the lives were lost. I floated out on my back, saw the broken boat turn over and float away, and saw the Georgette for the last time".
1st Dec 1876. The Georgette was wrecked at Calgardup Bay near the mouth of the Margaret River. Sam Isaacs, an Aboriginal stockman who worked on the Bussell family Margaret River property. Witnessed the tragedy from a cliff top and he galloped his horse to the homestead and raised the alarm. Then Sam and 16-year-old Grace Bussell rode into the sea to rescue many men, women and children from the raging surf. This courageous act by these two people, made the Georgette one of the most memorable shipwreck events in the history of Western Australia.
31 January 1877
H.C. Barrett a newspaper journalist produced the following account: The boat swamped, they were all in the water, and in the greatest danger, when, on the top of the steep cliff appeared a young lady on horseback. Those who were present have told me that they did not think that a horse could come down that cliff, but down that dangerous place this young lady rode at speed; there were lives to be saved, and, with the same fearless and chivalrous bravery that urged Grace Darling to peril her life for fellow creations, and gave her a name in all English history thereafter, Grace Bussell rode down that cliff, urged her horse into boiling surf, and out beyond the second line of roaring breakers, till she reached the boat where the women and children were in such peril. Her horse stumbled over the rope and she was nearly lost, but managed to get alongside the boat, and then with as many women and children clinging to her and the horse as possible, she made for the shore and landed them. A man was left on the boat, and he could not get to shore till Miss Bussell sent her black servant on horseback to aid him. So furious was the surf that it took four hours to land 50 people, and every boat engaged was capsized.
By today’s standards the way the journalist spoke of Sam Isaacs is politically incorrect. Both Sam Isaacs and Grace Bussell were equal heroes, but sadly to Barrett, Sam was Grace's 'black servant'.
Today the role that Sam played in the rescue is fully acknowledged. Grace's legend lives on in Gracetown on the coast north of Margaret River and also in Lake Grace.
H.C. Barrett a newspaper journalist produced the following account: The boat swamped, they were all in the water, and in the greatest danger, when, on the top of the steep cliff appeared a young lady on horseback. Those who were present have told me that they did not think that a horse could come down that cliff, but down that dangerous place this young lady rode at speed; there were lives to be saved, and, with the same fearless and chivalrous bravery that urged Grace Darling to peril her life for fellow creations, and gave her a name in all English history thereafter, Grace Bussell rode down that cliff, urged her horse into boiling surf, and out beyond the second line of roaring breakers, till she reached the boat where the women and children were in such peril. Her horse stumbled over the rope and she was nearly lost, but managed to get alongside the boat, and then with as many women and children clinging to her and the horse as possible, she made for the shore and landed them. A man was left on the boat, and he could not get to shore till Miss Bussell sent her black servant on horseback to aid him. So furious was the surf that it took four hours to land 50 people, and every boat engaged was capsized.
By today’s standards the way the journalist spoke of Sam Isaacs is politically incorrect. Both Sam Isaacs and Grace Bussell were equal heroes, but sadly to Barrett, Sam was Grace's 'black servant'.
Today the role that Sam played in the rescue is fully acknowledged. Grace's legend lives on in Gracetown on the coast north of Margaret River and also in Lake Grace.
1656 VERGULDE DRAECK (GILT DRAGON)
Read about it on seperate page:
Gilt Dragon ------- I Called Out
I ALMOST GOT TO DIVE ON THE BATAVIA!
The find of the Gilt Dragon which I did dive on a couple of times,was followed by Author, Hugh Edwards’ expedition, to dive on the 1629 Batavia on the Abrolhos Islands. The flat barren islands were the site of mutiny, murder, mayhem and the first known European structure in Australia a low wall to form a ‘fort’ for protection from murderous thugs.
The trip was very successful with the find of skeletons on shore and cannon in the water. But for me a disappointing time because although I was invited to go, I couldn’t get time off from work.
The adventure became a classic book by Hugh called ‘The Islands of Angry Ghosts’ which mentions the names of my many of my fellow UEC members (Including my best friend Graham Hill and his brother Bill and the author Hugh Edwards himself).
The trip was very successful with the find of skeletons on shore and cannon in the water. But for me a disappointing time because although I was invited to go, I couldn’t get time off from work.
The adventure became a classic book by Hugh called ‘The Islands of Angry Ghosts’ which mentions the names of my many of my fellow UEC members (Including my best friend Graham Hill and his brother Bill and the author Hugh Edwards himself).
The closest I got to the wreck of the Batavia was when the UEC had an exhibition in the Perth Town Hall and three of us volunteered as night watchmen. The news papers ran an article on us, surrounded by treasures, sleeping next to the skeleton.
Adding to the mystique of the Zuytdorp wreck, was that it lay at the base of the cliffs of Murchison House Station, owned by one of the wealthiest men in the world at the time, Prince 'Jah' the former Nizam of Hyderabad, who through his Indian grandmother, was a descendant of the one Muslim’s refer to as the Prophet Mohammed.
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The infamous Abalone fishermen, Brian, Ray and Peter Mickelberg, used to visit Prince Jah at Murchison House station where they would dive and share, their Crayfish with the Prince. The wreck and adjacent land was declared off limits to all, apart from our Government Maritime Archaeologists. 70% of the coins and Prince Jah vanished.
Prince Jah’s yacht ‘The Kalbarri’ like that of Jacques Cousteau’s Calypso was a former minesweeper converted into a luxury dive boat. It was the largest private motor "yacht" in the southern hemisphere. At 41.5 metres long, it practically the same as the Gilt Dragon believed to be 41.8 metres long.
In the 1990's new owners of the boat found secret compartments ideal for hiding small objects such as: Some say, silver shipwreck coins from Australia, others say gems and jewelry smuggled from Hyderabad.
In 2017 children playing in a cave, on the property, found a ‘Treasure Chest’ a metal box containing a sawn off shotgun and a WW2 machine gun.
The oldest known wreck in Australia the British ship Tryall (Also sometimes spelt Trial or Tryal). UEC divers found the 1622 wreck on the Montebello Islands (The site of Atomic Bomb tests). The rumored treasure of tiny gold ‘Spangles’ either didn’t exist or disappeared from the wreck and from the ‘official’ accounts. I was in the army and missed out on the trip, but I was told a single gold spangle was found.
THE DATO Wrecked 1893
When in about 1963 as an 18yr old, I dived a couple of times on the Dato with the UEC, she lay, looking like a big clinker built dinghy, upside down in the silt. It was hard to inspect her because the silt quickly became a thick cloud that reduced the visibility to practically zero. I did manage see a big hole that we were told had been smashed in the side by some Italian salvage divers.
Originally named Ekenäs and built in Finland, the Dato was a small vessel with only one deck. In 1893 after delivering a cargo of coal to Fremantle from New South Wales, the brig was reloaded with a full cargo of 400 loads of jarrah paving blocks destined for the streets of London. Before departing, on 27th February she was struck by a ferocious gale with the strongest winds and highest seas seen in the area for twenty years that drove the Dato ashore. The vessel lost its mainmast and then almost sank about a kilometre offshore.
Classified as a wreck she was bought by Yelverton and Reid, who patched her up, pumped out the water and salvaged the jarrah blocks. The vessel was then sold as a hulk & for a while was used as a floating explosives store. Eventually the rotten old ship sank in Careening Bay, Garden Island, where it is supposed to now rest. I heard that when the Navy took over Garden Island, they dragged the wreck (which was protected under the Museum’s Shipwreck act) onto the beach & dredged the area for submarines. The Island was closed to the public & had both U.S. & Australian personnel on it.
When I did a refresher SCUBA course, with Malibu Dive Club in Rockingham, my buddy diver, a local resident of the area, said that he and a friend were in a dinghy and when their motor stalled they drifted onto the Island where they saw the wreck on the beach. But they were quickly surrounded by aggressive, armed navy personnel, who interrogated them about their reason for being on the Island. Satisfied with their explanation they assisted them in getting the boat going and let them leave.
They were glad to get off the Island.
Originally named Ekenäs and built in Finland, the Dato was a small vessel with only one deck. In 1893 after delivering a cargo of coal to Fremantle from New South Wales, the brig was reloaded with a full cargo of 400 loads of jarrah paving blocks destined for the streets of London. Before departing, on 27th February she was struck by a ferocious gale with the strongest winds and highest seas seen in the area for twenty years that drove the Dato ashore. The vessel lost its mainmast and then almost sank about a kilometre offshore.
Classified as a wreck she was bought by Yelverton and Reid, who patched her up, pumped out the water and salvaged the jarrah blocks. The vessel was then sold as a hulk & for a while was used as a floating explosives store. Eventually the rotten old ship sank in Careening Bay, Garden Island, where it is supposed to now rest. I heard that when the Navy took over Garden Island, they dragged the wreck (which was protected under the Museum’s Shipwreck act) onto the beach & dredged the area for submarines. The Island was closed to the public & had both U.S. & Australian personnel on it.
When I did a refresher SCUBA course, with Malibu Dive Club in Rockingham, my buddy diver, a local resident of the area, said that he and a friend were in a dinghy and when their motor stalled they drifted onto the Island where they saw the wreck on the beach. But they were quickly surrounded by aggressive, armed navy personnel, who interrogated them about their reason for being on the Island. Satisfied with their explanation they assisted them in getting the boat going and let them leave.
They were glad to get off the Island.
THE SEPIA Wrecked 1898
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One beautiful object preserved aboard the sunken Sepia was a piece of Satin glass.This particular style of dipped glass with applique was popular in late 19th Century and appeared in the Great Exhibitions of Europe and London. Other examples of this piece of blue glass were being produced in Sturbridge and Birmingham, and almost identical pieces are valued at around $5000 dollars today.
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While visiting Fremantle in Western Australia, with a mixed cargo of goods from London & travelling at ten knots on the evening of 28th December 1898, the Sepia, a three-masted barque, struck a submerged rock at the edge of Five Fathom Bank and sank in about 30 feet (10 meters) of water. The speed she sank (in under ten minutes) and heavy seas, the waves crashed over the vessel and the cargo burst through the hatches, making the task of rescuing the 12 crew difficult.
When I dived on the wreck, two or three times in around 1963, most of the vessel was buried in the sand. My buddy divers & I would fan the sand with our hands to reveal broken blue & white willow pattern china, green & white glassware, corked clear glass jars (still with recognisable, red peppers & pieces of cauliflower) and crates of green bottles that, when uncorked frothed out with a foul methane stench. We thought it was rotten Champagne, but I am told that it was more likely to have been beer. The Underwater Explores Club (UEC) removed a Grind stone and donated it to the farming family whose grand-parents or perhaps great-grandparents, had ordered it from England for grinding flour. Interestingly they already had in their possession an identical replacement grindstone that had come on a later ship.
It was on the wreck of the Sepia that I discovered that when underwater red blood appears as green. At the time, it was a bit disconcerting to see a cloud of green stuff billowing from my hand. I cut it on a small glass bowl similar to one in the museum collection (but broken) worth $5000.00
Aided by the saltwater the cut soon healed. Much faster than cuts from coral that can be full of all sorts of bacteria and often become badly infected.
When I dived on the wreck, two or three times in around 1963, most of the vessel was buried in the sand. My buddy divers & I would fan the sand with our hands to reveal broken blue & white willow pattern china, green & white glassware, corked clear glass jars (still with recognisable, red peppers & pieces of cauliflower) and crates of green bottles that, when uncorked frothed out with a foul methane stench. We thought it was rotten Champagne, but I am told that it was more likely to have been beer. The Underwater Explores Club (UEC) removed a Grind stone and donated it to the farming family whose grand-parents or perhaps great-grandparents, had ordered it from England for grinding flour. Interestingly they already had in their possession an identical replacement grindstone that had come on a later ship.
It was on the wreck of the Sepia that I discovered that when underwater red blood appears as green. At the time, it was a bit disconcerting to see a cloud of green stuff billowing from my hand. I cut it on a small glass bowl similar to one in the museum collection (but broken) worth $5000.00
Aided by the saltwater the cut soon healed. Much faster than cuts from coral that can be full of all sorts of bacteria and often become badly infected.
1959 Underwater Adventure began for me.
“For adventure we’ve selected Sea Hunt’ The story of a skindiver. Staring Lloyd Bridges as Mike Nelson”
My mate Graham Hill and I were hooked! With our black rubber masks, snorkels and flippers we were instantly transformed into Mike Nelson look-alikes. In our eyes, we were visions of manliness, handsome, muscular, hairy-chested, suntanned heroes.
(Youthful imagination is indeed a wonderful thing).
(Youthful imagination is indeed a wonderful thing).
Boyhood dreams are wonderful and even more so when they come true! We headed off to the beach with dreams of sharks, octopus and diving on shipwrecks and treasure chests full of pieces of eight. Little did we know that our dreams would one day, one after the other, come true.
We became the youngest members The Underwater Explorers club (UEC). Our training was excellent and it wasn't long before we were diving on shipwrecks with experienced divers. Many wrecks were discovered by UEC members. We had the state of the art underwater breathing equipment. (Not to be confused with a smoking implement or worse). It was called a ‘hookah’
Compared to today’s technology, the hookah was not much better than a lawnmower motor, an air compressor and a garden hose. Nevertheless, we could breathe at 30 meters (100 feet) or more with it.
I was digging out old beer bottles from the 1898 wreck of the Sepia, when I became woozy, my head spun and stomach churned. The wind had changed and I sucked in the exhaust. Rather than throw up in my mouthpiece (Which is not very pleasant) I headed back up. As I climbed into the boat Allan Robinson said “Are you okay Rex? You look like you’ve been drinking the beer in those bottles down there!” (The drinking age in those days was 21 and I was only 17). A Police diver, Dennis Parker, was grinning at me and said in his official Police voice
“I hope you haven’t been on the grog young man!”
When we opened the bottles of beer they frothed all over the deck and smelled like vile swamp water. I had a reputation for never getting seasick, so I fought back the urge to hang over the side and ‘chuckle’ at the water.
I survived the exhaust fumes, had many more accidents and continued looking for that elusive treasure!
Eventually I was given a bible and there I found the greatest of treasure. Like all good treasure maps, the treasure is marked with a cross.
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for your selves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21
For me the Gilt Dragon treasure has paled into insignificance.
A greater treasure is mine. My Treasure is in Heaven!
The End!
We became the youngest members The Underwater Explorers club (UEC). Our training was excellent and it wasn't long before we were diving on shipwrecks with experienced divers. Many wrecks were discovered by UEC members. We had the state of the art underwater breathing equipment. (Not to be confused with a smoking implement or worse). It was called a ‘hookah’
Compared to today’s technology, the hookah was not much better than a lawnmower motor, an air compressor and a garden hose. Nevertheless, we could breathe at 30 meters (100 feet) or more with it.
I was digging out old beer bottles from the 1898 wreck of the Sepia, when I became woozy, my head spun and stomach churned. The wind had changed and I sucked in the exhaust. Rather than throw up in my mouthpiece (Which is not very pleasant) I headed back up. As I climbed into the boat Allan Robinson said “Are you okay Rex? You look like you’ve been drinking the beer in those bottles down there!” (The drinking age in those days was 21 and I was only 17). A Police diver, Dennis Parker, was grinning at me and said in his official Police voice
“I hope you haven’t been on the grog young man!”
When we opened the bottles of beer they frothed all over the deck and smelled like vile swamp water. I had a reputation for never getting seasick, so I fought back the urge to hang over the side and ‘chuckle’ at the water.
I survived the exhaust fumes, had many more accidents and continued looking for that elusive treasure!
Eventually I was given a bible and there I found the greatest of treasure. Like all good treasure maps, the treasure is marked with a cross.
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for your selves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21
For me the Gilt Dragon treasure has paled into insignificance.
A greater treasure is mine. My Treasure is in Heaven!
The End!
Email Rex Woodmore: [email protected]