Melanie Doyle and Latoya Woibo aboard Pelican 1
Extract from Peter Malcolm's diary
Sept 8 2005
I fly to Cairns. Garry, Lara and Colin collect me from the airport. Pelican is looking pristine, a white expedition flagship resting peacefully in Marlin Marina. It's a day of checking in, discussing & coordinating project plans. We start the filming of the project with an interview with Garry, standing on the wharf, Pelican in the background.
Thursday early morning. After an enthralling flight over coral atolls and lagoons to Cooktown, I'm picked up by Carl in dreadlocks, a non-indigenous outstation supply organiser for Hope Vale. 30 mins over red dirt roads and we see the Community of Hope Vale appear amongst the lush, tropical, rain forested hills of the Guugu Yimidhirr people's country.
Hope Vale is a flat township of about 1000 people with a church, hospital, old people's home, Council building, supermarket, post office, and various utility sheds. There are roundabouts on many of the street crossings in a cleared landscape, but not much else. It is barren socially. It has no cafes, teahouses, nor pubs (it’'s a dry Community and alcohol is not sold here). The first buildings we pass are the brand new police station compound which stands in stark contrast to the more rundown residential homes of the township.
I meet up with Estelle and stay two nights with her and her husband Des Bowen. They had 6 children, 3 older and 3 younger, two of the younger ones Mark, their only son and then Coraleen, who wrote to us in 1999, have taken their lives. I cannot even imagine what pain they have been through and how hard it is to come to terms with this and heal. Around their living room wall are pictures of their two lost ones.
Outside the supermarket and post office there's a few Elders sitting around a shade tree. Estelle introduces me to them. Their wizened faces show hard lives and no doubt incredible life stories. People seem to know who I am and what we're up to. There's a feeling of sincere welcome. The Hope Vale Council give me permission to film around the Community. They also inform Estelle and I that already our project has started opening doors. A tour guide company has offered a possible trainee ship for a Hope Vale youngster. We get stuck into project planning. Together with some others from the Community they have been organising who goes on which trips, buses, transport, food and logistics etc for the longer voyage.
I travel up to Hummock Beach with Carl to check it out. This is a 6-hour return, extreme 4-wheel drive experience. We find a incredible beach with no easy anchorages and a resident 6m croc! Garry needs to make the final decisions about where he is happy to anchor Pelican. I suggest he does a reccy by dinghy.
Captains Log
September 9 21:05
We depart Marlin Marina in Cairns and head north. We have 7 people on board, Colin Fry as mate, Raf Heale, Adrian Morgan, Paul Morton, and Estelle Kefford as deck crew, Greg Duthie as chef and myself. Adrian and Paul are joining us on behalf of project sponsors the ANZ Bank. It very soon becomes obvious they are experienced sailors and they fit right in with the rest of the crew beautifully.
Peter Malcolm arrived yesterday and as expedition leader, has flown on to Hope Vale, to sit down with community Elders and work out details of the project for the coming weeks. We motor out of Cairns on a perfectly still evening. We can see fireworks over the city and joke that they are in celebration of the launch of our project. Secretly we are all nervous and excited about the coming days.
A beautiful calm evening with light winds. We sail for part of the night and motor sail the rest. Cape Tribulation and the Daintree slip by on our port side in the early morning light. By midday we are approaching Cooktown and shortly after we are tied up at the main wharf.
All the towns folk, when they hear about the project, are incredibly supportive. They go out of their way to help us. This includes John the harbour master, Rex and Bev from Cooks Landing, Sam and Allan from National Parks and David, and Carl, and others who work in various capacities at Hope Vale. We are made to feel very welcome in town by all and sundry. Lara who was with us on the recent Solomon's voyage has been employed to support the project as driver and community liaison by the Queensland dept of Community. Her knowledge of the community makes her a valuable part of the team. She will be helping to transport people from Hope Vale to our base of operations at Hummock beach. The event is growing and will now include about a hundred people from Hope Vale camping on their traditional land at Hummock beach and doing day sails.
Pete arrives at the boat with Estelle and Des Bowen (Coraleen's parents). They are the Elders and organizers of the expedition from the Hope Vale end. After a meeting in the shade of the central deck we are agreed on the basic plan and will improvise the rest. The logistics of shifting more than fifty people to a remote beach camp by sailing vessel and four wheel drive vehicles, accommodating them and feeding them is a big task. Many will get there by their own means. All are excited by the opportunity to gather traditional foods and by spending time in their traditional country.
Pelican's role will be to take people to other sites and to operate as a base for fishing and diving. Our brief is to support the Elders to work with teens and pre-teens and to provide an inspirational basis for looking at some of the issues that they are forced to deal with in their lives.
Aboriginal communities can be difficult places for people to grow up. Historically these communities have often been created for the convenience of white bureaucracies. Hope Vale itself became a place to house people from a wide area of Cape York as they were shifted off their land. Today they inherit many problems stemming from Australia's failure to understand and support their diverse community in positive ways. This legacy manifests itself in the form of elevated rates of unemployment, violence, illness, depression and tragically suicide amongst young people. It was these issues which resulted in our team being invited into the community way back in 1999. In 2005 we are back with the support of the ANZ Bank and we intend to make this an annual event in support of the community
Sept 11 10:00
Estelle (Bowen) has asked us to use the first two days to take groups of people from the community sailing. In particular, those who may not be able to make it to the camp at Hummock beach. We have decided to limit numbers aboard Pelican to a total of 25. We believe that this will allow us to facilitate much more direct participation. For the same reason we have a large crew, now at 8, with the inclusion of Peter. Our crew to community ratio enables us to train people on the spot and soon they are sailing Pelican themselves. Although hesitant at first their smiling faces as they master the many small tasks tell us that this is the way to go.
Melanie Doyle and Latoya Woibo aboard Pelican 1
Our first day involves a sail to Egret Reef about 11 miles east of Cooktown. We anchor for a BBQ lunch and a spot of swimming and snorkeling. The screams of delight as kids launch themselves off Pelican's rear deck echo across the reef. Some of the older ones try their hand at spear fishing but are unlucky on this occasion. Several times on the return journey hats or thongs are lost over the side. This gives us an opportunity to practice person overboard drills. On every occasion we are able to recover the items quickly with community members performing all tasks. By the time we return to Cooktown we are pretty much one crew and all beaming.
The following day we do two trips and take the same approach but this time honing it a little with what we learned the day before. We get to meet many more people from Hope Vale, including Coraleen's sisters. There are some emotional moments as Peter shows them the letter that Coraleen sent to us and which resulted in our involvement in this project. They talk to us about Coraleen, about their lives and about Hope Vale. We feel very close as though Coraleen's invitation, taken up by us after her tragic death, links us with the family in some profound way.
Again by the end of the second sail we are happy but exhausted and fall into bed early. We have arranged a 6 am start the following morning when we will take the first group to Lizard Island.
Sept 13 09:05
We depart Cook's Landing after some last minute shopping for food and also traditional fish spears. Spears had been left behind at Hope Vale and now had to be purchased new from the tourist shop. The ones we purchase are actually made in Hope Vale. This is possibly one of the rare occasions that such items have been purchased from such a shop with the intent of using them for fishing as opposed to hanging on some wall somewhere.
We head out of Endeavour River and set a course for Lizard Island. Our late start has conspired with an almost total calm. Both engines must be employed to ensure our arrival at Lizard before dark. Offloading 20 people and setting up camp in the dark is not something I want to see happen. I wonder aloud if the extra fuel being used now will leave us short at the other end of the expedition. One of the boys standing at the wheel, steering, asks me who we call when we run out of fuel. I look at him and reply that we don't run out of fuel, because we plan in advance how we will use it. He regards it as inevitable that we will run out of fuel and almost automatically looks around for someone to bail him out. I wonder silently if we can help him to a greater sense of power and control over his own destiny or whether I am just some honky white guy imposing his mind set on an innocent bystander.
Many of the faces aboard are familiar to me from our time here last year. In particular Jazzmin who sailed with us to Thursday Island and many of the Bowen family. Looking at the young people I see many things. With people I got to know a bit last year I note the passage of time. On the face of one young girl I can sense some hardship, something that was not there last year. Something that a young girl should not have to endure. For the moment we are sailing and that is enough. The task of getting to know people well will take much longer.
As we pass Cape Flattery Des hauls up the first of two beautiful mackerel. The second one, by Deon is even bigger and comes aboard before we reach Lizard. We now have enough fish for everyone on board for a couple of meals.
Jazzmin Bowen with the mackerel caught by he and Deon
Deeral
The anchorage at Lizard is sensational. There are about 20 boats from 28 footers to cruise ships. Amazingly there is still room for more to cram into this beautiful anchorage. We make our way inside the other boats to a patch of sand just off the campsite at the northern end of the beach in Watson's Bay. Within minutes we have the inflatable's in the water and everyone ashore with their gear. Greg goes ashore with boxes of implements and food to prepare a meal. Everyone settles in for the night. Peter, Adrian, Paul, Raf and Estelle stay ashore to mix in with the Hope Vale group and to support their camp set up. By the light of a three quarter moon the rest of us make our way back to the boat with a stomach full of mackerel and smiles on our faces.
The next day Peter arranges visits to the research station and to the resort. It's a grueling walk to the research station in the midday heat on a hot sandy track. Dr Anne H helps us out by picking up the Elders and the younger kids in her 4WD. They are happy to show us around and talk at length about their operations. The resort is very positive about participating in schemes that would encourage young people from Hope Vale to seek training and employment with them. We believe that part of the key to making our work here a success is getting the young people access to opportunities and ultimately employment. Peter also approaches a large cruise ship anchored in the bay with the idea but is referred to the management office in Cairns by the skipper.
September 15 06:00
At first light I stumble on deck and notice that the Hope Vale mob are all packed up with their gear waiting for us on the beach. The previous night the whitey's had returned to Pelican to leave the others to their own devices. Something about the passage of time has changed everything overnight. I have the sense that people have finally landed here. This is a special place for them and this morning they seem more relaxed and happier as they wait for us to get ourselves together. We explode into action and within the space of about 40 minutes are all aboard and ready to go. We steam out of Watson's Bay and set a course for Hummock Beach. We plan to drop this mob off and return this afternoon with a second group.
Aboard Pelican there is a relaxed atmosphere. Akon is playing at volume on the central deck. No, someone has just changed it, and now it's Bob Marley. Small groups are sitting in conversation at various points around the boat. We are motor sailing, down wind, in beautiful calm conditions. Sam from National Parks has just contacted us on the VHF from Hummock Beach. He is conducting a turtle tagging program there and plans to involve some of the youth from Hope Vale. He offers to fill the mob at Hummock Beach in on what we are doing and to scout an anchorage for us to load and unload. All is Good.
Lizard Island is situated about 50 nautical miles north east of Cooktown. It is known as Dyiigurra or Stingray to the Dingaal Aboriginal People with the main island forming the body and the outlying islands nearby forming the tail. It is a sacred place and in the past has been used for important ceremonial business. The Bama (local Gugu Yirmirthirr word meaning Aboriginal People) also traveled here regularly in small canoes to hunt dugong, turtle and fish. Today it houses an exclusive resort and a research station. Watson’s Bay on its northwestern side provides an excellent anchorage and is popular with yachties and charter cruise operators.
Pelican 1 in the anchorage at Watson's Bay. Bama swimming in foreground.
Swimming from Pelican in Watson's Bay. The site of Mrs Watson's cottage in
background.
Watson’s Bay is named after a couple who used the island as a base to fish for beche-de-mer (sea slug). In 1879 the Watson’s built a stone hut behind the beach. One day when Captain Robert Watson had been away collecting the sea slug for over a month, one of their two chinese servants failed to return from the garden. He was never seen again. Later the second servant was ambushed and speared before escaping badly wounded, back to the hut. Mary Watson, her baby and the wounded servant then escaped from the island in a beche-de-mer boiling tub, which they launched from the beach. They were at the mercy of the SE trade winds and had a near stranding on a reef where they were pursued by another group of Bama. They eventually came ashore on Watson Island where they perished from thirst. Mary Watson’s diary and the tub found with the bodies some months later can still be seen in the Brisbane museum.
The sailing guide (Cruising the Coral Coast by Alan Lucas) suggests that the aboriginal ceremonial site discovered in the 1970’s near Captain Cooks lookout (on the islands summit 358 meters above Watson’s bay) may explain the attacks. The island was used for ceremonial purposes connected with rights of passage for young men. In this light our hope of using the island as part of a modern right of passage each year with young people from Hope vale feels right.
Des Bowen tells his version of the story to the young traditional owners of the island (Dingaal) who were among our first group from Hope Vale. He says the Bama speared the Chinese to eat him. This is related very matter of fact by Des without judgment or question. The young people nod thoughtfully.
Sept 15 11:00
On the way to Hammock Beach from Lizard Island Des tells Peter, about a dream he had on the Island. In his dream some of the old people come to him. They tell him not only is there three living generations of his people involved but they (the ancestors) are also here. They are pleased about what is happening and in fact they are taking over from now on. Des is serene as he recounts the dream. He has nothing invested in our response but he radiates confidence that was absent before. For myself the apparent change of attitude described in the log the day before suddenly makes sense. People have indeed landed here in ways that I am only just beginning to understand. The project seems to run like clockwork from here on.
Operating on a Lee Coast (The east side of Cape York during the SE Trades) can be difficult and uncomfortable. Picking up people and dropping them off involves anchoring just off a beach and transporting people and gear back and forth in the dinghy’s. The SE trades are blowing a steady 20 to 30 knots on shore and we must often negotiate a significant beach break whilst trying to keep the gear dry. Pelican’s central deck is bulging with swags, bags and camping gear and it takes many trips to deliver it. Colin, and Raf, launch, load, retrieve and operate the inflatable's without mishap in difficult circumstances. Everyone else works together forming chains at either end to load and unload gear. At Hammock beach members of the Hope Vale community bring their own tinnies out to help load and transport gear and people. I note that they drive them with skill, precision and care.
We learn that the complex negotiations over where to base the beach camp for the project were about country, traditional ownership, and permissions. It depends on what ownership rights, permissions or blessings people have in relation to different parts of coastal land. This is driven by the complex interpersonal and family relationships between the various groups from Hope Vale and elsewhere. We had eventually agreed with the community on the south end of Hammock Beach as the main campsite despite a lack of shelter for Pelican. This is where we unload our first group and pick up our second.
En-route to Lizard Island
Sept 15 18:40
We arrive back at Lizard Island with our second group. The Bama settle in quickly and become an almost constant presence on the beach swimming and spearing fish with traditional spears. This draws occasional comment from tourists who are unaware of their traditional food gathering rights. It is also an issue which highlights a potential conflict of interests between us and the Bama.
As an organization committed to environmental sustainability Pelican Expeditions has decided not to allow turtle or dugong hunting from any of our vessels. Current research tells us that local populations of turtle and dugong are in decline. Many factors contribute to this including loss of habitat, increased marine traffic, environmental degradation from chemical run off and silting, boat strikes, fishing industry by-catch and indigenous hunting. Heated debate surrounds the evaluation of the research data and it’s interpretation particularly with regard to the indigenous catch.
Hope Vale has a management plan in place for turtle and dugong but again much debate surrounds the design, implementation, and enforcement of the plan. The best turtles to eat at this time of the year are the large females, (breeding stock). They are fat and healthy before the breeding season. These are the ones targeted for the pot at Hammock Beach. Traditionally they were hunted from dugout canoes but a tinny with a 60 hp outboard means that most animals located and targeted can be caught and hauled aboard.
The Bama though not responsible for this population decline are contributing to it within the current situation. The only way that this can be effectively addressed is with the participation and support of the coastal indigenous communities. This is already beginning to happen with the implementation of management plans such as the one at Hope Vale but more work needs to be done.
At Hammock Beach park ranger Sam Debella and turtle researcher Ian Bell from Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service are attempting to involve young men from Hope Vale in a turtle study, tagging and release program. If successful this could utilize their knowledge and ability in catching turtles and involve them directly in research documenting their declining populations. It could combine the thrill of the chase and capture, with the benefit of a scientific perspective. Programs of this nature provide a positive way to bring aboriginal communities on side and share information. Only self-regulation from within the indigenous communities will effectively address issues of sustainable harvesting of traditional foods.
Unloading people and gear at Hammock Beach on a calm day
One day at Hammock Beach, Peter asks Des whether we can release a large female Green turtle that is sitting in the heat in a tinny after being captured that morning. Des agrees to the release, so Paul films Des and Peter dragging this potential egg layer down to the beach. Peter says he will not forget the sudden spark in her old eyes when she realised she was free again. This was a poignant moment, demonstrating that there is room for compromise in this passionate debate
Sept 16 21:00
Lizard Island. After a communal meal of fish and salad at the camp we are invited to a corroboree on the beach by the young boys and girls. They are keen to show us their moves, taught to them by the elders. The whole camp comes down for the event, which is hilarious. Everyone is shouting encouragement. In the light of a dozen torches the young boys and girls perform a short series of traditional dances. The young men direct from the sidelines and provide percussion backing. Pretty soon the whiteys are dragged up and encouraged to join in which brings even more laughter from everyone.
As we make our way back to the boat, I’m thinking what great potential for story telling, performance and cultural re-invention. I imagine the creation of a performance event based on traditional input from the Elders and traditional owners as well as techniques provided by artists brought in to work with the community. The whole event incorporated somehow into a right of passage for the young people of Hope Vale. Lying in my bunk that night my mind is racing with possibilities. Perhaps we could develop it into a traveling show and take it on the road aboard Pelican to other coastal communities. Peter is also enthusiastic and as a trained facilitator of, rights of passage events, has heaps of ideas. Together we agree to pursue the ideas in discussion with the community Elders.
Sept 17 07:00
People are all packed up and waiting on the beach again. Together we swing into action, like a well-oiled machine and within 40 minutes everyone and their gear are aboard and ready for the return sail of 30 nautical miles to Hammock Beach. As always the fishing spots on Pelican’s stern are fully occupied and again we catch enough fish, mostly mackerel to feed everyone for a couple of days.
The Hammock Beach bus service
After dropping people off at Hammock Beach we seek shelter for the night behind Murdoch Island. Peter, Paul and Adrian stay with the Bama at Hammock while Lara and Savanah come aboard for a night at anchor away from the dust and sand flies at the camp. Lara and I reccy the Howick and Jeanie rivers the following morning in the inflatable but fail to find a better campsite and anchorage. Reluctantly we return to the lee shore at Hammock to pick up the next group for a day sail. We take them out to Coquet Island in the Howick Group and anchor in the lee of the island for lunch.
Sept 19 10:00
We drop anchor just off the beach at Fresh Water several miles north of Hammock Beach. This is a good place to load and unload due to a break in the fringing coral. Here we can access the land at any tide, provided we are able to deal with the on shore winds and the surf breaking directly on to the beach. We load up once again with people for a two-day trip to Ninian Bay. The bay is sheltered from the SE trades, which are now blowing a constant 25 to 30 knots. We have a beautiful sail up the coast covering the 35 miles in just under 4 hours. My enjoyment is only slightly marred by the knowledge that we will have to punch our way back against the same wind in two days time.
We arrive at Ninian Bay at low tide and are greeted by three Pelicans and acres of black mud. This coast often provides us with one or more Pelicans at our destinations. I always take this as a favourable sign. The same thing happened at Fresh Water, at Hammock and Lizard Island. I am told by Des that their word for Pelican is biloowarra. It means bung hip and is inspired by the awkward walk of the Pelican on land as though he has a bung hip.
We get people ashore with some difficulty and decide to wait for the tide before delivering the swags and gear. It is a beautiful bay. There is a large freshwater lagoon behind the beach. It is nearly dry this year for the first time in living memory. We are told that it is inhabited by large crocodiles who are likely to remain concealed in the mud as the water recedes. They are waiting for unsuspecting pigs, or other tender game such as tourists, who are attracted by the lagoon. The rocks along the foreshore are covered with large succulent oysters. They are gathered and BBQ’d on the open fire. A large barramundi is caught off the beach. Life in the camp assumes a slow pleasant rhythm. Pelican is safely moored nearby and all the crew come ashore to join people around the fire. Stories and jokes are shared along with the food. There is a relaxed atmosphere which seems devoid of friction or conflict. As I look around I wonder how different the feeling might be at Hope Vale. I can see why trips of this nature are so universally popular.
The politics of the Hope vale community are complex in the extreme. Some 48 different tribal groups were brought together from Cape York and placed at Hope Vale. Each group has its own country. Some of this country is in the area set aside for Hope Vale some is not. Inter marriage in the traditional custom passed land down through the paternal line but many groups have been decimated and now claim land through both maternal and paternal lines. Des recounts to us the story of a group of whites searching for bama in this country. On finding a large group (about 30 people) hiding in a cave the whites killed all, with the exception of a child who was saved by one of the black trackers that the whites used. As the child’s brains were about to be dashed on a rock the tracker spoke up “Give him to me”. That child became the sole survivor of that tribal group and therefore sole heir to that country through the paternal line.
I also am beginning to understand something that has become a source of frustration for me. Pelican it seems is being used to resource a significant part of the community. This means that almost daily we have a different group of people on board. They each have to be loaded, briefed with safety information, names learned and trained to help us sail in order to participate fully in the project. Each new group needs to be picked up, transported, dropped off and returned. This means a heavy workload for the Pelican crew and I am starting to feel that it is compromising the work that we could do with a smaller more targeted group.
Then Estelle describes to me the impact that Pelican’s presence is having on many of the people. One old woman was very emotional and wept as she watched Pelican approach the beach at Hammock. “It’s like a vision of hope, a symbol of what is possible for the community” she says. One of Coraleen’s sisters seeing Pelican for the first time was crying. She says she is now ready to come aboard, to put the grief of the past behind her and to embrace the project that was dreamed in by her departed sister. Many people, young and old, describe strong emotional responses to Pelican’s presence and role within the community. She has achieved iconic status and must be shared around. They suggest that they may name one of their beach campsites in her honour. Pelican Beach or Biloowarra
I begin to realize that Pelican has been invested with healing powers. People often appear transformed after a short time aboard. Many people from the community want to have direct experience of her. The more that are given this opportunity the more they feel involved and the more they contribute to this investment. This is something that would probably not happen in a white community but it places us in a unique position to make a positive contribution. I am almost overwhelmed by these realizations but at the same time excited by the possibilities that it opens up. The expedition this year is largely about establishing ourselves, and Pelican, with the community. Our annual return can become part of local culture and story telling. Already everyone is buzzing with ideas for the years too follow. A project of this nature is limited in what it can achieve in one year but can have significant impact over time. I realize that we can’t isolate a small group within the community (such as unemployed youth). Without broad involvement of the whole community any positive gains would be quickly diluted in the difficult social environment.
There is a high level of social dysfunction at Hope Vale. People are on their best behaviour with us and we experience nothing but consideration care and gratitude from all participants. However stories and anecdotes start to filter through. I learn that many families send their children away to secondary school in order that they are not infected with the range of social problems associated with Hope Vale. Stories of conflict, violence and tragedy are part of almost every family. Social, educational, recreational and community projects, applied with vision from within the community itself, are urgently needed to address this situation. The Pelican Project provides one such model and given adequate support shows signs of being able to effect significant change for the better.
Sept 21 08:30
Raise Anchor in Ninian Bay after loading everyone aboard. We exit the bay and set a course for the SE. For the first time a number of people become sick as we round the cape into a nasty 2-metre chop. The aft decks are littered with people hugging buckets. Andrew catches a beautiful Yellowfin tuna which I fillet. I serve a quarter of it as sashimi with wasabi and soy sauce. Des and many of the adults take to it but the kids spit it out. I put the rest in the fridge for Andrew to take home. At Des’s request Greg sets aside some soy and wasabi for him to take home. We have at least one convert to sashimi in the Japanese style.
Andrew with a fine yellowfin tuna.
After about 7 hours of punching into a nasty chop we unload people for the last time on the lee shore at Freshwater. We then depart immediately for Cape Flattery where we find a sheltered anchorage for the night, arriving at 21:30.
Sept 22 07:30
After a reccy of the coast at Cape Flattery we depart for Cooktown. The sheltered waters behind the cape will lend themselves to an excellent camp site next year if we can persuade the elders to abandon the Hammock Beach site. In light of the difficulties encountered loading and unloading we suspect that support for this site may be easier to obtain by then. It also has the advantage of allowing us to sail to and from Lizard Island in a S. Easterly. Time will tell. We have a slow and difficult day motor sailing against 30-knot winds back to Cooktown arriving at 16:00
Sept 23
The last two days of the project are again taken up with day sails out of Cooktown. Due to the winds still lashing the coast we opt for trips at high tide up the Endeavour River. This sheltered water suits everyone very well especially some of the elders who have been patiently waiting for their chance to experience Pelican first hand. We are treated to some fine guitar and singing courtesy of Clarence Bowen on the last trip.
On our last day in Cooktown we are invited by Des and Estelle to join their family for a BBQ at Starke where they run cattle on their traditional land. A special treat for us is provided by Des, Estelle and daughters Julianne, Judy and Charmaine, who take us to their sacred site at Weiue. Des recounts one of the dreaming stories to us. The site is a large inland lagoon where at night they have counted as many as 22 sets of crocodile eyes at the same time in the beam of a torch. It is untouched and remains very much as it has been since the dreamtime. We feel very lucky to be there and to have been involved in this project with so many remarkable people. It is a moment that none of us will forget.
Weiue where Des told us one of the dreaming stories.
Peter and I would like to thank everyone who has made this project possible and the first year such a success. We especially acknowledge our main sponsor the ANZ bank, together with their two employees Adrian and Paul who not only opened doors for our funding proposals but also gave of their annual leave to be involved. Special thanks also goes to the Department of Community, Queensland Government, who at short notice gave us a 4WD vehicle and a driver, Lara, who has worked with these communities for many years and became an important ingredient of the projects success.
The Hope Vale council provided workers and resources to help with the establishment of the Hammock Beach camp. They also took the Pelican team and community members out for a meal in Cooktown to celebrate the success of the project and to pledge further support for next year. The National Parks and Wildlife Service supported the project by involving the youth in their turtle tagging program and by providing logistical support.
Finally thanks to the many individuals who gave time and resources and support
to make this possible.
We are meeting regularly with members of the Hope Vale community to discuss
their ideas for next year and to evaluate this year’s program in the
longer term. We hope that our sponsors will continue their support into the
future and provide a solid foundation for the ongoing development of this exciting
project.
Happy sailing.
Garry McKechnie