Captain’s Log Date: 27 September 2007

21/09/07
Pelican 1 slips quietly out of Cairns at 1030. The sun is shining, we have a gentle breeze behind us. All is good. The last 10 days have been spent on maintenance, safety equipment checks, provisioning and installing a waterproof membrane under the central deck. Pelican is designed to shed water rapidly through her slatted central deck. Up until now, the downside of this has been that in rough conditions, water travels upwards, splashing the communal areas, making life somewhat uncomfortable. So we have installed a membrane, rather like a series of gill slits when viewed from underneath, which will rapidly evacuate large quantities of water but prevent it from travelling upwards. Time will tell how it works.

22/09/07
We arrive in Cooktown at 0400 and tie up at Cook’s Landing. Soon afterwards we are all in bed catching a few hours sleep before final preparations begin for an early departure on Sunday. Des and Estelle Bowen have been the main instigators of this project and handle all the organization, planning and management from the community side in Hope Vale. They have taken Peter, our expedition leader, up to Des' property at Starke to finalise plans Water, sanitation, food, refrigeration - and a host of other details involved in moving a large group of people to a remote location - need to be taken care of. We are expecting at least a hundred people to inhabit the camp at Cape Flattery this year but it could easily be more.

Des, Estelle and Peter arrive from Starke at about 1100 and we sit down in the shade of Pelican’s deck for a planning meeting. Ever since we received Coraleen Bowen’s cry for help in response to our TV series, ‘If It Doesn’t Kill You’, back in 1999,weplanned to use the boat to try to directly address some of the issues of social breakdown that exist at Hope Vale. The last three years of the project have been very successful in getting to know the community, gaining their trust and giving them a positive experience that they would otherwise not have access to. In the words of one Hope Vale woman, Pelican 1 has become a symbol of hope for the community. This year however, at the request of the community, we will attempt to directly address some of these issues.

The first five days are going to be boys only: Eleven boys with four Elders supervising. Our role will be to support them to deliver the program with the boys. Malcolm Bully, Eddy Naylor, Hector Michael and Des will be in charge. We have five days to go wherever we want. We will rendezvous with the rest of the community at Cape Flattery on Friday. At some stage after that we will pick up a group of girls and women Elders and repeat the process. The remainder of the time will be spent in support of the community at Flattery doing day sails, fishing and so on.

23/09/07
The boys and Elders arrive right on time. Provisions and camping gear were loaded the previous afternoon. Looking around the circle of young boys assembled on deck, I see many familiar faces. Many also are first timers with us, but all seem excited and perhaps a little shy. Their ages range from 12 to 16. In defence of the decision to target the program at younger boys, Des quotes Noel Pearson, who when asked about the future outlook for Hope Vale has commented that he does not hold too high an expectation for the current generation, but looks with hope to the next. Des explains many of the older boys are already becoming set in their ways and will be less responsive to our help”.

As is often the case in such situations, some of the boys in this program have gone AWOL but Des assures us that all present will benefit from the program and all are in need of extra support.

Peter welcomes everyone aboard. He addresses the boys as a group and formally tells them that this expedition is solely for the purpose of supporting them, that everyone on board is here to help them, that they are the future of Hope Vale and as such are the most precious resource the community has. The Elders - Mal, Eddie, Hector, and Des - nod in agreement.

After a safety briefing we prepare to depart. We have vowed to get the boys to do everything. They will perform all the tasks of handling lines, sheets and sails. They will participate in all domestic chores and will at all times serve the Elders and women on board first. They jump up to help as I announce our imminent departure and within minutes they are handling lines and fenders. As we steam towards the mouth of the Endeavour River, the boys scramble to steer the boat. They all want their friends and families watching from shore to see them at the helm. This appears to take precedence for the moment over keeping the vessel on the correct course between the fairway buoys. Nevertheless, we are off to a good start.

On route to Lizard Island

We have an easy sail northwards all day, without the need for sail changes. Pelican is making about 7 to 10 knots, with the wind directly on our stern and both genoas set. The boys, still very excited, frolic on the deck and fight over the fishing places on the stern. I have limited the number of trolling lines at any one time to two, in the hope that this will prevent tangles and loss of gear. But my cautions fall on deaf ears. I suggest that the boys pay particular attention to the lines as we pass Low Wooded Island as we will surely catch a big mackerel there. Every year for the last three we have caught one at this spot. At first they concentrate harder, their brown knuckles tight on the 100 lb hand lines. But before we are half way along the island, their concentration has lapsed.

The line is handed to Jeremy, who has little experience of large pelagic hunters. Mackerel have small brains and act with instinct honed through millennia of evolution. They will often strike suddenly and violently. The impact of the strike will see their prey swallowed whole, stunned into immobility, or bitten in half. When they take a lure, they will immediately fight at the limit of their strength for a minute or so before tiring, and can then be hauled in relatively easily.

I hear a kerfuffle behind me as I manoeuvre Pelican close in to the fringing reef of the island where I know the big macks like to patrol in search of bait fish or any living morsel that may take their fancy. Looking aft, I observe Jeremy is pale and subdued, clutching his hand. Behind him, spinning rapidly in the water is the hand line. The fish is running at full speed while his strength lasts. The reel is pulled under, still spinning rapidly, and I know that is the last we will see of it. Young Jeremy is in a mild state of shock and I suspect he was very nearly pulled overboard by the impact. The fish was, in all likelihood, longer and heavier than he. The fingers of his right hand bear burn marks and torn skin where the line had been wrapped around his fingers. No blood thankfully and no serious damage, except to his pride which will soon be restored. Not so for the fish however. I picture him with the multi-hooked lure lodged in his mouth, swimming rapidly through the water, the vertical bars on his side flashing in the afternoon light. When all 200 metres of the 100 lb line are stripped from the plastic reel, he will likely snag the line on a sharp rock and break free from the reel at least. Perhaps hampered by the line and lure, he will become a meal for a larger predator. Such is life.

Elijah at Pelican's helm

The boys appear to have little concern for the fish, nor for the lost gear or any damage it may cause to other creatures by being left behind. These are all lessons that we would like to introduce them to, in time. Far better however that this role is left to the Elders in the context of their own culture, rather than the boys copping it from white ideologues.

The Elders, on the other hand, are fully engaged throughout the trip, with their gaze firmly fixed on their country as it passes our port side. They appear to take little notice of the boys’ activities or anything else aboard. This is a view of their country they rarely get to experience. They lean forward, totally engaged for hours on end, their eyes taking in every detail of the landscape. Their body language speaks volumes about their relation to this country. All of our team comment on it at different times.

We arrive at Lizard Island at 1800. The decision to stop here was only made hours earlier and we have no camping spaces booked. The Queensland National Parks and Wildlife Service, which administers the camp here, has been very supportive of our work with Hope Vale. Being unable to contact them at short notice, we decide to camp aboard. Twenty-four people will be the largest number that have ever slept aboard, but with the new cental deck awning, this is accomplished with comfort and ease. After a swim and a walk on the beach, Barney, a teacher from Hope Vale School, cooks up a swag of steaks and we all settle in for the night.

24/09/07
The following day we plan a trip to the Research Station and the Lizard Island Resort, both of which have also been very supportive of visits from traditional owners and others from Hope Vale. It’s a strenuous 4 km walk over there for the boys and our team, while I run the Elders round in the inflatable. Doctors Lyle and Anne from the Research Station show us a video, deliver a talk for the boys and give them a guided tour of the research facilities, explaining in simple terms their work at Lizard and such concepts as coral bleaching and global warming. Of particular interest to the boys were the live coral and fish tanks, where research is possible in controlled conditions. The boys love it. Lyle’s well-practised explanations are a hit with all of us.

Lizard Island Research Station

Walking back to Watson’s Bay, our path takes us past the resort where Peter hopes to secure a meeting with the new manager, who coincidentally starts today. He iszz unavailable for us, but one of his staff, Matt, kindly offers to run the boys back in the glass bottomed vessel provided by the resort for their guests. This is a total hit with the boys who excitedly scream out at various marine delights. Matt comments on how he’s never had such an enthusiastic response. Peter asked Matt to explain how he qualified for his job and what it’s like, to give the boys ideas about possible goals they could reach for. The boys, are talking excitedly about the glass bottom experience on their return to Pelican.

I am becoming concerned about the roles that many of us are falling into on the trip. As is our habit, the white fellas are tending to organise everything and do most of the talking. The black fellas are standing back and letting us. We are trying to find a balance where the Elders hold the authority of the trip, but are not getting there yet. Peter, Joseph and myself request a meeting with the four Elders. We sit on the beach under a tree while the boys explore the reef at low tide.

Immediately it becomes apparent that we are all on the same wavelength. We all have the same concerns but are in danger of being manipulated by the boys through lack of communication between us. Des points out that when I agreed to one boy’s request to bring spears from Pelican to the beach, that he had already refused the request on the grounds that it was not good to hunt and kill fish in front of people who were not accorded the same rights as the indigenous traditional owners. The boy had simply gone to someone else until he got the response he wanted. This is a standard ploy for any child, as any parent will tell you, but it highlights the importance of communication between our team.

We decide that from then on, all major decisions will be deferred to the Elders and that they will step into the major role of fronting the group. Mal talks about his misspent youth and his time on the inside. “ I don’t want to see these boys go through the same problems I had.” I think this is possibly the first time Mal had specifically been asked to take a leadership role and he responds by stepping up immediately. He has an imposing presence and the boys respond well to him.

We institute our first round meeting aboard Pelican that night. Des tells the boys that we have talked and that from now on the Elders are running everything. He praises the boys’ achievements of the day and gently points out that there will also be some changes. Mal says they will be looking for some of the older boys to take a leadership role. Support for each other will be encouraged. Selfish behaviour will earn more discussion. Everyone is given the opportunity to speak but mostly the adults take it up. Sarah from the ANZ, Joseph, Raf, Sam, Estelle, Nick and Peter all make encouraging comments.

I had expected this to be a very difficult moment for all of us, but the boys embrace the new structure with enthusiasm. They volunteer for every task. They seem to crave structure but have had precious little in their lives. They know they are being supported and encouraged and respond in kind. They serve everyone else on board that night before themselves, without being asked, and clean up afterwards.

We bed down early, planning to raise anchor at midnight and set a course for Cape Melville. The boys and Elders are sleeping on the central deck and remain completely dry all night. Our mods to the deck appear to be working. By 0930 we are almost around Cape Melville. I decide to run a ‘man overboard’ drill. It goes very well; dan buoys are deployed and retrieved without a problem, with all hands participating.

26/09/07
Cape Melville is a remarkable place. Mountains composed entirely of large boulders rise above a flat sandy coastline with occasional mangroves. There is plenty of deep shade just back from the beach and permanent water just inland. Des selects a campsite well away from the few other campers on the beach and we are soon ferrying all the gear ashore. This will be our home for the next two days. There is plenty of bush tucker and the water is alive with fish and turtle. The relentless south easterlies that lash this coast throughout the dry season blow off shore here and Pelican finds a sheltered anchorage just off the beach despite the wind blowing constantly in excess of 20 knots.

Pelican 1 in Bathurst Bay just west of Cape Melville

In 1899, a category five cyclone caught the Thursday Island pearling fleet here by surprise. More than 50 vessels were sunk or damaged beyond repair and over 300 lives lost. The local Dhagaalmugu, seeing the distress of the pearlers, came out of the bush to help, but many were killed by the rising water or carried out to sea by the wind after the eye crossed and the wind reversed direction. There is a memorial near the Cape that refers mainly to white pearling masters with little mention of the Japanese or local indigenous people.

At low tide, the boys go ballistic and kill anything that moves on the reef. They return with over 20 painted crays, many of which are only inches long. It is remarkable that they can find this many crays and suggests that the area is still well stocked. Des is horrified, as we are, and takes the boys aside:

“Imagine boys, that you had a farm and every so often you kill a steer for the table. You will always have meat for your family because you only take what you need. Now imagine if you took a gun and you shot all your cows, all your bulls and all your calves in one afternoon. Would that make sense? Could you eat that much in an afternoon? What is your family going to eat after that? How will they survive? It’s the same with the animals that live on this reef. We gotta look after this reef and only take what we need. Leave those little ones to grow up big before you take them. Anything you kill you must eat.”

The campsite at Cape Melville Photo Sarah Luxemburg

That afternoon the Elders with Peter & Joseph in support run a fire circle with the boys, where they will all sit and have the opportunity to speak their minds. Des has selected a talking stick and everyone is given the chance to have a say. Stories are told and the boys are invited to comment on what they have liked or disliked about the trip so far. Many giggle their way through this unusual request. Nick from Pelican’s crew joins them and just as the circle ends, at 1850 hours, we receive an emergency medical distress call on VHF 16 from a group of campers down the beach.

A young boy has a serious asthma attack and they call for assistance. Pelican has the only communications capable of getting the request for assistance to the emergency services. We are out of phone contact here but I manage to raise Coast Radio Adelaide on HF channel 4125. The next two hours are spent relaying messages between various parties listening locally on VHF 16. Estelle Kefford, our first aid officer, provides the campers with clear directions and correct usage of the Ventolin inhaler that the campers have. A doctor from the Royal Flying Doctor Service provides advice from a tourist dive vessel steaming towards Cairns. Emergency services are preparing a rescue helicopter in Townsville to evacuate the boy.

The boys and men on the beach huddle around Peter’s hand-held two way and listen in. Eventually, the emergency is stood down as the boy’s condition gradually responds to first aid. It has been an anxious couple of hours.

Des comments later that this way of working with the boys is all new to him and how he appreciates our experienced support. We are all adjusting successfully to this new model of the Elders leading every aspect of the boy’s journey. The men spend quality time around the fire talking this through. Out of these discussions comes a plan by Des, Mal and Barney to set up a “Boys Club” at Hope Vale. The idea is to draw in more Elders and boys, fund raise and do planned activities together throughout the year

27/09/07
At 0700 we pickup up everyone from the camp. Des wants to take the boys down to a permanent waterhole further down the beach for a swim. During the morning the boys find a stingray in a shallow pool near the beach. They pursue it with rocks and sticks and anything that comes to hand. On realizing that it is the spotted variety and not the best for eating, the boys kill it anyway and leave the corpse on the sand. Peter cracks it when they start chasing a second stingray and shouts for them to leave the kill and join him. . He praises them for their hunting prowess but tells them that killing without reason is not acceptable. He briefly tells them the story of Easter Island where greed and mismanagement led to the death of the whole tribe.

The boys love to kill and appear to do so at every opportunity. This attitude is not unique to Hope Vale boys, nor indigenous boys, but appears to me to be particularly acute amongst them. Joseph, Peter, Nick and myself along with the Elders have all expressed concern. We reflect that perhaps this is because of their frequent neglect, the absence of training and proper modelling of hunting and food gathering from their fathers and uncles who may be on the grog or forced to absent themselves for work. Perhaps frustration at their powerlessness leads the boys to express their frustrations in this way. Perhaps their lack of compassion for the animals is a legacy of a general lack of compassionate support experienced by the boys in their short lives. Perhaps the status that is accorded a successful hunter and provider in their community, has in the absence of proper guidance, been misinterpreted by young minds as an excuse to kill without discrimination. Perhaps the good feelings experienced by providing for one’s community have become confused with feelings that may be experienced in the act of killing.

The Elders and our team are once again in complete agreement. This is an issue that needs to be dealt with. The best way to deal with is through the community members themselves. It’s agreed that the men need to spend more time in hunting and traditional activities with the boys.

The walk to the freshwater stream was a highlight for everyone. A group of boys with Peter in pursuit climbed over magnificent boulders at the start of the gigantic pile of rocks, everybody enjoyed frolicking in croc-safe pure spring water and two of the Elders lathered up for a full wash.

After the camp clear up, we are sitting in a circle on the beach at Cape Melville with the Elders, Peter, Joseph, Nick, Raf, the boys and myself. Joseph facilitates inviting Des to open the circle. He asks the boys to remember their time here. Everyone in the circle is given an opportunity to speak and all are listened to. We say farewell and thankyou to this special place as we prepare to load the gear and return to Cape Flattery. Our last image of this campsite is of Bill who suddenly breaks into a spirited celebratory corroberee dance on the beach.

4 Elders, 11boys, 7 Pelicans, 1ANZ, and 1 teacher bound for Cape Melville, Photo Sam Proudley

Later with the men we discuss events of the last few days. We are beginning to evolve a model of community healing that is good for everyone. We are hoping that more Elders, fathers and uncles can be engaged in this process. We hope that by working with the Elders to develop these tools they will extend the process to the rest of their community and then to other communities. The female members of our team will provide the same structure and support for the girls and women in an attempt to generate positive outcomes for the girls. These are ambitious dreams from small beginnings, but the light in the eyes of the men and boys as they sit in the circle tells me that all is possible.

Happy sailing Garry McKechnie