THE threat of communism and growing political unrest in their homeland led many Croatian families to seek freedom overseas.

One young couple from the town of Kali, Zdravko Mislov and his wife Anna, managed to escape to a migrant camp in Trieste, Italy from where they chose to begin life again in Australia.

In 1960, with 10 month old son Elio, the nervous young family sailed into Sydney Harbour full of hope and expectation after spending 42 days at sea aboard the “Toscana”.

A cabinet maker by trade, Zdravko “Jack” Mislov, found work difficult to come by and was forced to leave the city to go fruit picking to cover expenses.

Work again ran out, resulting in a return to Sydney, which was the base for a growing number of Croatian trawlermen, including Anna’s brother Zebic “Sam” Skoljarev and his mate Dinko Lukin.

It was Anna who asked Dinko: “Do you have the opportunity for an extra crewman on your boat?”

“I can take another, but not if he gets seasick,” Dinko replied, “I need him to work, not lay down and moan all day.”

“That is fair,” answered Anna.

Jack was about to commence work as a deckhand on board the trawler “Falcon”.

The year was 1962 and Jack had proven to be an excellent seaman and was quickly learning the skills required to be a successful fisherman.

The crew fished the rich waters as far north as Seal Rocks and Crowdy Head before returning to Sydney.

At the time Dinko was keen to sell the “Falcon”, an opportunity taken up by Jack in partnership with Anna’s brothers Sam and Ivo “John” Skoljarev.

It was when the “Falcon” was purchased that the father, Srecko “Lucky” Skoljarev, encouraged the family to move to Nelson Bay.

“Why sail from Sydney to Seal Rocks to catch fish when you can work out of Port Stephens?”

All agreed and made arrangements to move north, with the boys to work the trawler, while “Lucky” would work the Hunter River for prawns.

Anna recalls that her first memory of the area was to see a trawler, the “Matador”, being built as they entered the township.

With their broken, excited English the family met the boat builder, Teddy McLeay and his wife Ruth.

The families formed a friendship that lasted through the passage of time.

Anna loved the place immediately and declared that she wanted to “live here”.

The scenery from Nelson Bay to Tea Gardens, across the port, reminded her of the beautiful view she had from her home in Kali, a township on the island of Ugljan, looking back to the Croatian mainland.

Going back a couple of years to 1961, Sime “Sam” Franov, worked as a deckhand on board the “Falcon” with Dinko Lukin, both also from the village of Kali.

When Dinko sold the boat, Sam continued in Sydney as a deckhand on board the “St Rocco Antonio”, skippered by Slavo Lukin, who owned the boat in partnership with Lolo Gobin.

Sam regularly sailed into Port Stephens to offload fish at the Nelson Bay Co-op accompanied by Sam Sarin skippering “Merimbula”.

In 1964, Sam Franov, along with an increasing number of Croatian fishing families moved permanently to Nelson Bay.

Sam joined with Jack Mislov (Jack was known in his community as Sabaka – “Sharbukka” to his Aussie mates) and built and worked the trawler “Miss Ampol”. The boat, built in Black Wattle Bay by master boat builder Tonci “Tony” Franov, (Sam’s brother) was sponsored by the petrol company.

Ampol financed the building of the boat and the deal was that only their diesel and product would be used.

In 1967 “Sharbukka” and Sam Franov sold “Miss Ampol” and Sam Skoljarev had sold the “Falcon” to Peter Skoljarev and Milan Fran.

By this time all were living in the Nelson Bay community and the Croatian influence continued to expand. Returning to Sydney for a short period, Sam Franov and his mate John Lordanic bought the “San Pietro” off Italian fisherman Carlo Mussimeci and sailed the boat back to Port Stephens in 1968.

Sam was later to sell his share to John and buy the “Tarana”.

Meanwhile Sam Skoljarev and “Sharbukka” put their money together to move to Port Lincoln, South Australia, to chase tuna in the “Anna Star”, built by Tony Franov in Lavender Bay in Sydney across from Luna Park.

“Sharbukka” soon tired of the faltering tuna industry in SA and sold his share to his partner before having the “Anna E” built in Adelaide again by Tony Franov.

The new trawler sailed back to Nelson Bay, entering the port in 1971 followed soon after by compatriots Sam Mardesi and Drago Zanki on board “Skol”.

Following a short tuna expedition back to Port Lincoln the “Anna E” returned to Port Stephens decked with the first radar to be used out of Nelson Bay.

Nelson Bay, with its safe harbour, attracted other Croatian families keen to fish the waters north to Crowdy Head.

Slavin Gauta bought the “Skol”, Ante Kero worked on the “Pioneer” while Milan Fran fished in partnership with Peter Skoljarev on board the “Falcon”.

Peter Skoljarev then went on to buy the “Una” in partnership with Leo Lukin.

Interestingly it seems that the first Croatian fisherman to “reside” in Port Stephens was Joe Vitlov in 1958, who chose to moor at Nelson Bay and live aboard his boat “Porpoise” rather than sail back south.

Fewer sons of the original Croatian fishermen are continuing the tradition of their fathers, as their returns from the sea have been reduced and the restrictions on their areas of operation have continued to increase.

Higher educational opportunities and the lure of the outside world have left very few on the water as the trawler industry in Port Stephens struggles to survive.

The Croatian community in Nelson Bay is highly respected as they have always been actively involved and contributed positively to the development of the local area. Although many miles from their homeland, their culture survives.

By John ‘Stinker’ CLARKE