A naturally protected cove ideal for mooring with a small sandy beach suitable for launching fishing boats.

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Historically these included the ‘Imp’, ‘Star’, ‘Snapper’ and ‘Garfish’ owned by the Richardson and Pain families.

The working boats were winched out of the water when the swell rose in big seas.

Although considered an outpost, distance was never a problem for the residents of the tiny community who would ride horses or walk along the sandy tracks to Nelson Bay to attend dances or to collect supplies.

The Richardsons from Telarah were like many families during the Depression years; they simply tried to survive by making a living as best they could.

It was 1931 when Alfred ‘Gaff’ Richardson, an out of work miner, and his young wife Mary Annie, packed all their camping gear into their T Model Ford and headed for the tiny fishing village of Boat Harbour.

That was it for Mary Annie.

“I’m not going back,” she said.

As far as she was concerned, she could feed her growing family off the sea and enjoy a better life.

It was nothing for her to walk the ten miles to Harry Blanch’s Nelson Bay store to collect her food coupons and gather the basics and head home to lay a wooden floor in their “humpy”.

To pay for the basic provisions ‘Gaff’, like many at the time, shovelled shell grit off the beach for 2/6 pence a bag.

The couple had four sons.

Joe, a carrier with Neville Blanch and Tommy, Bill and George – all fishermen.

The boys worked the rich reefs from Fishermans Bay to Birubi in their Simplex-driven putt-putt, ‘Imp’, setting traps for lobsters and handlining for fish, mainly snapper.

During the travelling season, when huge schools of fish, particularly mullet, moved north along the beaches, the Richardsons joined with the Pain family to form what was known as the ‘Boat Harbour Crew’.

Others in the crew during the early years included Vic Skilton, who arrived in 1917, Tommy Bagnall, and occasionally Tom’s sister Myrtle Taylor, one of the very few women to hold a professional fishing licence.

Professional fishing was difficult as there was no ice available to keep the fish in good condition and no fisherman’s co-op to market their catch.

The fish were sold locally in wooden boxes covered with sawdust to keep them cool.

The Pain connection to Boat Harbour commenced when William Skilton from Stockton purchased the “ridge”, a 50 acre block of land back behind the old sand dunes.

Fredrick Ralph Pain from Maitland married one of William’s daughters, Florry, and their family settled in Boat Harbour, raising three sons and two daughters.

Son George, born in 1916, began fishing early and was later joined by brothers Ab and Jim who spent some years growing vegetables for the Army.

The Pain’s boats included the ‘Garfish’, ‘Butterbox’, referred to by many of the fishermen as ‘Norco’, and the ‘Kon Tiki’ built at Anna Bay.

Like all fishing families they recall the humour of the day.

On this occasion George was perched high up on the lookout tower, a flimsy structure, waiting for mullet to move around the rocky headland and enter the harbour.

Because of the sun’s glare on the water George couldn’t see the school of fish moving, so he climbed down from the lookout and climbed up a nearby banksia tree which offered a better, more shaded, view of the fish.

Unfortunately for George the branch on which he was standing snapped and he fell heavily onto the rocks below, breaking his wrist and dislocating fingers and severely bruising ribs and his back.

On arrival at the hospital, in a sad and sorry state, the matron quizzed George: “How did this happen?”

“I fell out of a tree,” George groaned.

“What were you doing up a tree Mr Pain? You’re a bit too old to be climbing trees,” continued the matron.

“I was looking for fish,” replied George in considerable pain.

“How many beers have you had sir?” she said.

By John ‘Stinker’ CLARKE