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2002 (c) Peninsula Community Access Newspaper Inc
War story reminder
Doug Macgregor's story about island fishing in New Guinea, reminds me of my eldest brother Charlie and some of his stories.
Charles was in the 35th Battalion and part of the 8th Brigade AIF and served in Finchafen, Madang and Wewak, New Guinea.
He and a companion swam after a soldier who had gone "troppo" through shark-infested waters.
They subdued the man and with the fear of sharks snapping at their heels, my brother, who was a strong swimmer, and his mate, swam the return to shore in "Olympic" time.
On another occasion, Charles scrounged some catgut, hooks and bait and went fishing in a channel that ran from a lagoon in to the sea.
He baited up and tossed in and hooked a big one.
The catgut would never have held the fish, but the fish panicked and went backwards and forwards bumping into an s-bend in the channel.
Charlie played the fish until it tired and then he nursed it onto land.
It was a big fish of the Trevally type.
The boys in the camp cheered him when they had fresh fish for dinner that night, instead of the usual Bully Beef stew and "Gold Fish" (Australian tinned salmon).
Kieth Whitfield, Woy Woy