Alexander Young Smart

Alexander Young Smart was born in Aberdeen Old Machar in Scotland around 1880 to a Ship’s Steward by the name of Robert Smart, and Mother Barbara Cross. In 1887, he joined his family onboard the Abyssinia arriving in New South Wales.

At some point the family moved to Western Australia and took up residence in Mandurah. In 1903 and 1906 he appears in the East Fremantle Electoral Roll, residing on Fraser Street, with the occupation of “Mariner”.

The Fleetwing was a Fremantle fishing boat, and had left for one of her customary fishing expeditions along the coast.

Onboard were Captain Martin Petersen, George Brown and Alexander Smart. When 35 miles south of Dongara, near the Beagle Islands, Petersen was below deck and Brown at the tiller. Smart was working forward at the time, when cries from the water were heard from Smart. They immediately hauled up to the wind and lowered the dinghy. By this time Smart had disappeared. They searched for four days without success and sailed into Dongara reporting the matter on Friday 19 March.

Captain Irvine, Chief Harbourmaster at Fremantle, received a telegram from the lightkeeper at Dongara – “Fleetwing fishing boat reports Alex Smart fell overboard and drowned 7 o’clock this morning, near the Beagles; body lost.”

In another separate incident, three men arrived in Dongara that same day after their boat, the Orma was wrecked near Knobby Head. The three men were Owner and Captain, Neil McKenna, Robert Watts and Joseph Oliver. The Fleetwing took the three men back to Fremantle from Dongara.

A man by the name of Martin Petersen, Captain of the fishing boat Ivy lost his life off Gun Island in 1914. It is not yet clear if this is the same Petersen that Captained the Fleetwing in 1909.

Alexander Young Smart was single and left an estate to his older brother, Robert Harry Smart, of Mandurah to the value of £298.

Robert entered the fish canning industry in Mandurah and carried cargo between Mandurah and Fremantle from 1912 until 1920.