Andrew Farmer

Andrew Farmer was the eldest son of avid temperance advocate and evangelist Thomas Farmer. Andrew was one of the first telegraph operators in Perth. His sister married the son of Francis Lewis von Bibra [Frank], Ernest Von Bibra, a pearl fisherman operating out of Shark Bay. Frank supplemented his pearling income by fishing for dugong. He wanted to provide dugong oil to Australia and overseas to be used in the same way as cod liver oil. The venture caused Frank to lose a great deal of money.

Andrew was lured by the call of adventure, and resigned from his position, and went to Shark Bay to embark on a life searching for pearls and fishing, a lifestyle which was likely not approved by his father. Ironically, at the age of 24 years, Thomas accidentally drowned near the Perth Bridge in February 1832. This is the first recorded drowning for Perth.

In the evening of 24 September 1875, Andrew set off in a dinghy with Frank Bibra to meet the steam ship Rob Roy in Useless Harbour. They were delivering mail bound for Perth. Mail, items, passengers and even pearls were carried by steam ship to Perth, and supplies, passengers, workers and everything needed was delivered to the people living along the West Australian coastline. To transfer anything from one boat to another, one man had to steer the first vessel, and hold it steady while a second man handed items to and from the second boat.

As familiar as he had become with his dinghy, 23 year old Andrew was perched on the gunwale (the hardened top edge of the hull) while Frank Bibra steered the dinghy towards the Rob Roy. The dinghy capsized without warning, and Andrew was thrown into the water. He sank beneath the surface in Useless Harbour and drowned. His body was not found.

Several newspapers at the time, and years later, reported that Andrew was taken by a shark, and bitten in two. It is difficult to say whether this happened or not. Many newspapers of the era merely published verbatim what was said, what was previously printed, and reporters sold a story to multiple newspapers to resolve the issue of geographical distances and lengthy delays for printing.

Rob Roy was not a young vessel in 1875. She had been lengthened, and had multiple refits and repairs. She continued to supply the Australian coast with goods and mail services until 1882, when she parted her moorings at Port Walcott (Cossack). She broke up and was wrecked.

Frank Bibra died in 1900, having moved to Perth in his old age. In the 1890s, ever the adventurer, rank Bibra went gold prospecting at Southern Cross. He died in 1900, aged 82 years. Ernest remained married to Lydia, and they had three children. He predeceased his father, dying at 41 years in 1888.