Condor

Neville Graeme Hynes was born in Narrogin on 25 January 1961. His parents were Roy John Hynes and Hazel Fosbery. Roy was a cray fisherman who lived in Port Denison [Dongara]. He skippered the 14 metre [46 ft] Condor. Working on board were Geraldton deckhands Keith Hewison and Terry Cream, and Roy’s son Neville, who was 16 years of age.

On Friday 5 August 1977 At the wharf the huge swell was deafening, and the crayboats heading south adjusted their normal course through Eva’s Passage and used the main entrance channel instead.

Gaz Finlay and his dad were pulling their pots south of Geraldton that day on the Sabea. Gaz recorded the conditions of that day:

The crest of these waves feathered right across the main passage shipping entrance, with seabed seaweeds and sands mixed to a dirty green water vividly illuminated by the searchlight that beamed a beacon of visibility forward. As the first light broke, it revealed a stark image, a massive swell, the likes of which I have never seen since. The waves were breaking from African Reef well south past Flat Rocks along the 10-fathom edge. Little African and all the shallow banks south of Greenough were breaking too, and here we were on the inside of the 10-fathom edge, pulling pots and eyeing the monstrous swells as they broke from African Reef down on towards Dongara. White water was everywhere as day broke shocking us both with how big this swell really was. As we continued to work, the sea's ferocity only intensified. Each wave seemed more menacing than the last, towering over us like threatening giants. The Sabea pitched, heaved, and rolled, the deck awash with seaweeds, shells, bait bones, and rocks, sea spray, and the air was filled with the salty tang of the ocean. Dad's face was a mask of concentration, his eyes scanning the horizon for any signs of danger.

Condor was working the area around Cleo’s Reef, southwest of Dongara. At 5.15pm she was steaming back to Geraldton with three bags of crayfish. Roy was at the helm. Neville was below deck on a bunk. Keith was at the door of the wheelhouse, and he saw a large wave bearing down on them. He yelled to Roy.

Condor was struck by the rogue wave. She capsized immediately and all four on board were thrown into the sea. They scrambled onto the overturned hull and grabbed onto the keel. The keel was slippery, and the waves came relentlessly and as two more waves struck the Condor’s hull, the four fishers were hurled back into the sea. The second of those waves turned the hull upright.

Keith was carried away from the Condor. Roy and Terry were more fortunate. They were closer to the boat and crawled onto the submerged deck. Keith found a hatch cover and held onto that to help him stay afloat. He was too far from the boat to reach it.

Roy swam to Keith to ask if he was alright. Keith said he was and sent Roy back to the scant safety of the Condor. The men kept calling to each other to ensure they were still afloat. It was then they learned that Neville was not responding, and no one could see him.

As other boats steamed in from work, the Co-op Radio with call sign VHF-6PL broke the news that Condor had sunk, and Roy’s young son was missing. The Sabea picked up the sad news.

We made our way back to the harbor, the Sabea cutting through the now calmer waters, the weight of our modest catch irrelevant but a testament to our perseverance as fishermen and why we go to sea.

As we were steaming home, Ted McAvoy, the Co-op radio man with the call sign “VHF 6PL,” the legend, broadcast the heartbreaking news. The loss of the Condor and still missing Roy's young son. "Keep your eyes open, we are still searching," he urged. Back on shore, the news of the overturned Condor and the missing deckhand weighed heavily on the community. The sea had claimed one of our own, a young life lost to its tempest. There were two incidents that day! A fool in a yacht attempted to negotiate the shallower breaking waters of the main entrance channel and rolled over, injuring a crew member. The vessel was towed in by Bob Sweet, and it was a stark reminder of the risks we all faced, the fine line between life and death that every seaman walked. There is a camaraderie among the fishermen, a shared understanding of the perils we faced, and the resilience required to overcome them.

As the sun set, casting a golden glow over the water, Dad and I paid our respects to Roy's son. "The sea giveth, and the sea taketh away" were words that my dear dad used on the sands of Point Moore. In the end, it is not the waves or the wind that define us, but the spirit with which we face them.

The water felt bitterly cold and Keith’s hatch cover was drifting away from the Condor. Then, he was spotted by the Ocean Reaper.He was seen in their spotlights, and picked him up. As fishers do, they had started a search when the Condor hadn’t come home.

Roy and Terry were picked up from the sinking Condor. Roy told his rescuers Neville was not with them, and authorities were alerted, immediately starting a full-scale search. Despite rough conditions fishing boats went out to join the search.

Roy had a laceration on his back. Keith had a cut in his left index finger and had bruises and abrasions. Terry had strained a shoulder. The men were treated for their injuries.

The next morning a helicopter patrolled the shallow and the beaches. Police and volunteers combed the beaches to the north and south.The officer in charge of Geraldton Police Station Sergeant Kevin Ryan put all possible resources into patrols.Rough seas hampered the search, but did not deter searchers from their mission to find Neville. No one wanted to give up before Neville was found.

In the late morning of 11 August 1977 Neville’s body was sighted by the search helicopter washed up on the beach one kilometre north of the Chapman River, Bluff Point. Police recovered the body and arranged identification.

Neville’s funeral service was held at the Holy Cross Cathedral on 12 August 1977 at 10.30am. He was buried at the Geraldton Cemetery.

Sadly, Neville’s brother Greg, younger by one year, died in a car accident in August 1988.Although his parents were separated, they died on the same day in November 1988.