Dick Lumley

Richard John Lumley, better known as Dick, was born in Geraldton in 1924. His parents were Samuel Cadman Lumley and Mary Fahey. Dick’s father was an English Army Private before he was discharged with health issues in 1917. Then he worked on the railway in Geraldton. Richard had five brothers and one sister. His older brother Thomas was a carpenter before enlisting in the Royal Australian Artillery. He died of illness and was buried in Victoria in 1942.

Dick achieved his Junior (Year 10) Certificate in 1940. He joined the Airforce, returning to Geraldton in 1948. Dick played football in the local association, earning mentions in local newspapers. In 1947 he married Helen (Nell) and had four children: Murray, Helen, Brian, and Stephen. Electoral rolls indicate he was a linesman before he became a cray fisher.

In 1957 Dick worked aboard the 30-year-old cray boat Waterwitch with Emil Luoma and skipper Joe Burton. Enroute to Shark Bay on 30 June Waterwitch struck a rocky outcrop near Port Gregory and was a total wreck. The three men were rescued by Jack Hollings and taken ashore.

In 1958 Dick worked off Big Pigeon Island fishing the shallows on Nudist G186, catching cray fish for the carrier boat Linda.

In the 1959 island season at the age of 35 years Dick was aboard the cray boat Florence. She anchored approximately 50 yards [45.7 metres] from the landing at Little Pigeon Island, part of the Wallabi group of the Abrolhos Islands. Dick could swim to the boat from the island.

On 24 July 1959, a fierce storm was raging at the islands with a fast tide running and gale force winds. Dick made the decision to swim out to Florence to secure her on her moorings. Other islanders advised Dick against the swim, but he wouldn’t be swayed.

He swam within five yards [4.57 metres] of the boat, when he disappeared beneath the surface. He was not seen again.

A long search was immediately started by twenty fishers and nine boats. They looked around Little Pigeon and the Wallabi group, hoping to find Dick alive. As the day closed, the search had to be suspended.

The fishers re-commenced their search at daybreak. It was not until around noon on 27 July John Nelley on G106 found Dick’s body floating at the south of East Wallabi Island. His body had no visual harm. John took him back to the island.

The carrier boat Linda had left for Geraldton to deliver the fishers’ crays to the Fishermen’s Cooperative. Linda could not take a deceased person aboard with a fresh catch, but she carried the news that Dick had drowned, and reported the body was on its way to Geraldton via the Cygnet driven by Eric Gudmundsen.

At midnight Linda docked in Geraldton to unload her crays. Eric had the sad duty to report Dick’s death to Police and the Fisheries Department and advise that his body was on its way from the island via the Cygnet. It was after 1am when the smaller and slower Cygnet tied up in Geraldton.

A postmortem examination was conducted in the afternoon of 28 July. The coroner determined Dick’s death resulted from drowning.

Dick’s family buried him on 29 July in the Catholic section of the Geraldton Cemetery. He lies near his mother and father. He left behind a wife and four children.

Ironically, the Florence foundered and wrecked in the Middle Channel between the Wallabi Islands and Geraldton a short while later, on 9 September 1959. Thankfully, no one lost their life that day.