Robert John Gray

Robert John Gray was last seen alive on Tuesday 1 May 1917, when at the time, William Roberts on board his fishing smack, Seagull, noticed Gray coming through the South Passage, sailing a 14 foot boat, and towing a dinghy, laden with fish and nets.

As he appeared to be in difficulty owing to the heavy weather, Roberts assisted him by taking charge of the dinghy and its contents and arranged that Gray should pick them up later. However, he never returned to collect them and that was the last time he was seen.

A week or so later, some wreckage and several fish baskets and other objects, which had been in Gray’s boat, were later found on the beach south of Mandurah.

On the evening of Saturday 12 May, a fisherman named H. Hopkins reported to the Fremantle Police that he had discovered a small fishing boat washed up on the shore on the western side of Garden Island. The following day it was identified as the one belonging to Gray.

Gray was described as being 60 years of age, but “younger looking.” There were no further reports of his disappearance.