John Jansson with a draft copy of A Source Book of Western Port Maritime History.
By Christine Grayden
JOHN Jansson – from the Phillip Island Millowl seaside town of Rhyll – has quite a bit in common with me – from the seaside town of Ventnor at the opposite end of the island. We are both the fifth generation of our respective families to participate in sea-related activities. John has Nordic and Western Port ferry and trader vessel captains and crew, as well as fishermen in his family. He helped his father on his fishing boat, and John has built and restored craft himself.
In my own ancestors, I have Western Port boatmen and fishermen, and a maritime explorer – a cousin of my Pickersgill forebears, Lt Richard Pickersgill, who was an officer on board Cook’s Endeavour and then Resolution. I actually spent over 20 years working part time as a “deckie” with my uncle on his small fishing boat on Phillip Island’s west coast.
It’s hardly surprising then, that as two local history buffs we would decide to have a go at completing John’s huge amount of local post-contact maritime history research, and compile it all into a few books.
JOHN Jansson – from the Phillip Island Millowl seaside town of Rhyll – has quite a bit in common with me – from the seaside town of Ventnor at the opposite end of the island. We are both the fifth generation of our respective families to participate in sea-related activities. John has Nordic and Western Port ferry and trader vessel captains and crew, as well as fishermen in his family. He helped his father on his fishing boat, and John has built and restored craft himself.
In my own ancestors, I have Western Port boatmen and fishermen, and a maritime explorer – a cousin of my Pickersgill forebears, Lt Richard Pickersgill, who was an officer on board Cook’s Endeavour and then Resolution. I actually spent over 20 years working part time as a “deckie” with my uncle on his small fishing boat on Phillip Island’s west coast.
It’s hardly surprising then, that as two local history buffs we would decide to have a go at completing John’s huge amount of local post-contact maritime history research, and compile it all into a few books.
Little did I know then what a treasure trove John’s research would prove to be!
After first gathering all his documents and computer files related to the Master Mariners of Western Port and formatting it all into the draft skeleton of a book, we set that aside to compile his A Source Book of Western Port Maritime History, which will be a source of more information on the master mariners, and which at this point comprises:
There is some updating of most of these parts to do, and we still have to complete the references. Of course the acknowledgements section is very important for a book like this. We will also add more information about John to the ‘About the author’ section than I already have in the foreword. Then the book will require a two-part Index – one for all the vessels, and one for everything else.
Last week my local printer quickly produced a draft copy of the Western Port Source Book ahead of John’s visit to me for lunch and a few hours of work that day. John was unaware that I had this special gift for him.
Despite his restrained demeanour, he was clearly delighted to be suddenly holding in his hands the solid makings of a real book compiling his decades of reseach. I’ve been in that situation myself, and know there is nothing to compare with the satisfaction of seeing light at the end of the tunnel, just when I thought my circumstances would prevent my work ever having a chance to be shared.
One logistics problem we have with so much information, is how to allow the reader to quickly see the underlying maritime history theme of each entry, among the huge number listed from a variety of mainly primary and some secondary sources. The activity is listed chronologically, and John’s solution was to colour-code the text to match the relevant theme, as follows:
Apart from the usual “shipping news’”of what vessels are coming and going and what they are transporting, there are many entries alive with treachery, misery, sheer good luck preventing disaster, piracy, arson, and huge doses of improvisation and compromise. The same men can keep occuring through decades of entries, while others appear once or twice and are then swallowed by the sea.
For now, here is an example of three of the entries from 1843:
An historian viewing these entries will note the act of probable piracy hinted at in the first report; the 13 bags of wheat Rogers had grown, almost certainly on Churchill Island against the terms of his occupation; and the 17 tons of bark removed from wattles in the forests of Western Port and destined for tanning both in Australia and for export. Wattle bark trade destroyed the important balance in the forest biome, contributed to the dispossession of the local Aboriginal people, and led to a massive though short-lived timber industry once the huge trees were accessible after the death of the stripped wattles.
So much to learn with every entry through the book! What a great resource John’s A Source Book of Western Port Maritime History will be for historians, writers of both fiction and non-fiction, students, researchers generally and anyone who wants to know more about the place we are privileged to now call our home.
Stay tuned for the final version. We’re paddling as fast as we can to get it finished!
After first gathering all his documents and computer files related to the Master Mariners of Western Port and formatting it all into the draft skeleton of a book, we set that aside to compile his A Source Book of Western Port Maritime History, which will be a source of more information on the master mariners, and which at this point comprises:
- A foreword written by me; an introduction written by John;
- A five-part timeline, being: Part One: 1797 – 1850, which contains all dates John could find; Part Two: highlights of 1851 – 1900; Part Three: 1901 – 1950; Part Four: 1951 – 2000; Part Five: 2001 – 2020.
- Another five parts follow so far, being: Part Six: Western Port Ferry Companies; Part Seven: Western Port Ferry Masters; Part Eight: List of Ferries; Part Nine: Western Port seamen lost at sea; Part Ten: Western Port Regattas.
There is some updating of most of these parts to do, and we still have to complete the references. Of course the acknowledgements section is very important for a book like this. We will also add more information about John to the ‘About the author’ section than I already have in the foreword. Then the book will require a two-part Index – one for all the vessels, and one for everything else.
Last week my local printer quickly produced a draft copy of the Western Port Source Book ahead of John’s visit to me for lunch and a few hours of work that day. John was unaware that I had this special gift for him.
Despite his restrained demeanour, he was clearly delighted to be suddenly holding in his hands the solid makings of a real book compiling his decades of reseach. I’ve been in that situation myself, and know there is nothing to compare with the satisfaction of seeing light at the end of the tunnel, just when I thought my circumstances would prevent my work ever having a chance to be shared.
One logistics problem we have with so much information, is how to allow the reader to quickly see the underlying maritime history theme of each entry, among the huge number listed from a variety of mainly primary and some secondary sources. The activity is listed chronologically, and John’s solution was to colour-code the text to match the relevant theme, as follows:
- Explorers
- Contact with Aboriginal people
- Sealing
- General maritime and miscellaneous items
- Early settlers/squatters and subdivisions
- Saltworks
- Stone quarries
- Timber industry
- Oystering industry
- Jetties, jetty sheds, slipways and navigation lights and buoys
- Coal mining
- Passenger and cargo ferries, passenger boats and coaches, railways
- Fishing vessels
Apart from the usual “shipping news’”of what vessels are coming and going and what they are transporting, there are many entries alive with treachery, misery, sheer good luck preventing disaster, piracy, arson, and huge doses of improvisation and compromise. The same men can keep occuring through decades of entries, while others appear once or twice and are then swallowed by the sea.
For now, here is an example of three of the entries from 1843:
- 1843 Aug 1 Early on Monday 1st instant, Mr T. Perry of Western Port distinctly heard minute guns fired and saw several rockets discharged in the direction of Western Port. Captain Bennett of the Alpha reports having picked up several pieces of a boat, copper-fastened, whilst lying at Phillip’s Island. Launceston Examiner, 30 Aug.
- 1843 Sep 21 Cutter Diana from Western Port. 29 bags wheat, 4 do barley, Rogers; 13 bags wheat, 1 bag sundries, Mundy; 69 bags wheat, 5 sides bacon, 10 hides, 1 cask butter, Cuthbert & Gairdner; 56 bags wheat, 70 bags barley, 7 sides bacon, 5 hams, Dick; 1 case bacon, Cleave; 2 bags bacon, Power; 3 bullocks, Pendar. The Melbourne Argus.
- 1843 Oct 6 Cutter Emily, Yeo master, from Western Port. Passengers Messrs. Whitehouse and Thomson. 17 tons bark. Port Phillip Gazette, 7 Oct.
An historian viewing these entries will note the act of probable piracy hinted at in the first report; the 13 bags of wheat Rogers had grown, almost certainly on Churchill Island against the terms of his occupation; and the 17 tons of bark removed from wattles in the forests of Western Port and destined for tanning both in Australia and for export. Wattle bark trade destroyed the important balance in the forest biome, contributed to the dispossession of the local Aboriginal people, and led to a massive though short-lived timber industry once the huge trees were accessible after the death of the stripped wattles.
So much to learn with every entry through the book! What a great resource John’s A Source Book of Western Port Maritime History will be for historians, writers of both fiction and non-fiction, students, researchers generally and anyone who wants to know more about the place we are privileged to now call our home.
Stay tuned for the final version. We’re paddling as fast as we can to get it finished!