John and Karen Wigg and the “Madaka”

The video below features footage of the “Madaka” fishing trawler taken in late 1980.  John Wigg was the skipper of the boat at the time.

The first part of the film was shot at Lucinda, a small coastal town in North Queensland. John would take the boat up there at certain times of the year.  Karen was with John on this particular trip.

While we were at Lucinda, we caught a giant fish that completely filled one of the nets. I can’t remember what species it was but it may have been a Queensland Groper. 

I remember there was talk of donating the fish to the local retirement home. For years after, Johnny would joke that the oldies would STILL be eating it.  But, I’m not sure if the fish was really donated to the home or it was just banter.

Later in the film, we see the Madaka taken up on the slipway back in Bundaberg for cleaning and maintenance.

This old film is a bit grainy and faded and had to be cropped to remove some artefacts from the top. But, nevertheless, I think it still evokes precious memories.  It certainly did for me, anyway.

 

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