A 60-year-old fishing trawler, the last surviving vessel from a fleet built in a small northern New South Wales community, has sunk amid community restoration plans.
Key points:
- The 1960s fishing trawler Pacific Venture sank overnight when a storm came through the NSW Mid North Coast
- There are community plans to restore the historic vessel, which has strong ties to the region
- It is the last surviving vessel from a fleet of fishing trawlers built in the Camden Haven region
The Pacific Venture was built in Laurieton in 1963 and was once the pride of the Camden Haven fishing fleet.
“It brings tears to my eyes to see it underwater … it’s a terrible shame,” Camden Haven Historical Society president Greg Woodward said.
“It has an amazing history. It was built by a number of local people, with local materials.
“It was the last boat surviving of the fishing trawlers that were built in the Camden Haven in the 1960s and earlier.
“There’ll be a lot of people very upset today.”
Local State Emergency Service officer Karl Krieter said it was believed the boat took on water overnight when a storm came through.
“The storm hit quite severely, which we assume has taken out the power and cut the power to the bilge pumps and the vessel has sunk,” he said.
Restoration plans still alive
There were community plans in place to restore the vessel and it was hoped it could be lifted back out of the water soon.
“We really need financial help to organise a crane and a truck … we have an army of volunteers ready to rebuild this vessel free of charge,” Mr Krieter said.
“We are not trying to achieve a miracle … we are trying to preserve history here at Laurieton.”
The boat was originally owned by the Poole family and in 2019 filmmaker Damien Lay purchased the vessel.
This year it was entrusted back to the community and the Pacific Venture Restoration Project was formed.
Carolyn Dobson is a board member for the project and said she had been amazed by the community’s determination to keep the spirit of the boat alive.
‘It was overwhelming. [The community said] yes keep it, yes restore it, we want it’,” she said.
‘Look after your mother and work the boat’
Among those hoping to see the boat restored is 67-year-old Kim Poole, the son of the original owner.
He has many fond memories of working the boat with his father and brother.
He also has a strong personal connection to the boat.
“My father was killed on it in 1979 … he got tangled up in the propeller shaft and I couldn’t get him out in time to save him,” he said.
“It’s haunted me since. He died in my arms, I was 23.
“My father’s last words were ‘Look after your mother and work the boat.'”
Mr Poole worked on the boat until 2012 and said it had travelled as far as Lord Howe Island.
“Before Sea Rescue was invented, we were always called on to conduct rescues up and down the coast,” he said.
“In 1974 Lord Howe Island hadn’t had a supply ship get in there for eight months and coming onto Christmas the Pacific Venture [and another boat] loaded up with supplies and went to supply the islanders.”
Not the first time it has sunk
Mr Woodward said it was the fourth time the “poor boat” had sunk. It was first caught when floods came through in 1963.
“The Poole boys went swimming in floodwaters in 1963 to receive planks that had washed away,” he said.
More recently it sank during severe floods in 2021, before eventually being raised from the water.
Ms Dobson said the Pacific Venture Restoration Project team hoped the boat would remain a part of the community for generations to come.
‘Everybody wants to save it and it will go on display somewhere in Laurieton,” she said.
“It’ll obviously be a tourist attraction. People have the Big Oyster, the Big Prawn. Maybe we’ll have the big boat.”