Extract from the Evening Star Wednesday June 27 1934 SHINE FISHING IN THE LOWER HARBOUR Lifetime Experience of Flounder King My grand father Tom Lewis Forty six years tally’s up to a big slice out of a man’s lifetime. Such is the lengthy period that Mr Tom (Thomas) Lewis, of Deborah Bay, has devoted to shine fishing in the Lower Harbour, and incidentally to winning the distinctive name of the “Flounder King” of the harbour. Mr Lewis is naturally proud of the distinction. It implies, of course, unequalled length of service at the net, also an intimate knowledge of fishing in respect to weather and tidal conditions. In short it denotes the acknowledged master ship of the game, and seine fishing in all weathers is an arduous game. For the past four or five years he has been partially disabled by rheumatism of the feet and ankles – the fisherman’s bans. That disability however provided more scope for his hobby of making sailing models and rigging them – Schooners, ketches, yachts and boats. Still hale and hearty, and cheerful as ever, he is hoping to be back soon at shine fishing, for the rheumatism is relaxing its clutches. Restored activity will incidentally mean the pleasure of again wearing Otago’s colours at interprovincial football matches, for football, with its muscular prowess, has a great appeal for the robust fisherman. His father, the late Mr Robert Lewis, was at the game before Tom was born; in fact Mr Lewis senior was one of the old-time fishermen, the hardy men of the early days. The majority of those pioneer fishermen have passed the great divide, and have cast their moorings in the quiet waters of the peaceful beyond there are headstones in the many cemeteries. There are also unmarked resting places over which the tides ebb and flow and the restless waves murmur a requiem of respect.
Posted on: Sun, 07 Jul 2013 08:31:21 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015