Name/TitlePhotograph, "Girl Pat"

About this object“Girl Pat” was an old converted sailing ship, complete with a centre board and constructed with 1 ¾ inch Oregon planks. She was driven by a 42hp Southern Cross diesel with an 8 hp auxiliary winch engine.

Originally owned by a baker from Cessnock, in 1955 the boat had sunk in the mud at the wharf in front of the Boatrowers Hotel in Stockton. She was sold to Colin Mitchell for £200 plus another £200 for the fishing gear. Colin then joined his father, Alf, trawling and prawning in Stockton Bight.

However, “Girl Pat” did not have cooking facilities and relied on his father’s boat, “Eileen Sylvia” for cooking the prawns before they were transported to Newcastle. A 16-foot dinghy was towed behind “Girl Pat” for that purpose.

In the 1960s an interesting event happened as “Girl Pat” and “Eileen Sylvia” were steaming towards Stockton when they came upon a yacht that was beached on the Fingal Spit and eventually pulled her off the beach. Sometime later they discovered that the sailor, Sam Luxford, an alias, was wanted for bank robbery. He was eventually arrested but never forgot the assistance given to him by the fisherman of Port Stephens, writing to them from his cell in “B” Division, Pentridge, Coburg “When you are sailing past the light house will you kindly think of me”.

The Mitchells and "Girl Pat" sailed north to Queensland chasing the more lucrative export dollars. She was finally sold before going down off Keppel Island.

Place MadeUnknown

MakerUnknown

Maker RoleBoat Builder

Date Made1943

PeriodMid 20th century

Formatjpeg

Object TypeFishing Vessel

Subject and Association KeywordsBoat building

Subject and Association KeywordsBoats

Subject and Association KeywordsFishing - commercial

Subject and Association KeywordsFishing Recreational

Subject and Association KeywordsPrawning

Subject and Association KeywordsRecreation

Object numberTMA2021.00157

Copyright Licence