Druskovich Family

Nikola Druskovich first came to Western Australia from Racisce, Korcula in 1936 and joined his father, Ivan, who had migrated in 1928, on the Woodline. A diesel mechanic with ‘Jadrolinija’ when in Croatia and with an interest in sailing, after a few years, Nikola moved to Fremantle where, while working in a quarry to earn a living he bought a share in a sailing boat with his friend Pasko Radich. Nikola’s stay in Western Australia was relatively short and, in 1945, he returned to Split, Croatia where he met and married Stanka Tesija. They bought an apartment in Split where there two sons Len (1949) and John (1953) were born. Again, in search of a good living, Nikola and Stanka migrated to Western Australia in 1960 leaving their two sons with relatives in Split for 5 years over which time they were able to raise enough money to bring them to Australia. On his arrival Nikola went into the crayfish industry and fished mainly in the Greenhead region during the period 1960 to 1975. His son, Len, worked with him for a short time but did not continue in the industry. Nikola and Stanka returned to Split via France where they bought an 11-metre yacht (named Alan Steven after the grandsons) and sailed it to Split. It was in the Northern Hemisphere summer of 1986 that Nikola realised a lifetime dream. Selecting two applicants from a list of three hundred, to act as crewmen for his yacht, he sailed ten thousand kilometres through the Mediterranean and across the Atlantic to Miami. The trip, which took sixty eight days, exemplified the seafaring skills of Nikola and typical of those possessed by Croatians generally.