Lloyd and Wann Family

“My Dad, Max Lloyd built two boats in the 1950’s designed by Len Randell for crayfishing. The first boat he built with Laurie Wann. They fished it out of Snag Island – called Leeman today. The Wheelhouse was two phone boxes… they never had much $$ in those days. The 25-foot boat was built in Maylands. The boat was named EIDRAN – named after the family farm at Toodyay NARDIE spelt back to front”

Laurie Wann was stationed at Learmonth in wartime and fancied the idea of returning there someday. In 1950 he moved with his family to Exmouth. He worked as a Professional fisherman supplying Hunt’s small tuna cannery established from the Nissen huts. On the 22 March 1953 a cyclone swept through Exmouth Gulf destroying the fish cannery, as well as the WAPET – The WA Petroleum base camp. The only thing that saved their lives was the strongly built Ice-box at the cannery. After the cyclone Laurie initially decided to remain in the district, and with his partner Eddie Daw, hired an old water boring plant from a sheep station and took on the job of boring new wells for the oil camp. Max Lloyd was also there at WAPET driving landing barges. It wasn’t long before Laurie returned to fishing. Soon after, brothers Laurie and Ray Wann began fishing from the Abrolhos Islands.

In August 1957 the Wann brothers, Max Lloyd and Tom Taylor of Rockingham explored the coast seeking a safe anchorage. They travelled through Gin Gin, Dandaragan, Badgingarraand across to Jurien Bay where they then followed the coast using a Chevy truck on tracks made by patrols from World War II. In November 1957 their foresight saw potential at a place then known as Snag Island, where they erected tents for their homes under the ti-trees on the foreshore. There are accounts of European occupation by holiday makers from the eastern wheat belt as far back as 1923.

In 1958 sturdier homes were built from driftwood found lying on the beaches. Other fishermen moved to Snag Island to join the growing Rock Lobster Industry. The fishermen built substantial living quarters. These constructions were what is now commonly regarded as squatter camps. The Wann’s also built jetty here in 1958. It's purpose was to serve the crayfishing boats by providing a place that crayfish could be unloaded and the boats could be stocked with bait and refuelled. The jetty was upgraded in 1963 by the Wann’s in association with Brian McTaggart and the Finlay brothers. Around 1978 it was purchased by Dave Thompson, and then sold to Brian and Stephanie McTaggart in 1980.

The township of Snag Island was gazetted in 1961 and the name Leeman was formally issued in 1971 when the Leeman Primary School was opened. The town was named after Abraham Leeman van Santwits, a Dutch Sailer. He was the second officer on the Dutch East India Company ship Gil Dragon which was wrecked in 1656 and his story is remarkable in itself. Long time locals and tourists still refer to the town as Snag Island.