Harmony and Lady Pamela

Tropical Cyclone Bobby formed on 18 February 1995 as a monsoon trough in the Timor Sea.

It was a large intense category four system that moved slowly and erratically, crossing the coast to the east of Onslow after midnight on 25 February. Waves were 15ft (5 metres) high, with a 13 feet (4.3 metre) surge, before the cyclone reached its peak, and the wind reached intensity at 150mph (240kmh) on 21 February off the north west coast, finally dissipating on 27 February. Bobby dropped 400mm (16 inches) of rain, destroyed houses, roads, water supplies and power lines, and stranded 1000 vehicles on the Eyre highway.

Harmony and Lady Pamela were two steel prawn trawlers built in the North West of WA and were suited to the tides and heavy seas of the area. Harmony LFBF750 weighed 50 tons, and had three metres added to her centre in 1992. She fished for Morning Star Fisheries.

Harmony had returned to Onslow after undergoing extensive engine repairs and sea trials a week before. Lady Pamela was 17.5 metres, and was one of four trawlers working in the area that were owned by the McGowan’s company, McBoats.

Harmony had a crew of four. The skipper was Hugh James Hatch [41] from Geraldton. In 1970, Hugh was a deckhand on the cray fishing boat, Black Pig, at North Island with skipper John Storhaug. Hugh was washed overboard when the Black Pig was hit by a breaker on the West Reef. Hugh was picked up by another boat in the area and then went on to get his skipper’s tickets and started his career in prawn trawling. Hugh was a seasoned skipper with approximately 17 years of experience trawling in the area by 1995. He took Harmony to Carnarvon for the scallop season between March and July each year, before completing a July re-fit and travelling north for the prawn season. He was described by other skippers as a “courageous and experienced skipper who would have done everything possible to save his crew”.

The deckhands on the Harmony were Daniel Brennan [16] and Scott Adrian Clark [23], and cook/deckhand, Janine Callow. Janine was from Mudgee in NSW. She had been working at the Beadon Creek Hotel in Onslow until three weeks earlier, and was recently engaged to a colleague there. She died four days before her 26th birthday.

Scott had recently moved from Perth, and Daniel was a green deckhand at 16 years of age.

Lady Pamela had a crew of three: Skipper, Gavin Wayne Elliott [28], and deckhands, Ian Jennings [26], and Richard Mariu [38]. Gavin was an experienced skipper. Gavin and Ian were from Robe, SA, while Richard was from New Zealand.

The trawlers were working off North Sandy Island, about 80 kms from Onslow. There were other trawlers working the area, including Oriana, Advancer and another McBoats vessel, Lisa D. They had put to sea when the cyclone was forming, but at that time the weather reports did not forecast gale force winds, or weather that would pose a problem for the seasoned skippers in the following 48 hours. In a twist of nature, there were winds of 160 km/hour only 24 hours later.

Carnarvon fishing boats were sheltered at the wharf in Beadon Creek. Vessels moored in line with the creek’s axis to minimise loading from the current. They used two-way mooring lines so the load on each was shared from surges against the tide. There were wires and ropes across the entrance to the creek to prevent boats surging over the jetty.

To add to the issues at the creek, there were approximately 12 boats Prawn trawling out of Onslow at the time, and only room for half that number at the Beadon Creek wharf. The creek is accessible at high tide, by navigating the bends in the creek’s channel. At night with a low tide, it is likely Harmony would have dragged on the creek bottom.

The trip back to Onslow usually took six hours. Hugh received a weather fax early on 24 February 1995, which prompted them to begin the run back to Onslow. The skippers of Harmony and Lady Pamela both radioed Onslow to gain permission to moor in the creek. In radio conversations with other boats in the area, including Lisa D, Hugh and Gavin advised they had been denied access to the creek. It is unclear why the vessels were denied access, or who made the decision. The Port Hedland Harbour Master later advised the West Australian Newspaper (27 February 1995) there were no set procedures for vessels sheltering in cyclones.

Fifteen hours later, Harmony, Lady Pamela and Lisa D were still battling heavy seas and winds and lost sight of each other. They anchored behind islands near Onslow to gain as much shelter as possible. They were just 16 kilometres from the harbour.

The last radio contact from Harmony appears to have been a call to the skipper on Advancer around midnight. Hugh said Harmony was dragging her anchor. Lady Pamela called the Fisheries Department Patrol Vessel, Abel Tasman, after 10pm. Gavin advised she was rolling heavily and had taken on water. In his final call, Gavin stated crew had bailed out the water, and cut an anchor free to stabilise their vessel.

Although both skippers had cyclone experience, the fury of Bobby eventually capsized both boats.

Helicopters, fixed wing planes and at least eight vessels searched the area for the missing trawlers. Late on Sunday the upturned hull of Harmony was found near Direction Island, approximately 16kms north of Onslow. Lady Pamela sank less than 8kms north of the harbour entrance.

Harmony’s crew were lost. Only the body of Janine was found in a sleeping compartment on Harmony. Harmony’s remaining crew were never found. The bodies of Gavin and Ian were recovered from Lady Pamela approximately nine weeks after she capsized. Richard’s body was never found.

The trawler crews spent long periods of time away from home, and crew members came and went with the seasons. The trawlers themselves, and often long-term crew members, were a close community. In 1992, the trawlers had an egging competition, where one crew threw eggs at another boat when they were close enough. There is a list made by the crew of Lisa D showing that only three boats remained un-egged when Harmony and Pamela were lost: Harmony, Indian Chief ll and Lisa D.

After much red tape, poor weather and delays by salvage companies, both Harmony and Lady Pamela were rolled onto a reef north of Onslow while investigations and inquiries were undertaken. Harmony was secured onto Herald’s Reef as a reminder to others and as a memorial to those who were lost.

A monument to the crews of Harmony and Lady Pamela was erected in Onslow.
“In memory of the seven crew members of the Lady Pamela and Harmony who were lost at sea during cyclone Bobby which crossed the coast just east of Onslow in February 1995.
May their souls rest in peace in the company of those lost before them”.

There is a stone near the Geraldton Fishermen’s Co-operative “lives” shed, at the end of the wharf in Geraldton, which is a small memorial to Hugh, the well-remembered skipper of the Harmony.