Jura (George) Zurinicic

Jura (George) Zurinich was born in 1873, in the town of Crikvenica in present day Croatia.

George had been in Australia since 1900, spending the first four years in Fremantle, then moving to Karridale to work on the mill for a year. This was followed by seven years at the Gwalia mine, then at another Gold Mine at Youanmi for two years. He then moved to Busselton for a year working as a fisherman, and had spent the last six years back in Fremantle.

George was single, and had just applied for Naturalisation in May of the year he went missing. He preferred to work as a lone fisherman from Fremantle, and was last seen alive on the afternoon of Sunday 30 October, when some colleagues had seen him fishing near Clarence Rock.

His boat was described as being white, with a red bottom. That evening a heavy squall passed through the area. His boat was discovered capsized and in a water-logged condition, sitting on a bank about 70 yards from the shore. Two of the oars washed ashore about a mile from the Henderson Naval Base on Monday 31 October.

An extensive search was carried out, including by Mounted-Constable Chandler, but only the missing man’s hat was ever found, also about a mile from the Naval Base.

His last address was registered as 33 Russell Street in Fremantle, having moved from Norfolk Street.