| Summary |
Leslie Bail, manager, former diver & whale watching charter operator, born at Elleker, W.A. recalls his family background; memories of family fishing boats (i.e.clinker boats) heading from Elleker down the channels and drains to King George Sound (1950s); his early schooling & carpentary apprenticeship; his own building company; setting up a secondhand building materials salvage yard in Albany,W.A.(early 1980s); spearfishing with primative early post WWII diving equipment and being ignorant of safe diving procedures; setting up the first dive shop and dive tour operation out of Albany (late 1970s); buying the first dedicated dive boat from Westerberg Marine and setting up South Coast Divers Club; Jaycee Community Foundation whaleboats (Cheynes 3); childhood memories of visiting Cheynes Beach Whaling Station, located on the southern coast of King George Sound in Albany, W.A.; John Bell, a former spotter pilot for the Cheyne Beach Whaling Station (1952-1978) who turned the station into a Whale Museum (Whale World); sinking his whale watching boat in a storm off Cape Riche (1988).
Bail speaks about being issued with 1st mammal interaction licence in the southern Western Australian waters; how he developed the whale watching industry in south Western Australia (late 1980s- ); documenting all whale sightings and behavioural patterns; his contacts with Freemantle Maritime Museum; community concerns about Whaleworld (1995); Jaycees Community Foundation investment in Whaleworld; his position as Manager, Whaleworld (from Aug. 1996- ); his membership of Museums Australia; behind the scenes insights into the transformation of Whaleworld from an industrial site to heritage actraction; heritage site listing (1988), balancing the commercial & heritage concerns; establishing professional links with American whaling museums; Whaleworld's possible future as a research and resource centre; an assessment on the still doubtful future for many species of whale, and human management of the resource for conservation.
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| Notes |
Recorded on June 12, 2003-June 13, 2003 at Albany, W. A.
DCM record; National Library of Australia, Oral History and Folklore collection;
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