Six Generations of Fishing - Russell Massey (a digital story from the Lake Illawarra MAP Project)

SYNOPSIS: The history of the Masseys: a professional fishing family on Lake Illawarra.
SCRIPT: My name is Russell Massey. I'm a fifth generation commercial fisherman in Lake Illawarra NSW. My great great grandfather John Massey came to Australia in 1857. He and his wife Mary bought a dingy and sailed down the coast into Lake Illawarra, settled at southern side of Mullet Creek and built a residence there. He built a smokehouse on the property and commenced commercial fishing catching mainly mullet which he sent from Wollongong to the Sydney market on the Coastal Trader. John ended up having a good reputation in Sydney for smoked fish. When the family began to increase (John and Mary had 11 children) they bought a property at Primbee and named it Whiteheath. As the boys got old enough they commenced commercial fishing too. Joseph who was my great grandfather ended up shifting to Berkeley partly because the Railway came into Unanderra. The railway allowed fresh fish and prawns to get to Sydney which started the prawn industry off in Lake illawarra. Back in the early days prawning was a limited market. So catching prawns was seasonal. And once they started catching prawns in Sydney harbour and Botany Bay the agents at the time used to send telegrams down not catch prawns. The only market was the locals in Wollongong. But over the years as the population in Sydney and Wollongong grew there was more and more demand for Lake Illawarra prawns. All the sons started fishing with the fathers and at one stage there would have been 20 Masseys working the Lake. My son and daughter - the sixth generation of Masseys - fish with me now, carrying on in the tradition of the Masseys and Lake Illawarra.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Lake Illawarra
• digital story
• commercial fishing
• prawning
• berkeley
• primbee
• coastal trader

[rachmass1]

To the owner of this video, could you please let the Massey's know that their relatives in Michigan are trying to get email addresses or some way to find them?

[lakeillawarramap]

Will do. Do they know how to get in touch with you? I can certainly give them a contact. How is the best way to exchange contacts from your point of view? - Phil (admin)

[divyr32gtr]

another great video. im only u puppy (29) and work with a massey. this was a good look into the history of their family. thanks for sharing

[strikenetter]

Great vid ! I too commercial fish and have followed my father into this business. I predominately fish for mullet but other species as well.

much respect to you !!!