SHARK TALES & YARNS
from
NORFOLK ISLAND
by
Robert Tofts

Most of us have read and heard a lot about sharks from all over the world. We have heard stories of where they have been, what they have eaten, how big they are, what they have done and what they are being used for once they have been caught. With the mention of the word 'shark' you might find yourself listening intently, with your heart pounding in fear and anticipation.
When I first came to Norfolk, in 1970, I was told a story by an old Norfolk Islander, Andrew 'Peak' Evans. He was reminiscing over a bit of the old home brew about old friends, old times and 'the big one that got away' – but don't they always! It kindled my interest in sharks and shark stories. Even in this day and age of modern technology, there never seems to be a camera on hand when the big one is caught! Back in the good old days, word of mouth was the closest thing to a camera; cameras which painted vivid, colourful pictures!! So sensational were many of these stories that they were handed down through the generations and are still told today. There are stories of sharks of every shape and size that have been seen from fishing boats, from the high rocky cliffs, from the rocks or the wharves.
To begin at the very beginning of shark stories, I went back to a time when sharks first became a notable issue in Norfolk Island. In 1788 Philip Gidley King wrote in his journal;
"The wind was from the south-west and there was scarce any surf. A whale and thresher were close to the reef for upwards of an hour fighting."
From that day onwards stories of sharks, amazing ( and sometimes difficult to believe, matter how true), have continued to entertain people in the homes, in the pubs and in the streets of this tiny Island paradise.

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