Sepia Saturday: The catch

The catch

This photo fascinates me. I look at the hat sitting on the fencepost, I look at how far apart the couple are standing, I look at how thin people used to be, I look at the string of pearls around the lady's neck, I wonder about the circumstances of the photo.
I don't know who took the photo or who the subjects are because it is in an album that was donated to the Genealogical Society of Victoria. I think I can safely say that it is Australian, probably Victoria and probably in the 1920s.

We don't have many fish or fishing photos in our family albums even though it's an activity that a number of relatives enjoy. None of our recent ancestors were professional fishermen. There are one or two photos of fish being held aloft like the photo above but the one I'll publish here is of brothers Neil and Doug Phelan with their children at Port Fairy where Doug was a teacher. The fish were caught in the Moyne River from a small wooden boat with an outboard motor. Doug was, and still is, an avid fisherman. A fishing expedition on the coast was a grand adventure for a lad from inland Victoria - my husband doesn't remember this particular day but he does remember that he enjoyed Uncle Doug's boat and boating.

Fish caught at Port Fairy about 1956.

Port Fairy is a delightful small town on the south coast of Victoria, a very popular spot. The residents are proud of its history and run several world-class music festivals each year. And it's still a great spot to catch a fish or watch others trying to catch a fish. Or grab a feed of fish and chips to eat beside the river.

Moyne river, Port Fairy c2013.

This post is in response to the Sepia Saturday's theme photo of a fish drawing in the Smithsonian Museum.