Three Buoys and A Girl
May 3, 1999
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ABBM Dutchie Dereus (Left)
and LEUT Cathy Hayes surface in Darwin Harbour.
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Our photo from SGT Geoff Cox in Darwin shows ABBM Dutchie Dereus (left) and LEUT Cathy Hayes bobbing to the surface in Darwin Harbour at Easter.
Attached to HMAS GEELONG (that is her in the background, forward of HMAS GAWLER), the pair were not out for a social dive. It was very serious business.
The Chief Minister of the Northern Territory had asked Defence to supply qualified divers and have them check the Naval base and Darwin Harbour for the black striped mussel.
It was feared the mussel had escaped from three marinas around Darwin and posed a threat to the pealing industry "up top."
Nine qualified divers were found, three from GEELONG, three from the Naval reserves in Darwin, two from the Army and a supervisor already aboard HMAS COONAWARRA.
Giving up their Easter and equipped with marker buoys to "peg out" their search areas, the divers carried out a systematic search of the base and the harbour.
Fortunately no black striped mussels were found.
By Graham Davis