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Pearl fishing in Broome

Australia'spearlingindustrybeganlongbeforeEuropeansettlement.Aborigines
harvestedthepearlshellfromtheshallowwaters.Theyhadagoodtradingnetwork
forpearlshell.Somepearlshellwastradedup500milesfromwhereitwas
collected.
AboriginesalsotradedwithfishermenfromSulawesi.Folklore,songs,cave
paintingsandthediariesofMatthewFlinderstelloflinksbetweenAustraliaand
Indonesiadatingback500years.
WhenEuropeanssettledinAustralia,theyquicklysawthevalueofpearlfishing.
PearlingbeganatSharkBay,WesternAustralia,inthe1850s.

Pear luggers, Broome


PearlshellswereusedintheUnitedStatesandEnglandespeciallyforbuttonsand
buckles.Quickprofitscouldbemadewithpearlshell.Pearlshelland'Motherof

Pearl'wereusedtomakebuttons,cutlery,haircombs,jewelleryandinlayfor
furniture.

APearldiverandcrewaround1900

TheseboomtimesattractedlargenumbersofEuropeans,SouthSeaIslandersand
Asianstheycamefortheadventure,thepromiseofworkandthechancetomake
theirfortune.InBroome,thelargestofthesegroupsweretheChinese.Theycomeas
pearlers,butalsoascooksandshopkeepers.
Pearldivingadarkhistory
From186268,localAboriginescollectedoystersintheshallowwatersofSharkBay.
Withinthreeyears,thesupplywasverylow.Biggerboatsweresentouttwo
kilometresoffshoretocollectoysters.Aboriginalmenandwomeninaboatwould
'nakeddive'forshellthismeanttheyhadtodivedowndeepwithnooxygen,no
snorkelandnomask.Thereweremanyaccidentsanddeaths.
TheinventionofdivingsuitschangedthepearlingindustryinAustralia.Divers
couldgodeeperthaneverbeforetheycouldalsostayunderwaterlongerandcollect
moreshellandpearls.Thesediversworecanvassuitsandhugebronzehelmets.
Theywereloweredovertheboat'ssidetospendhoursunderwater.
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Onthebottomtheystruggledaboutinleadweightedboots.Theyhadtoworkfast
diverswerepaidbytheamountofshelltheycollected.
Astheworkwasverydangerous,theEuropeanboatownersemployedJapanese
divers.ManyoftheJapanesediverswereusedasindenturedlabourthismeansthat
theyworkedfornomoneytorepayadebt,usuallytheirtransporttoAustralia.Many
diedbeforepayingofftheirdebt.
FemaleJapanesepearldiverswerethebestofallthedivers.Theycollectedthemost
theycanholdtheirbreathforlonger.Somecouldstayunderwaterforaslongas
threeminutes.TheywerecalledAma(meaningseawoman).
Pearldiversregularlyfacedthethreatofsharkattackalsothedreadedbends.
Thedeathratefordiverswas50%.Therewerealsocyclonesfrom1908to1935,
fourcycloneskilledaround300.
Setbacksfortheindustry

Pearlluggers,Broome,1937

Checkingpearlshells1920s

By1913,Broomewasboomingtherewereover400pearlluggers,1000whitesand
3000ofAsianorigin.DuringWorldWarIandWorldWarII,theindustryalmost
stopped.TheindustryreliedonitsJapanesepearldivers.InWorldWarII,these
diverswereputinprisonerofwarcamps.

AfterWorldWarII,theindustrystartedslowly.Plasticwasusedforbuttonsand
bucklesfromthe1950s.Anewcultivationmethodbeganasmallplasticballwas
putintotheoyster.Thesearecalledculturedpearls.Pearlscantaketwotosixyears
todevelopthisway.

TheyalsomakeMabeorhalfpearls.Theycementhalfbeadsontotheinsideof
theshell.Thesecanberound,oval,droporheartshaped.

Thelegacyofpearlingtoday
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Broometodayisrecognisedasa'pearlcapital'.Itisoneoftheworldsmajor
suppliersofqualitypearls.Thereisanindustryincludingahatcheryandculturing
facilities.Itproducedpearlsvaluedat$150millionin200304.Broomecultured
pearlsarereadyintwoyearsinJapanittakesfouryears.AlsoBroomepearlsare
twiceasbigasJapaneseones.
ThearchitectureandpopulationofBroomeisquiteuniqueinAustralia.Ithasa
ChinatownthereareanumberofChinesebuildings.Broomeismulticulturaland
cosmopolitanamixtureofpeopleofEuropeandescent,fromChina,Japan,
Malaysia,PhillipinesandJava,andthelocalAboriginals.

TheJapaneseCemeteryatBroomeisthelargestJapanesecemeteryinAustralia.It
datesbacktotheveryearlypearlingdays.
Thefirstrecordedburialinthiscemeteryis1896.HundredsofyoungJapanese
diversdiedeitherfromthebends(diversparalysis)orfromdrowning.Alargestone
obeliskinthecemeteryrecallsthosewhoweredrownedatseainthe1908cyclone.T
hecyclonesof1887and1935eachcausedthedeathsofatleast140men.
Thecemeteryhasthegravesof33menwhodiedofdiversparalysisinoneyear
1914.Thereare707graves(919people)mostofthemhaveunusualheadstonesof
colouredbeachrocks.Thecemeteryhasbeenperfectlyrestored.

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