The following is an interview with Andrew Nye, a fisherman who lives in Mogo.
Tell me about your childhood?
I was born in batemans bay in 1950. I have 5 sisters and 4 brothers, being the second eldest. We started off living in Mossy Point, Maroo, Barlings Beach and Mogo and I’m still here. Setting rabbit traps at Barlings, mum used to cook rabbit stew. Diving up and down the coast dad taught me. When in Mogo we started going to movies of a Friday sat night. Go to cullendulla to play pool at the old road house (garage) lived in army tents. Same tent set up at Barlings and we also built a shed where mum would do all the cooking. 11 people all up in one tent.
We had an old land rover series 1, dad had an old she’s truck that he carted the fish with. We took the fish to the old cannery in Narooma and some were sent to the fish in Sydney. I know when dad was growing up he bartered with the local business men, white fellas. growing up, we slid down grass banks for fun, we made our own toys (steam rollers) out of milk tins, sand, wire and we played with these on the sand. There used to be pear trees near the now sewage pump in tomakin and get water from the well in barlings on George bass drive. We also went to the farm on sun patch parade we would help them and in return they gave us milk which we would boil and get all the cream off the top. We would walk to the wattle trees and collect gum take it home mum would clean it all up and set it into jelly.
Schooling
I attended Mogo primary school, I did one year of schooling in Nowra whilst dad was working carting wood for the brick yard and left. The yard is still there in South Nowra. We played marbles when we’d beat our teacher at Mogo, Mr Machually, He eventually stopped us from playing. We walked to school in Nowra and Mogo.
Fishing – Why is it so important to you?
It runs in the family blood. I always thought about fishing and wanted to become a fisherman. I always knew I would be one and same with my son. I was born a fisherman and I’ll die one. Always had a connection to the sea.
What about Mogo do you like the most?
Quiet, everyone gets along, everyone knows everyone, no drama. We moved to Mogo around 1962 from Barlings, moved into the old road house. I think he paid 600 pound for it.
When we first moved to Mogo there was one other black family in Mogo, my dad’s brother uncle Billy Nye and his family. Over the years the Russells, butlers, Stewarts, Smiths homes have also moved here.
