‘Olive Cam’, 1954

The 39-metre, 289-ton single screw steamer ‘Olive Cam’ was built in the United Kingdom in 1920. She was originally called the ‘Nodzu’. In 1929 she was renamed ‘Olive Cam’ and was then utilised as a fishing trawler in Australian waters. In September 1939 she was requisitioned by the Royal Australian Navy and became HMAS ‘Olive Cam’. She was returned to her owners in 1946 and resumed her trawling role.

The ‘Olive Cam’ left Sydney on October 26th 1954 and started fishing off Gabo Island two days later. She fished in that area for about five days until she encountered bad weather. ‘The skipper decided to get as close to the shore as possible and make for Eden’. At about 7.30pm on November 2nd, with ‘a gale behind the ship, with big seas running, heavy rain, and no visibility’, the vessel struck a bombora just south of Mowarry Point, south of Eden, and went aground. It was immediately realised the vessel was beyond saving, although the crew spent an hour attempting to free her from the rocks.

‘The waves were lifting the ship and bumping it down, and the wind was pushing her in, all the time. We tried to get the lifeboat off, but it hit against the ship's side, and we could see a hole in it. It was no good’.

A line was taken ashore by two or three crew members and the crew started to transfer to the land. Ten made it to safety but three others, including the ship’s skipper, lost their grip on the line when hit by a huge wave and then a series of other waves, and lost their lives. It was then just after 10 pm.

First news of the wreck came when the vessel’s First Mate staggered into the police station at Eden hours later. He told the police that the trawler had broken in three and his shipmates were lost in the bush. Police were on their way to Green Cape when they were met by a group of civilians who had found a group of seven men picking their way through dense bush. Two other survivors walked 10 miles over rugged country to Edrom Guest House before being taken to Eden.