Paddy’s whale of a sceal*! *IRISH WORD FOR STORY BY LLOYD GORMAN Photo courtesy of Albany Advertiser
DUBLIN MAN JAMES FREDERICK (PADDY) HART WAS THE SKIPPER OF THE LAST AUSTRALIAN WHALING SHIP WHEN THE FINAL HARPOON IN THAT BARBARIC TRADE WAS FIRED AND COMMERCIAL WHALING FINISHED IN 1978. He spent 14 years at sea hunting these magnificent creatures to be carved up and processed at the Albany Whaling Station for their valuable oil, blubber and other parts. Later in life he joined Greenpeace and travelled to Japan to lobby the government there to end its whaling activities. Part of his inspirational story is told in some of the exhibits on display at the whaling station, including the ship itself, which a small group of us visited in late 10 | THE IRISH SCENE
January while on a trip to WA’s beautiful Great Southern region over the school holidays. Not long after our excursion, I decided to find out more about this legendary figure whose life has been well documented in the local newspaper (The Albany Advertiser). But at first, try as I might, I couldn’t find much about his background in Ireland, except that he was born there and was a great talker, had a deep intellect and loved to have fun. Fortunately, however, with
