Dusty’s dad and the biggest callop in the Murray

Short’n sweet Pete.

I’d been working casually on a new Arnott’s chips spud farm just outa Bourke on the Murray River. Dad had fished the river in his younger days before the war, and growing up back east, he oft times mentioned to me and mother that’s where he wanted to be laid to rest when the time came. Well he never got his wish, died too young and too suddenly so, when I got the chance, I did the next best thing and ended up on the banks of the mighty Murray one fine day up Bourke way in mid winter. Not being a sentimentalist, I’d put the ashes box in a hessian bag on the back of me bike and on arrival found a likely spot down beside an old river gum and promptly launched dad into the drink and I probably said something whilst watching the black box float away towards Lake Alexandrina (his name was Alex) SA.

Just as I was about to leave, I happened to spot a rotting rope lashed to a root at the base of the tree and being a curious fellow yanked away and pulled a rusty old bait-less chicken wire fish trap. Yeah you guessed, inside was the biggest yellow belly (callop) I’d ever laid eyes upon, must have been just like the ones dad boasted about catching in the good olde days, fat and healthy too. How the bugger got in there and for how long he’d been there, God only knows. Of course I took him out and then released him right there at the edge. As he flicked his tail to dive I could swear I heard hím say “Thanks mate, I’d been waiting for you.” Only words I could think to say in reply. “Have a good trip south to Louth Dad, hope they’re biting .”

Well that’s it just as it went down all those years ago, haven’t been back to Bourke in ages though I’ve camped on the river in Louth coupla times. But guess Dad had passed south by then, cause I never heard even a ghostly whisper from depths.

Darling River of course. For those who don’t know or care, the Darling links with the Murray which has outflow into the bite via Lake Alex.