84. SS YONGALA Bell salvage Wally Gibbins with Ben Cropp).

Ben and Wally share the same birthday date, 19th January.

 

78. JOHN GALLAGHER (1933 - )

'Super Diver'.  Nikon F in a plastic bag (1974)  Underwater comedy sequence in 16mm.

 John Gallagher (1933 - )  Great-Aunt featured on the Australian ten dollar banknote, Dame Mary Gilmore who he remembers well.  

 

A founding member of Sydney's Eastern Suburbs Club, White Water Wanderers.  Club mates were pioneers Ron Ible, Harry Dowsell, Don Read, Vic Ley, possibly Scott Dillon, Don Linklater, Spud Murphy and Andy Armstrong.
 

 John Gallagher has been able to add information (May 2019) to people in this picture, at Heron Island 1957.   Mr. Les Price was a film cameraman and 16mm film-making mentor for young Ron Taylor. (Ron is 2nd from left)

John Gallagher - (red costume)

Two boats had departed Heron Island for Sykes Reef about 10km away from the resort. John Gallagher encountered the Tiger when it swam up to him in shallow water.  "I could have speared it in the eye, the spear was just inches away but caution told me 'don't'.  I yelled out to Wally Gibbins 'there's a big shark here' and they came over in their boat".

The rest is freediving history. 

Times have changed.  Tiger sharks are now food-friendly at diving resorts.  It's a concern for us old-time divers who know wild sharks have a different disposition to the tame variety.  A big predator is potentially very dangerous in the wrong set of circumstances.