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Thrilling maritime tales from the four corners of the globe
At its peak Stannard Brothers was the biggest marine company in Australia. This is the story of how a shark changed the course of the Australian tug industry.
From its humble beginnings when old William Stannard was a Sydney waterman rowing the quarantine doctors out to the sailing ships, the company grew under his grandson, Alan's stewardship, to become the largest marine company in Australia.
Alan took over Stannard Brothers after his flamboyant father, Alby, left Australia to live in America. There was some muted rumour that Alby knew something about a human arm that was coughed up by a shark at the Coogee Aquarium in 1935. Not that he was involved, I am assured by the Alby's grandson and current CEO, Chris Stannard.
The Sydney waterfront was a rough and tumble place in the 1930s. There was a blurred line between criminals and the police and everyone knew "something". So, when a shark meshing contractor pulled up a tiger shark in his nets he naturally gifted his prize to the Coogee Aquarium. After a few days of feeling off colour the old "Noah's Ark" regurgitated a human arm to a small but appreciative audience. Imagine everyone's surprise (including the shark) when a human arm bobbed to the surface.
In respect to dismembered arms
This is where it gets even more bizarre. Although the shark was feeling much better having spat the arm, the aquarium decided to kill the shark thereby destroying any further evidence. The arm had a clearly distinguishable tattoo on it (here we are thinking tattoos have just become fashionable today). Some very observant member of the constabulary recognised the tattoo as belonging to the arm that belonged to a low-level Sydney crim and police informer, Jimmy Smith.
The coincidences kept getting better. The police then...