Praise for ‘safe’ skipper Ben
THE skipper of a sunken slug boat has been described as an “incredibly safe” operator as it was confirmed he was found inside the wreckage.
Police yesterday said 45year-old Cairns local Ben Leahy was one of two men that divers recovered from fishing vessel Dianne on Saturday.
A seafood supplier who knew Mr Leahy well said the owner and skipper of Dianne was highly experienced and under no pressure quotas.
Ian Fanning, from one of the two companies with licences to operate in Queensland’s sea cucumber fishery, said he believed the accident was “certainly no fault of the crew or the skipper”.
“Ben was a phenomenal operator. He’s an incredibly safe operator. This is staggering to us all,” Mr Fanning, operations manager for Tasmanian Seafoods, said.
“I personally know some of to meet the crew on board. They were very experienced crew.”
He added: “We are dealing with the ocean. You get rogue waves.”
Tasmanian Seafoods and separate company Seafresh Quota hold the state’s 18 commercial licences to operate in the sea cucumber fishery, a fisheries department spokesman said.
They can nominate people and boats for harvesting in a fishery that stretches from Cape York to Tin Can Bay. TRAINING modules are available for the Cassowary Coast’s senior citizens. The free ‘Tech Savvy Seniors’ training sessions have 19 modules covering internet, online shopping and banking, cyber safety and social media. Sessions are held at Innisfail, Tully, Wongaling and Cardwell libraries. Call 1300 366 616 to register.
Rotary awards
ROTARY Club of Cairns is tonight hosting the prestigious Pride of Workmanship Awards to recognise “excellence in customer service from employees in many vocations”. More than 60 people are expected to attend the event, being held at Ireland’s Cairns on Mulgrave Rd.
Petition to be tabled
A PETITION calling on the Mareeba Shire Council to remove a speed hump on Barron Falls Rd, near Tully Court in Kuranda will be tabled this week.