EX-FISHERMAN WEAVES TOGETHER NEW BUSINESS
FORMER fisherman Neddy Van Dyck is weaving a living from ropes used to haul in the bounty of the sea.
The marine scientist crafts beautiful mats and baskets from ropes that once tethered rock lobster pots off the rugged West Australian coast.
Profits from the fledgling business are putting the 29year-old through Bond University on the Gold Coast where he is studying a Masters in Occupational Therapy and is enrolled in the Transformer program for student entrepreneurs.
“I don’t have the profile to do something like Leonardo DiCaprio and try to change the world, but if I can do my part it’s going to be to put this rope to better use,” Mr Van Dyck said.
Mr Van Dyck grew up surfing and spearfishing on North Stradbroke Island where his grandfather was a commercial fisherman and entrepreneur.
He moved to WA five years ago while his wife was studying medicine in Fremantle. While there he indulged his other love, the ocean.
“I was working crayfishing in the Abrolhos Islands off Geraldton and abalone diving off Esperance in between marine science jobs for mining companies on and offshore.” he said.
“I came across this (rope art) during my time at sea and living on a remote coral island in the Abrolhos.
“Fishermen have been weaving rope mats since the dawn of rope. At sea there’s not much else to do. They’d fill their time doing these beautiful mats, knots and incredible rope work.”
Mr Van Dyck said there was a plethora of leftover marine rope from each fishing season that had the potential to cause pollution.
“The haul and the pot is worth so much money to the fishermen and the weakest link in the chain is the rope, so it gets turned over quickly.”
He makes regular trips to WA to buy rope from cray fisherman and forage it from beaches and then transports it back east to do all the weaving himself at his Currumbin home.
“The rope’s tough. It’s UV stabilised, it’s mould resistant, water resistant. It’s designed to live in the harshest environments you can think of. It’ll outlive me.”