I've known Ray for close to twenty years now.
Image by WCG: Having a beer with Ray.
Long before Wild Creek and long before I started carrying cameras around for documentary projects, Ray was already making a living on the water around Bynoe Harbour.
He's been commercially crabbing for close to four decades. In an industry where there is always pressure to do more, run more gear and chase bigger returns, Ray has never seemed particularly interested in that approach. He holds an allocation that would allow him to run more pots than he does, but he's always been content doing things his own way.
Image by WCG: Ray out on his daily crab run in the wet season.
I first met Ray as a young bloke at his old shack on the far side of Bynoe Harbour (Mandorah side). His nephews Michael and Steven were always around and there was never a shortage of banter. Ray would spend half the day stirring them up and they'd give it straight back to him. Most conversations eventually turned into arguments, but never serious ones. It was just part of the entertainment.
Back then I carried around an old camcorder and filmed one particular trip. One memory that sticks with me was when Michael, our mate Steven and I found an old bush ute sitting abandoned behind the shack. Somehow we managed to get it running and spent the afternoon tearing around the salt flats doing our best to destroy it. It survived the day better than it probably should have.
Image by WCG: Ray
Those were good years around Bynoe Harbour. We'd spend days fishing and exploring the country around the harbour with no real plan, slamming a few boars up the back creek and boiling crabs in saltwater on the beach.
Over the years I've done a few crab runs with Ray around the harbour and its feeder systems, avoiding a few murder logs (crocs) and spinning a few yarns, often yelling above the sound of the outboard. Ray knows the harbour better then most, the channels and the tides because he's spent a large portion of his life on them.
What I've always liked about Ray is that he doesn't try to be anything other than himself.
If he thinks something is nonsense, he'll tell you. If he agrees with you, he'll tell you that too. There isn't much filtering involved. Some people appreciate that and some don't. Personally, I've always found it refreshing.
Image by WCG: A crate of mud crabs caught by Ray.
These days it seems like everybody needs to broadcast what they're doing. Ray couldn't care less about any of that. He gets along without most of the technology that people now consider essential. No interest in social media. No interest in constantly staring at a screen. He seems perfectly content without it.
For all his rough edges and straight talking, Ray has a good heart. Plenty of people around Bynoe Harbour have ended up with a feed of mud crabs, a helping hand or a favour over the years. Usually without any fuss being made about it afterwards.
Image by WCG: On the water with Ray.
One thing that has stood out to me over the years is that Ray treats everyone much the same. Doesn't matter if you're a local, a tourist, a businessman or a deckhand. You'll get the same version of Ray regardless.
Image by WCG: Spending new years eve with Ray on the water.
