Local shark nets date back to the 1930s
In the recent reporting of the tragic death of Mercury Psillakis following a shark attack at Dee Why/Long Reef Beach, it was sometimes mentioned that there had not been a death at Dee Why since 1934, over 90 years ago. That is true.
On 12 March, 1934, 18 year old Frank Riley was attacked when swimming just beyond the breakers. He lost a leg and died shortly after being brought ashore. He was helped by Laurie O’Toole, a Dee Why lifesaver, who later received a Royal Humane Society of NSW gold medal for his efforts.
However, what was usually not mentioned was that the 1934 attack was one of five on the Northern Beaches in the space of just two years. Four of them – Dee Why, North Steyne, North Narrabeen and South Steyne – were fatal.
This tragic sequence motivated the State Government to establish a Shark Menace Advisory Committee in August 1934. This led ultimately to the introduction of the shark netting program off the Sydney beaches, the one which has recently been under debate.
While the inquiry was ongoing, Warringah Council went its own way and in March 1936 installed a shark-proof enclosure at Dee Why Beach. It was a triangular net attached to two piles about 200 metres apart on the beach, and an anchored buoy out in the surf just beyond the breakers.
However it was not a resounding success. During construction, several lifesavers managed to collide with it, either on surf-o-planes, skis or the surf boat. By July 1936 it had been severely damaged by storms, with the suggestion to relocate it further north on the beach.
By August 1936 the adventure appears to have been over, with the council now accepting the report of the State Government Committee and the actions that flowed from it – although it continued to receive unsolicited designs and suggestions from the public. In early 1937 the surf club requested that the remnant pylons be removed from the beach.
Richard Michell is the vice-president of the Manly, Warringah and Pittwater Historical Society and the secretary of Friends of Dee Why Lagoon. mwphs.org.au / fodyl.au
