BROOME PEARL WORKERS AND DIVERS 1905 – 1955

A Broome pearl worker called Abdul Bin Goffa (or Abdul Gafoer, born 1895) from East Timor was interviewed by Wendy Lowenstein in 1969, details of which can be found on the State Library of Western Australia’s Facebook page. He told Wendy that people like himself came to Broome in Northern Western Australia to earn some money. He said that he had worked on the deck of a pearl lugger in Broome in the early days. He said that it was hard work, with lots of heavy pulling and/or pumping. He added that, if you stopped pumping, the diver would die. He said that there were Malayan and Japanese divers. Many of them died it seems. There are many different nationalities who succumbed to the bends and related diving fatalities that are interred in the cemetery in Broome.

The State Library of Western Australia shared some old photos of pearl workers and divers on their Facebook page, including these ones: -

Pearling lugger crew, master, diver and crew members, Broome, ca.1915

(Photo courtesy of the State Loibrary of Western Australia – Image No.BA318/96/88)

Cultured half pearls in the shell, Cygnet Bay, September 1969

(Photo courtesy of the State Library of Western Australia – Image No. 346629PD: Stevenson, Kinder & Scott Corporate Photography)

Pearl diver, Port Hedland, ca.1930

(Photo courtesy of the State Library of Western Australia – Image No. 003292D)

The Bambra's crew at lifeboat drill, Broome, April 1926

(Photo courtesy of the State Library of Western Australia – Image No. BA1410/1/15: Sloan, Alan William, 1903-1981)

Sorting shell, Broome, 1953

(Photo courtesy of the State Library of Western Australia – Image No. 010808D: Western Australia Government Photographer)

Steamships at Broome Jetty at low tide, ca.1925

(Photo courtesy of the State Library of Western Australia – Image No. 001563PD: Stubbe, Joseph Hans, 1895-1977)

Pearl luggers on the water, Broome, ca. 1925

(Photo courtesy of the State Library of Western Australia – Image No. 4255B/7)

Pearl diver, 1938

(Photo courtesy of the State Library of Western Australia – Image No. 001276D: Western Australia. Government Photographer)

Lyndon Brown seeding pearls, Cygnet Bay, September 1969

(Photo courtesy of the State Library of Western Australia - Image No. 346626PD: Stevenson, Kinder & Scott Corporate Photography)

Stores lugger at Broome Jetty, 1953

(Photo courtesy of the State Library of Western Australia – Image No.010807D: Western Australia Government Photographer)

Pearling lugger with Japanese crew in Roebuck Bay, Broome, Western Australia, ca. 1955.

(Photo courtesy of the State Library of Western Australia – Image No.196549PD: Johnstone, Murray Howard, 1928-2010)

Pearl luggers among mangroves in Roebuck Bay, Broome, Western Australia, ca. 1955

(Photo courtesy of the State Library of Western Australia – Image No.196552PD: Johnstone, Murray Howard, 1928-2010)

Pearl diver emerging from the water, Broome, ca. 1925

(Photo courtesy of the State Library of Western Australia - Image No. 4255B/10)

Pearl diver on a lugger off Broome, ca.1915

(Photo courtesy of the State Library of Western Australia – Image No. BA318/96/71)

Pearl diver entering the water from a lugger, Broome, ca. 1925.

(Photo courtesy of the State Library of Western Australia – Image No. 4255B/9)

Pearling luggers at Broome

(Photo courtesy of the State Library of Western Australia – Image No. 1936090204PD: Conigrave, C. Price (Charles Price) 1882-1961)

The luggers would stay out at sea for three months, and there would be much drinking on the luggers every weekend. Everyone would drink, play cards, lose their money and there were fights. Abdul said that he managed to stay out of trouble though.

Willy willy near Kalgoorlie, ca. 1905

(Photo courtesy of the State Library of Western Australia - Image No. 019944PD: Dwyer, J.J. (John Joseph), 1869-1928)

(The State Library of Western Australia gave us permission to share the above photos. Some of them feature pearl divers from Broome and Port Hedland from C. 1915, 1925, 1930 and 1938. That means that the diving gear being used by the divers represents gear being used over three different decades between 1915 and 1938.)