I often unsuccessfully asked Doug Seton to make a start on writing a book about his numerous diving experiences before his untimely passing early in 2023. Unfortunately, that never happened to the best of my knowledge, despite several ‘promises’. It is a great pity because there would’ve been many interesting stories to read in such a book.
He once told me that “No one would read it, and worse still, might not believe it”. I am, however, able to at least pass on some anecdotes from some of Doug’s letters to me, and the odd note from him.
I see that back in 1980, Doug gave a talk on “Marine Archaeology” at Kingston Area School at Kingston SE to the Naracoorte College of Further Education. Discoveries which have led to the recovery of valuable historical marine relics. He played a major role in the recovery of the bow anchor of the Margaret Brock which is now restored at Kingston National trust Museum.
One of the first things that Doug told me in a letter before we had first met concerned the discovery of two anchors from the schooner John Pirie and their recovery by members of the Underwater Explorer’s Club of SA. The three UEC divers involved were Ian O’Donnell, John Vinall (using his boat) and Doug.
More on this topic later. Both were returned to the City of Port Pirie and one of them was subsequently mounted in at (Memorial Park) in Port Pirie. The other one is in the hands of the Port Pirie branch of the National Trust. The John Pirie is said to be “the first ship to navigate the Port Pirie River”.
The John Pirie anchor display at Memorial Park in Port Pirie
SA Governor, Sir James Harrison unveiled the plaque on the stocked anchor memorial in Memorial Park on 3rd June 1969.
Doug thought that there were a few SA divers who deserved to by inducted into a ‘Scuba Diving Hall of Fame’ but that was unlikely to happen when it came to the international Scuba Hall of Fame which is based in the Cayman Islands. With that in mind, he was hoping for someone to establish either an Australian Scuba Divers Hall of Fame or a local South Australian one, preferably the latter.
“Even the sheep shearers of Kangaroo Island have their own “Hall of Fame” recorded on a board hanging on the wall of the pub at Parndana”, he told me.
Doug told me that Mac Lawrie, former proprietor of Lawrie Diving and Marine had been a former Patron of the Underwater Explorer’s Club of SA. Mac had told Doug that he had sent his hard hat diving helmet and full rig suit to the National Motor Museum at Birdwood.
Doug also said that the National Motor Museum were holding the “bull’s eye lens” from the Wonga Shoal lighthouse at Semaphore which had been “run-down and destroyed (in 1912) by the sailing barque Dimsdale (during the night) when the light was fully operational”.
‘Doug’ was not his correct name at all. It was actually George Dougall Seton. He wasn’t even South Australian, having been born in Glenn Innes, NSW in 1932.
One of the tales that came out of a eulogy at Doug’s funeral in 2023 concerned the use of explosives. Doug drove his Morris Mini car down to Aldinga to recover an anchor from the John Pirie (in May 1967). He took some explosives in the car with him to use to cut the chain attached to the anchor. He had done the right thing by displaying “Explosives” signs at both the front and the rear of his Mini.
“We had a bit of drama as while we raised our anchor to move away from the explosion, it caught the priming cable and dragged the explosives back along with us. We found that out after the big bang.”
According to Doug, the schooner John Pirie was built by Alexander Hall & Company Limited at Aberdeen, Scotland in 1827. It was owned by the South Australian Company when it brought the first settlers to South Australia in 1836. The City of Port Pirie was named after the vessel.
Doug says that the ship “crossed the Tasman Sea to New Zealand several times, and made many trips to Tasmania to obtain livestock for the infant colony (of South Australia). John Pirie survived several serious strandings, which would have smashed other vessels, and on each occasion she was refloated, repaired and returned to service.”
Further, the John Pirie “brought the famous artist, George French Angas, back from New Zealand”.
Also, the John Pirie was “the third ship to reach this state (SA), with 28 colonists abord in 1836. ….. A certificate of registration was granted at London on 3rd February 1836, (No. 41). John Pirie had one deck, two masts, a length of 62’3”, breadth of 20’ and a depth in hold of 10’5”. It was carvel built, with a square stern, with a man (male) bust figurehead.”
The John Pirie was said to have been registered at Port Adelaide on 31st July 1844 (under the Merchant Shipping Act?). It was said to have been of 105.85 tons, 94 part tons (?). Doug had much more information along these lines.
It seems that the John Pirie had lost both its anchors at Aldinga in 1841 because it is said that they had spent “126 years on the ocean bed” before being raised in 1967.
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