Cairns Black Marlin Hall of Fame announced

The committee of the Cairns Black Marlin 40th Anniversary celebrations has announced the names of the five recipients of the 2006 inaugural Cairns Black Marlin Hall of Fame awards.

The task of selecting the recipients was difficult, given the quality and numbers of nominees submitted, and the committee thanks the individuals and organisations that provided submissions.

Biographies, with expanded details, will be published in the bumper October/ November 2006 special edition of BlueWater, due out in September, to coincide with the special events planned at Cairns from September 25.

The following is a brief profile of each finalist, provided by the committee.

George A. Bransford (1918-1994)
Nothing that happened at Cairns and off the Great Barrier Reef in relation to the now famous black marlin fishery would have been possible without the remarkable pioneering efforts of this remarkable man. George was a visionary who, having studied the area while on active service during World War II with the US Army, moved his family from Florida to Cairns. He had a firm belief that there was a future for gamefishing in the region and for a successful boat charter operation.

His investment in the building and commissioning of Sea Baby was a leap of faith that most of us would not even contemplate.

That he did so and moved on to prove the wonderful grounds off Cairns is the stuff of legend. We salute Capt George and note that had he been alive today he would have been abashed by all the attention as he was a somewhat retiring man who did not particularly relish the limelight. All of us salute the memory of George Bransford.

John 'Jack' Erskine
Jack is also known as 'Erko' in the best Australian tradition of corrupting all names to something simple. Jack was certainly never simple and it is fair to say that his mechanical aptitude and technical skills revolutionised the sport of big gamefishing, certainly in respect to the equipment and techniques required to subdue giant billfish. Much of what went on in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s at Cairns in relation to tackle development can be directly attributed to Jack. He took up the challenge to develop tackle and accessories that could withstand the enormous energies of marine creatures weighing half a tonne and more for use by skippers and anglers who had to be confident their tackle and equipment could last the distance. He continues to have significant input into fishing tackle development world wide, including that used in giant black marlin fishing.

Peter Goadby OAM
This nominee certainly needs no introduction to gamefishermen around the world and especially to readers of BlueWater. He is one of the best known modern anglers/authors in the world. His various books and innumerable articles on gamefishing are famous throughout the Australian and international angling community.

Peter's involvement with Cairns predates the first black marlin captures on rod and reel by many years.
Following several exploratory expeditions in the 1950s along the reef up to Lizard Island, Peter predicted in Athel D'Ombrain's landmark book Game Fishing off the Australian Coast in 1957 that, "Cairns will produce the best fishing to be had anywhere in Australian seas. There is an immense, almost untouched, potential of game fish from here to New Guinea."

During the development and subsequent maturing of the Cairns fishery, Peter was a regular visitor and participant and he wrote extensively about the fishing to be had and provided a vast amount of publicity and support for the region through his books, magazine articles and personal contact with vast numbers of Australian and overseas anglers.

His interest and involvement in the gamefish tag and release programs is well recorded and long standing.

John C. Johnston
Known around the world as 'Johnno', this man has achieved remarkable angling feats and has loaned his considerable organisational and business skills to furthering the Cairns black marlin fishery. For many years Johnno was an international field representative and later a trustee of the International Game Fish Association. In these roles, he mixed with some of the most influential movers and shakers in the sport and kept Cairns and Australian interests at the forefront. Johnno began fishing at Cairns right at the start and visited annually for over 30 years, including operating his own vessel for several seasons.

Much of what has been achieved at Cairns, and on the Great Barrier Reef, happened because Johnno worked quietly in the background to ensure that ethical and sportsmanlike standards were maintained.
Dennis Wallace.

Universally known as 'Brazakka', Dennis is in many respects a larger than life character who has provided some of the best newspaper and magazine copy on the sport over the past nearly 40 years.

He entered gamefishing in 1968 with the purchase of Sea Baby from George Bransford and went on to carve out a huge reputation through a variety of boats as a skilled skipper and guide, and an untiring promoter of the Cairns region.

Dennis continues to support the sport and his myriad of world wide contacts are kept up to date with all the latest activities. Many of his contacts have been successful anglers on his boats.

They have seen for themselves the skills that he has brought to big gamefishing and they in turn have assisted in promoting the region.