NT Tales: A Fishing trip, a Bishop and a Thief        

You never know what might arrive in the Inbox. You might like this one.

Peter Carroll MSC - it's his story!

Malcolm Fyfe writes: Recently I was asked about an event that took place in 1983.

Father Tom English and I, in consultation with Brother Gerry Burke, have put the following together.

Fr Tom English

You may be interested to read the account.

Soon after Father Peter Carroll msc arrived in Darwin mid-January 1983 to take up his appointment, he went with Father Tony Bolt msc and Bishop O’Loughlin msc in the St John’s boat on a fishing trip up Middle Arm.  Their boat broke down and towards evening Peter Carroll went through the mangroves to contact another boat, but as he was getting there, the other boat cruised away.  As he was returning through the mud, the tide started coming in, so he had to climb a mangrove tree.  As the water got higher, he had to climb higher still, until he ran out of tree and the water was up to his neck.  Fortunately, the water then started to subside.

Bishop O'Loughlin

Some hours later I was talking to the couple of guys who had found the Bishop and Tony Bolt in the morning.  When they had heard that there was yet one more priest in the mangroves, they had been surprised he was still there alive, as there are plenty of crocodiles in the area.  They then towed them to the old Catalina boat ramp where I (Fr Tom English) met them.  Peter Carroll was covered in sand fly bites.

Meantime I was aware that the Bishop was late in getting home so I assumed he was at St Johns.  I eventually rang Brother Gerry Burke at St John’s but he hadn’t seen them, so I asked him to come round to St Mary’s Presbytery while I range the Police.  The police were slow in arriving and then, when we went out the front of the presbytery, we discovered that the St John’s car that Brother Gerry had come in, was missing. It had been stolen.

The above was provided by Father Tom English, currently parish priest of Palmerston.

The following day the NT News took up the above part of the story.

Hard to see the cartoon top right - but it suggests they might get out and walk!

SEQUEL TO THE ABOVE:

A couple of days later, with the car still missing, I started wondering where those who had purloined the vehicle, would likely have abandoned it, after presumably, having taken it for a joy-ride. I considered it unlikely they would risk driving down the Highway in a car that was being searched for.

I had the inspiration that the most likely place the thieves would abandon it might be the large parking area of the newly built Darwin Hospital. (The new Hospital at Casuarina had become fully operational in 1980.)

I drove my car out there and found the stolen St John’s car.

Gerry Burke - testimony

Note: My earlier stint in the Darwin diocese was from 1978 to 1983 inclusive. Brother Gerry Burke msc, now living at Chevalier College Bowral NSW, can corroborate my story.

Malcolm Fyfe, Vicar General, Darwin