My Fishing Mate

The famous quote, “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey”  by American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson captures the moment I met Lino.

I was fishing off Ellis Beach in Queensland, when I noticed a young boy watching me intently. I spoke to him a couple of times but he didn’t respond, so thinking he was shy, I let it go. 

When I finally caught my first fish, this young boy cried out with joy, causing his mother to approach us. I soon discovered that Lino and his family had just arrived from Europe on a three week holiday. Turns out, Lino is obsessed with fishing and back home he often fishes in a nearby lake.

Over the next couple of days, Lino, now my fishing mate, would scan the beach and be right beside me before I planted my rod holder. “Fish!” I heard him scream as he reeled in his first ocean fish.

Days later we said our farewells. Lino and his family continued on their journey heading north towards the Daintree whilst we headed south down the coast. Over the next few weeks, I often thought of Lino and his family, where were they, had they fulfilled all their wishes, did they see the koalas on Magnetic Island or the crocodiles in the Daintree and did Lino’s Father get to experience the outback?

Weeks later, many kilometres south from Ellis beach…

“Come outside the van and look !” yelled my husband.

“LINO! “ I cried in disbelief.

On their last night in Oz, the family recounted their adventures, rainforest, ocean, reef and bush. Their wishes had all been fulfilled; Lino saw the crocodiles in the Daintree, his sister, the koalas on Magnetic island, his father, the Aussie bush and outback and his mother visited the country that her grandmother spoke about with fondness. The most memorable moment for Lino however was fishing off an Aussie beach. 

So there you go, when planning this trip, never in my mind did I think that I would meet a wonderful boy from the other side of the world who loved to fish.

Thanks Lino for sharing those magical moments with me at Ellis Beach.

The featured image is a drawing by Lino. Myself holding the rod, Lino alongside me and Steve, my husband, in his blue rashie on Ellis Beach.

This image below is a camping scene drawn by Luisa.