FAMOUS PEARLER
The slow tolling of church bells iii Broome marked the passing of Thomas Clarke, aged sixty-nine, one of the most famous and picturesque figures in Australia’s pearling industry, says the Sydney ‘Daily Telegraph. Clarke, with gold rings in his ears and a command of high-power expletive, was a figure that might have stepped straight from a tale by Conrad. He was the first whit© pearler ofi Broome, and his greatest claim to fame was that he fished the famous Southern Cross pearl from Shark Bay.: The pearl, which sold then for £lO,is now in the possession of the Pope, and is valued at more than £4,000.
In 1921 Clarke fell from a cart and broke a bone in his neck. Since then he lias walked or driven in the streets of Broome with his grizzled head held slightly askew. Clarke was one of the greatest local authorities on aboriginal customs,, and spoke practically all native dialects. His knowledge of the conditions and early history of pearling and the Far North was extensive.
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Evening Star, Issue 20959, 25 November 1931, Page 1
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174FAMOUS PEARLER Evening Star, Issue 20959, 25 November 1931, Page 1
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