Ovens: Oral History of Gary Daws

An interview in three parts with Gary Daws.

Gary grew up in Gunbower and has spent most of his life on the Murray. He talks about how to lure and bait different types of fish and describes the river conditions that make for good fishing and eating. He also shares his experience with aeroplane spinners, floppies (lures), drum nets, gill nets, cross lines and springers. He recalls selling bait to tourists with his brother and talks about his father selling fish during The Great Depression.

Gary discusses man-made and environmental changes in water quality, river flows and and river height and talks about their effect on fish and crayfish behaviour. He says that the Willow has an outsized effect on the shape and path of the river and talks about his efforts to replace them with native plants. He goes on to talk about the hybridisation of Murray Cod and non-native cod.

Mentions 'greasies', galaxiids, bardi grubs, deer, cypress, phragmites

Mentions of Myrtleford Sewerage Farm, timber industry, pulp mill, sulphites, phenols (chlorophenol wood preservative), algae, Catchment Management Authority (CMA), Murray River Trust

Heather Goodall

Jodi Frawley

University of Technology, Sydney

Murray-Darling Basin Authority

NSW Department of Primary Industries - NSW Fisheries

Copyright University of Technology, Sydney

2011-02-16

Open access

Jodi Frawley

Gary Daws

Myrtleford, VIC

Part 1 00:20:17

Part 2 00:20:51

Part 3 00:25:15