Peter Fairbairn
Peter belongs to: Cullercoats RNLI
Peter was born in Simpson Street in Cullercoats. From an early age he wanted to be a fisherman and lifeboatman. Peter fished from a coble, herring drifters and trawlers.
Peter was interviewed by Carl Greenwood on 24 November 2005. The interview took place at the Interviewee's living room and lasted 1 hour, 4 minutes and 38 seconds.
Sounds and smells
"Seagulls. They are always squawking, especially when you’ve got fish, but they’re always squawking"
Seagulls. They are always squawking, especially when you’ve got fish, but they’re always squawking. That’s about the only sound, really. Years ago when you were on the drifters, there used to be whales, you know, what they call minky whales, you know. They used to grow upward thirty foot. They used to go alongside the boat and spouting, but you never heard that, you know.
Well, I tell you what, I still got, what’s the word? Smelling oil and steam mixed together- I think it’s a lovely, lovely smell. I don’t know if you ever go aboard one of these ferry things, you know, working around the west coast of Scotland, it’s got all steam, just put your head down and just smell the engine room. I think it’s got a lovely smell. I can’t say diesel has got the same, but it has.
Smells again, was mostly fish, you know. You worked among it that long in a trip, you never smelt, you never had any smell because everything was just part of the environment. You, you didn’t say, “I don’t like the smell of that, I’m not going in there,” or something like that, it was just part of the environment. Coming aboard after having a couple of days ashore, everything smelt. You used to, I used to get off the bus at the top of Tanners Bank, by the time you had walked down Tanners Bank, you’re just about sick then with the smells, what with kipper factories, blokes doing herring and then you went to what they call the guano factory, that’s the fish meal factory and then further down was another place making cod liver, and by the time you got to your boat, you were ill.
Peter has 19 memories in the memorynet:
Peter's memories with a Work theme:
The herring drifters- Following the herring
- First pay packet
- Meals
- Sounds and smells
- Changes in equipment
- Changes at the Fish quay and the in the fishing community
Photograph of Peter- The herring drifters
- Wheelhouse of the Faithful Star
- The Akede
Peter's other memories:
This memory has these themes:
Environment | Sounds and Smells | Work
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