At 84, Graham McVie has lost none of his enthusiasm for the water.
Since moving to Macleay Island five years ago, he has embraced the quiet rhythm of island living, regularly heading out in his six-metre Bayliner to drop a line around the southern bay islands.
He usually returns home with two or three bottom fish, just enough for dinner.
“The fish here are fewer and smaller than up north, but still good. And there’s always plenty of crabs,” he said.
According to Mr McVie, the Southern Moreton Bay Islands are among the few places in the world where mud and sand crabs can be caught in the same pot.
“The islands are covered in mud crabs. You can put your pots out anywhere and get a feed,” he said.
“There is nothing like it. It’s so quiet here.
“We went away for two weeks recently and when we got home, we realised we’d left the key in the door.
“There are lovely people and we have all the facilities we need.
“We call the mainland the ‘dark side’.”
While he enjoys the serenity close to home, Mr McVie also likes to fish around Tipplers on South Stradbroke Island, where he can pull ashore for what he describes as “a beer and a sandwich” and soak up the atmosphere.
But he admits the spot has changed over the years.
“I don’t go to Tipplers on weekends anymore. You can hardly get a parking spot for your boat because of all these people on jet skis,” he said.
Although he treasures his island lifestyle, the golden era of Mr McVie’s fishing adventures dates back decades to his 30 years in Papua New Guinea.
He first moved there in the 1960s as a radio installation technician and returned in 1971 as a contractor installing a new microwave telephone system.
He later managed the Hewlett Packard office, overseeing the installation and repair of computers.
But it was the fishing that left the greatest impression.
“The fishing was fantastic. I went out every weekend,” he said.
He spent countless hours bottom fishing for red emperor, coral trout and nannygai, but it was game fishing that truly captured his heart.
“You put the lure out and troll at seven knots. We caught mackerel, wahoo, sailfish and marlin,” he said.
A member of a local fishing club, Mr McVie said the camaraderie was as memorable as the catches.
“You’d go out and come in before dark,” he said.
“We’d get back to the club, share the fish and eat sashimi.
“We’d give the yellowfin tuna to the Chinese restaurants at Port Moresby, and they’d give us free food.”
During his time in Papua New Guinea, Mr McVie fished from a 28-foot Power Cat, which he sailed there from Cairns.
Another adventure in a lifetime shaped by the sea.
Now settled on Macleay Island, Mr McVie may fish from a smaller boat, but his passion remains as strong as ever.
Proof that for some, the call of the water never fades.
