Freeman Ross

Ross Freeman

Job Description
Site Foreman, Production Manager

Period
1963 - 1978

During his employment at the Cheynes Beach Whaling Company, Ross was employed as the Production Manager and handled all the outgoing products such as whale oil (by ship), whale meal and whale solubles (by truck) and the lesser products such as Sperm Whale teeth and ambergris. 

Harrisons and Crosfield sold the majority of the last lesser products to overseas buyers in England, but some local Albany buyers bought them (whale’s teeth) and used them for turning on a lathe to make goblets, egg cups and many other trinkets as these teeth were equivalent to the ivory of elephant tusks. (Ross also did this)

During his  time at the whaling station he came to know two men who were meat inspectors at the local Borthwicks abattoirs  and came to the conclusion after shortly meeting them that one, Gary Tonkin, was a gifted artist in scrimshaw work on many whale’s teeth, and had become the largest buyer of whale’s teeth locally. He chose the teeth most suited for his profession – and accumulated many fine teeth – particularly one set from a 50’ sperm whale where six of the teeth measuring 9” long and approximately 2 and a half inches wide were equally or better than any set of teeth ever available. Ross has sorted many tons of whale’s teeth over many years and Gary Tonkin bought approximately half to three quarters of a ton over the period he knew him, which was more than anyone else locally and he says that he has seen scrimshaw work on many teeth from overseas and elsewhere, but no one came near the artistic perfection and distinct designs and professional workmanship than Gary Tonkin.

Gary Tonkin, who was originally from Portland, Victoria moved to W.A. in 1971 and is a master scrimshander. His first most important commission involved six rare matched sperm whale teeth he kept for 15 years. Over 2000 hours he inscribed 12 scenes on them for the US gallery at the National Maritime Museum in Sydney.