James William Shanhun
Job Description
Flenser
Period
1956 - 1970
James William Shanhun was born on the 8th November, 1926 in the Porongorups just north of Albany, Western Australia. He grew up there on his family’s farming property. He worked at a variety of jobs including salmon fishing, which led to his obtaining work with the Cheynes Beach Whaling Company in 1956.
Initially he worked on the station’s top deck as a lemner, cutting up the whale carcasses for the cookers. He then moved to the bottom deck where he learnt the skills required for flensing. In the late 1950’s he spent some time working below deck on the decanters before returning to flensing, which the company was then contracting out.
Jim continued flensing under the contractor system, remaining on in this job until 1970. He experienced the differences in the flensing of Humpback and Sperm Whales during his time at the whaling station.
James William Shanhun