Allan Fergus Taylor
Job Description
Flenser
Period
1951 - 1952
“I commenced work at the Cheynes Beach Whaling Station in May 1951. When I started my job there I was employed as an assistant to the blacksmith, a man named Eric Goode, who at the time had a holding on the south coast where he ran a herd of Angus cattle. The area today is known as Goode Beach. I was also occasionally brought in on nightshift operating the steam winch to position whale carcasses and to assist in removing slabs of blubber.
The General Manager at the time was Jock Murray and he was well respected by all the men working at the station, which at the time had a quota of fifty humpback whales per season. When the chasers had taken the combined catch of fifty whales, all the casual workers were paid off and the whaling station ceased operations for the season.
In those days the road between Albany and the station was only lightly graveled and became very corrugated with many potholes.
In those days when the weather was rough and the chasers were unable to bring in any whales, the casual staff was stood down until the chasers brought in more whales. I later worked as a flenser & lemner. We stripped the blubber from the carcass; this was later cut up on the flensing deck and placed in the digesters for processing.
Allan Fergus Taylor