"To The Fishermen" Memorial Freemantle

"TO THE FISHERMEN"

THE JETTY

FREEMANTLE

"To The Fishermen" often referred to as "The Jetty" located on Mews Road, Fishing Harbour Freemantle  is a tribute to the local fishermen who started the fishing industry in Freemantle. The memorial comprises twelve columns  with the names of 608 fishermen who pioneered the industry (the names were taken from  pre-1947  fishing license records for all those that participated.

In the second half of the 19th century, unrest in Europe forced many to migrate and many came to Freemantle and set up  near Rockingham. A group from Italy arrived in 1885  and later set up the Rockingham Fishing Company, a cooperative  of 15 working five boats.In 1897 the South Jetty (near where the memorial sits)  became known as Fisherman's Jetty. It was a harsh life and the catch of herring, snapper, mullet and garfish was never certain.At the outbreak of WW2 many of the Italians were interned. This memorial was opened in October 2004, and was designed by John Terry and Greg James.