Kia-ora (1939/04/25)

30 miles north of Geraldton

Kia Ora was built in Fremantle as a sealer to operate in the islands around Esperance. Vincenzo Basile and Vincenzo Cuocci, both of Geraldton, purchased it in 1919 for use in line fishing in the area from the Abrolhos Islands to Shark Bay. It was regarded by many as one of the most attractive vessels in the fishing industry.
THE LOSS
The Kia Ora was returning to Geraldton from Shark Bay when it struck a reef about 50 m offshore. The crewman on watch had apparently gone to sleep. Vincenzo Basile was the skipper and there were three crewmen plus a passenger, George McAvoy, a policeman on holiday. All of them escaped unharmed.
INITIAL SALVAGE
Initially the crew salvaged quite a lot of items including masts, spars sails and some of the timbers that they then stacked on the beach. When they later returned with a truck borrowed from the Geraldton Ice Works to collect it, they found that most of it had been taken away.