Jim Laing
Long time Tuross resident, boatshed owner, absolute character and always a gentleman
Passed away July 23rd, 2010
Very fondly remembered by all
Laing's Boatshed
Mr Albert Laing came to Tuross Head on long service leave from the City of Sydney Fire brigade. It was during the war years and he camped for three months at Lavender Point fishing and prawning. His son Jim came down for a weeks holiday during this time. Over the following years the Laings enjoyed holidays in Tuross and one year they saw that Tiedemans boatshed was being auctioned.
In those days only one shed was built on the site (the original shed is still there - being the southern "half" of the boastshed. The property failed to reach its reserve price however the Laings (Snr and Jnr) were the highest bidders on the day. As they drove through Moruya back to Sydney they called into Kings Real Estate and left a further £50. They were contacted a week later to be informed their offer had been accepted.
At the time Alan Baulch (Eric's father) was leasing the boatshed from Tiedeman for £10 per year and the Laings allowed him to continue using it for several years more. Baulch was mainly prawning Coila Lake and taking out tons of prawns. One night Laing Snr went prawning with Baulch. There was the sound of an approaching storm with rumbling that soon revealed itself as millions of prawns running. The volume of prawns being caught in Coila in the 1950's was staggering.
Jim Laing at this time was still working with an engineering company in Mascot and didn't manage to permanently come to Tuross until 1960.
One year the Coila Lake entrance opened and the prawns escaped to move enmass down the coast and come back into Tuross Lake.