In June, I was contacted by Dale Paget, who introduced himself as a producer for the television program “Sunday Night” on The Seven Network.
Dale’s research for a program into Dwarf Minke Whales had led to this telephone conversation. He asked about an amazing underwater incident I was fortunate to have had in August 1981. A pod of whales swam up to me in deep water and repeatedly engaged in a series of gentle friendly encounters. I still rate this as one of the great episodes in my life.
He asked if I would be willing to give an interview on camera. Advancing the cause of whale conservation and the understanding of whales are subjects close to my heart so I did not hesitate. Thala Beach Lodge was the preferred location for the interview as it is surrounded on three sides by the ocean and whale sightings from the lodge occur from time to time.
On Friday 2nd July, Dale and his crew, presenter Rahni Sadler, cameraman Jason Wotherspoon and sound engineer Sam Beattie arrived at Thala from Sydney. I had a great afternoon with them. They were so dedicated and enthusiastic about this wildlife story, I knew instinctively the final result was going to be spectacular.
The crew departed Thala Beach Lodge for Port Douglas where they boarded a charter boat. Over a number of days they obtained remarkable footage of interaction with Dwarf Minkes.
Dale later sent me a message “the whales are incredibly beautiful and the encounters we were able to film do justice to the compelling story of your meeting with the minkes that you shared with us…”
For a wildlife story full of wonder, be sure to watch Sunday Night at 6.30 pm Sunday 29th August on SEVEN Television.
