Mrs. Cherry Stephen, daughter of one of the anglers lost at sea, Mr. Herby Phelps, has kindly sent us newspaper clippings of the event and also some photos of her late father.
We are honoured to publish them here in memory of Herby and his buddies, Mr. M. G. Gilbert and Mr. W. T. "Trigger" Edwards, who all lost their lives in that tragic event in 1957. Sadly, no trace was ever found of the boat or any of the men.
Herald Article
In a coordinated effort to search for the three missing anglers of the ill-fated fishing boat, Tuna, hundreds of fellow anglers and volunteers got together for a meeting in the Port Elizabeth town hall to devise a search and rescue plan as reported in the Herald of 8 June 1957:
"More than 500 anglers from towns and villages throughout the Eastern Cape rallied at a meeting in Port Elizabeth last night to implement a coastline safari plan, drafted in an effort to find three of their fellow-fishermen who were lost in a storm a week earlier. A final attempt by the South African Air Force, which sent five Venturas to search the sea yesterday in response to an appeal from the Mayor, failed to find the three missing anglers and their 35-foot motor cruiser Tuna." (The Herald - 8 June 1957)
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Herby Phelps
This article describes Herby’s involvement in angling administration in Port Elizabeth and the Eastern Cape.
Doing some serious fishing!
Herby with his nice Dorado catch.
Published with permission: Mrs. Cherry Stephen