Wine and Women and...(4)

ANCIENT FAMILY HISTORY
Many of you may not know but we own an island – or at least have a stake in one. It is not something we wish to brag about, but if you go to the atlas and look up Heard Island you will find it positioned somewhere down south near the Antarctic. Of course our ancestors had no idea that we would prefer much warmer climes, but the story of this family legacy has been told for generations (or at least since our kids were little!) It seems that a great-great-great-great grandparent was a keen fisherman who set out from Point Leeuwin (the southwesternmost tip of the Australian mainland) on a fishing expedition. His day was not all that fruitful until his rod jumped to life and his line began unreeling at an incredible rate of knots. This was clearly the catch of a lifetime which no self-respecting fisherman would give us easily. He fought this fish for days while it dragged him hither and thither across the oceans until finally the tired fish surrendered to the stubborn determination of the old salt. Unfortunately in his dogged battle with said fish our intrepid ancestor had been taken a long way from home. As he hauled the huge catch aboard his vessel, he noticed land in the distance and pointed his bow towards it. Arriving on the island, he claimed it as his own, naming it in honour of the family whose name he bore.
Now, you might ask, why am I telling this story? Because the children reminded me of it when we arrived at Point Leeuwin, which is perhaps better known as the place where Matthew Flinders commenced his journey circumnavigating Australia and mapping its coastline. The kids reckon it was named in honour of Flinders’ robust lieutenant who persuaded Flinders to undertake this momentous task, which prompted Flinders to say, “OK, Lee, you win” thus giving the point its name... I have no idea where the kids get their strange sense of humour from.
And, in case you can’t be bothered searching for an atlas..