07 Feb Talk like a Man – a new phenomenon
Talk like a Man – a new phenomenon | first published Port Lincoln Times February 2018
I learned a new word this week – Mantalking.
An engineer friend explains how it works. Someone rings her company to talk to the engineer, Catherine says she IS the engineer, they falter, wanting to speak to the “leading Engineer”. Catherine says “I am the leading engineer”. Still in his quest for a man, the caller hesitates until Catherine gets a male graduate on the line who she guides through the response. The caller is a mantalker.
When I moved to Port Lincoln, my first boat was a tinny a friend gave me. I lay underneath it in the sunlight to patch all the pin-holes so it would float longer.
My next boat I bought from Basil Fitzgerald at Cockaleechie, a Haines Hunter ski fish combination, affectionately named BOAT. My Mum and I were served three types of delicious cake the day we collected Boat from the farm. Great vessel but it had to be flat on the water to go out, treacherous to go too far.
I decided to buy a boat big enough to get to the Group, that would last for a lifetime if I chose. In Tumby Bay I found a Caribbean Concorde fibreglass boat for sale, in as new condition, rain water rinsed after each outing. Her name is ABOUT TIME. I picked her up on my birthday and have spent many hours exploring the deep blue finding fish. My Dad hesitated to give me ALL his spots as he had given my brother, but eventually relented. Enter Jack, my partner who had fished twice before we met. Jack has taken to fishing like an old man to the sea.
Every time we launch the boat I back it in, unhitch and push her off, while Jack holds the rope. I maintain the motor, operate the sounder, drive, get him on good spots and we bag out as we explore the passage and the far reaches of the Group. Every conversation about the boat is directed to Jack. He looks bewildered as he is asked about horsepower, speed, accessories, and tide times. Fortunately, because Jack is a modern type of guy, he refers that bloke’s query directly to me with a secret grin, and we move on.