All Hearts on Deck

All Hearts on Deck

By Frankie Seymour.

AUSTRALIA'S own Frankie Seymour tells with humour and swash-buckling action tales of how Captain Paul Watson and his crew (including herself) stood up to the mighty vested interests of the fishing industry as the David versus Goliath battle raged at sea for the protection of marine life during the 1981-82 Campaigns of the Sea Shepherd.

The author admirably portrays life aboard the Sea Shepherd as the crew threw themselves into the line of fire in order to save defenceless sea life- the seals and their pups, the dolphins and the whales from the onslaught and killing that commercial fishing is responsible for.

It is not without humour that Frankie shares with us the intimate problems associated with living in close quarters with people of like mind and determination but different habits.

For anyone who can remember the images in the late seventies of new-born baby seals sprayed with a harmless dye to render their pelts worthless to the sealers, this book is about the courage of that crew who risked all to help some. You'll cheer at some of the heart-rending stories told and you'll cry at some of the painful disappointments noted.

Captain Watson continues to encapsulate the true militant meaning of the words 'direct action', (reminiscent of the early suffragette movement), fully conscious that time is of importance in addressing the dwindling numbers of marine life and destruction of their habitat.

Due to the fluidity of the author's style and it's up-beatness in attitude, the story of Paul Watson and his crew reminded me of India's epic tale of good versus evil - the Mahabharata. This tale of good versus evil however is played out upon the high seas where the opinion of 'experts' and 'scientists', proposals and counter-arguments, statistics and speculations are swept aside and delegated to their rightful position of insignificance.

Bravo Frankie for your compassionate account from a woman's perspective. Thankfully we are not subjected to what might once have been it's alternative title - All Ladies Up On Deck Now Sweetie! Instead All Hearts on Deck reads like a breath of fresh air and the poetry is of exceptional quality as well.