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12/07/2004: "JUST FOR FUN .......Wally Muller's walking gear."
A modern day Matthew Flinders, a real explorer of the outside edge of the Great Barrier Reef is a man who has never worn shoes, Wally G. Muller.
His entire life from a teenager onwards has been aboard boats, initially as a professional fisherman and later when the first opportunities arose, a tourist charter boat captain and owner.
Feet aboard a boat are often almost as essential as hands. Toes can hold ropes and do tricks we terrestial 'shoe prisioners' can only marvel at.
In future briefs we'll showcase highlights of the life of this remarkable man who has been so inspirational to many.
His mentor? Matthew Flinders of the Royal Navy. Like Flinders our modern legend was able to visit all the reefs in The Coral Sea originally chartered by Flinders almost 200 years ago. Like Flinders, these reefs were located by sextant and compass in the era pre GPS navigation aids. Wally built the famous diver liveaboard charter boat Coralita in 1969, but this too met with disaster and exploded and sank in 1990 without anyone aboard, fortunately.
May 18 2005: Wally Muller passes away at Yeppoon Queensland, three days short of his 75th birthday.
