'It was part of us': Jetty advocate honoured with Order of Australia

A long time advocate for the preservation of the now heritage listed Busselton Jetty has been bestowed with the prestigious Order of Australia award.

Trevor Fitzgerald OAM was included in this year’s King’s Birthday honours list for his service to Busselton, and our biggest tourist attraction.

“About 12 days ago, I got a letter in the mail saying I’d been nominated. I was quite surprised. I didn’t expect it,” Mr Fitzgerald said.

“It’s not really me. I usually like to work behind the scenes.”

Mr Fitzgerald got involved with the preservation of the Jetty three days after Cyclone Alby hit Busselton in 1978. The Jetty was badly damaged by the storm. The 175kph winds had swept the promenade away, and much of the foreshore was still underwater.

The state government of the day baulked at the $16 million repair bill, and along with the local council, were on track to demolish it.

“The council didn’t want anything to do with it, but the rate payers thought otherwise.”

Hundreds of locals volunteered to join in the cleanup. Mr Fitzgerald was one of them, spurred on by a sentimental attachment to the Jetty which stretched back to his childhood, in the aftermath of the Second World War.

“We all really battled as families. We used to fish down there regularly, and go out and catch rabbits. That’s what kept us going, and kept food in out mouths.

“None of us had fridges in those days, so we couldn’t keep anything very long. We had a Coolgardie Safe hanging out underneath a tree, so we more or less had to work at it every day.

“It became ingrained. It was part of us.”

The campaign to save the Jetty was successful, and Mr Fitzgerald was asked to be the treasurer of the Busselton Jetty Environment and Conservation Association. He did so one one condition;

“That it be treated like a business.”

That business, which he has been a core part of for 40 years, now brings in hundreds of thousands of tourists to Busselton every year. He said that, since the cyclone, Busselton ratepayers have only had to put $50,000 toward the Jetty, a figure he said is owed to its immense popularity with foreigners, as well as locals.

The newly minted OAM isn’t content with that though. The board has recently installed more shelters and seating for visitors, and has bigger plans to keep the tourism numbers flowing well into the future.

“We have to produce more to keep people coming. If they’ve been on it once or twice, how many people will go back a third or fourth time?

“It’s still standing, and it’s like new. In 50 years time, it’ll still be like new.”