I first heard of the Captain many years ago when the Scribe and I were watching a documentary on this warrior of the sea. I was transfixed to the screen as he described the moment he looked into the eyes of a dying whale that he had bravely attempted to save from a whaling vessel. He described the intelligence and knowing in the mammal's eyes, the knowing that Paul Watson was attempting to protect him. That was the pivotal moment when he pledged to do all he could for the creatures of our oceans. I realised I was watching an individual of enormous nobility and courage; a unique soul with an enormous challenge to stop the carnage being done to our oceans.
Always controversial because of his proactive modus operandi of ramming whaling boats, he has been vilified, imprisoned, shot at and has to face political bureaucratic stupidity time and time again from governments attempting to appease the Japanese who continue their cruel and senseless slaughter.
One of the founding members of Greenpeace, Paul left them in 1977 because he didn't feel they were doing enough direct action.
Captain Watson has attracted a large band of celebrity supporters over the years, from Mick Jagger to Martin Sheen, and has won many awards and been honoured by Time magazine in 2000 as one of the environmental heroes of the 20th century.
Captain Watson sails into Sydney today and we are hoping to tour the Steve Irwin at Circular Quay. As usual, his visit attracts the usual controversy with the Australian Federal Police investigating the Captain thanks to Japan's complaints. For some reason our present government is content to stand back and do nothing whilst Japan kills our whales in protected waters. It continues to infuriate me that a hero like Captain Paul Watson and his crew are subject to such shabby treatment in Sydney.
I am very proud to say the Scribe has met the Captain, attending a talk, and was also fortunate enough to interview with him for an Australian men's magazine. He spoke to him for about half an hour and found him very much how he comes across in the media.
Here is a link if you would like to read more about the Captain.
Sea Shepherd:
And so on Magnificent, Marvellous, Mighty Monday let me salute the courage of this great and might warrior who achieves more in one weekend of his life than most of us ever will to protect our oceans and the wonderful creatures who live within them. Thank you Captain and safe journeys as you sail!
Always controversial because of his proactive modus operandi of ramming whaling boats, he has been vilified, imprisoned, shot at and has to face political bureaucratic stupidity time and time again from governments attempting to appease the Japanese who continue their cruel and senseless slaughter.
One of the founding members of Greenpeace, Paul left them in 1977 because he didn't feel they were doing enough direct action.
Captain Watson has attracted a large band of celebrity supporters over the years, from Mick Jagger to Martin Sheen, and has won many awards and been honoured by Time magazine in 2000 as one of the environmental heroes of the 20th century.
Captain Watson sails into Sydney today and we are hoping to tour the Steve Irwin at Circular Quay. As usual, his visit attracts the usual controversy with the Australian Federal Police investigating the Captain thanks to Japan's complaints. For some reason our present government is content to stand back and do nothing whilst Japan kills our whales in protected waters. It continues to infuriate me that a hero like Captain Paul Watson and his crew are subject to such shabby treatment in Sydney.
I am very proud to say the Scribe has met the Captain, attending a talk, and was also fortunate enough to interview with him for an Australian men's magazine. He spoke to him for about half an hour and found him very much how he comes across in the media.
Here is a link if you would like to read more about the Captain.
Sea Shepherd:
And so on Magnificent, Marvellous, Mighty Monday let me salute the courage of this great and might warrior who achieves more in one weekend of his life than most of us ever will to protect our oceans and the wonderful creatures who live within them. Thank you Captain and safe journeys as you sail!
"I have been honored to serve the whales, dolphins, seals - and all the other creatures on this Earth. Their beauty, intelligence, strength, and spirit have inspired me. These beings have spoken to me, touched me, and I have been rewarded by friendship with many members of different species.
If the whales survive and flourish, if the seals continue to live and give birth, and if I can contribute to ensuring their future prosperity, I will be forever happy."
- Paul Watson
If the whales survive and flourish, if the seals continue to live and give birth, and if I can contribute to ensuring their future prosperity, I will be forever happy."
- Paul Watson
Thank you for introducing us to this hero Josephine. I saw a documentary about the whales that are killed in Japan and was absolutely horrified! Bravo to the Captain for taking a stand for those magnificent creatures that cannot speak for themselves.
ReplyDeleteJosephine - I love this man, I support everything he is doing and if I had the $$ I would give everything to his cause.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful man! I had never heard of him before! Is that a real whale's eye? The dying one? You can see what he means if so... It is interesting about what he says about the whales knowing. My dad tours the world giving talks about communication and knowledge and one of the things he once spoke about with me was about how whales and dolphins might communicate their knowledge to one another through storytelling. Just because we don't understand their language, doesn't mean they are not incredibly intelligent creatures...and through their storytelling they might pass along their knowledge - places to eat/safe waters/ how to survive etc but if man comes along and wipes out a whole colony - no one is left to pass along the knowledge so the younger ones left are even more vulnerable than before. This all sounds a bit far fetched and I'm not as eloquent as my father - and the conversation was a long one that began on the topic of aborigines and their way of passing along knowledge through story telling...anyway yeah not getting my point across very well but...anyway Paul's cause is very worthy and he deserves lots of support! xxx
ReplyDeleteSimone I often wish I had millions of dollars so I could give a big donation. Curious Cat, as far as I know that's not the original whale but it does demonstrate how large the eye would have been. Your father sounds a fascinating person! On Wednesday, I'll post a Blog that happened to me regarding communication that might interest you and fits in with your comment. Jennifer, I am most pleased to have introduced the Captain to you!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely introduction to a hero deserving of whale size praise. His commitment to the innocent and beautiful creatures of the sea is extraordinary. I just can't understand how people can hurt these majestic creatures. It is really beyond my understanding. Thank you, dear Josephine, for introducing us.xoxox
ReplyDeleteIt amazes me that Americans didnt know Watson existed until "Whale Wars". Australians have known about him for years which is why we dont have him on a pedastal like Americans do. We know the truth about the organisation known as the Sea Shepherd, eventually you will too.
ReplyDelete