Haritos Shipping evolved out of a family of eight first generation Greek Australians living in Darwin before and after WWII.
The Haritos family came to Darwin in 1915; the wedding of Eustratious Haritos and Helene Harmanis was the first Greek wedding in Darwin.
Sons George, Nicholas, Michael and Jack all had boats of various sorts and sizes from pre-war days until the 2000's. Eustratious, George and Nicholas were in Darwin when bombed in Feb. 1942.
George and Nicholas had cargo vessels (see Betty Joan, slide-show right, George's vessel). Also the Torbul, seen in slide-show. Nicholas had the Warrawi, and others. Nicholas took the first barramundi to Melbourne for the 1956 Olympics; the rest is history. The four boys took the Duke of Edinburgh croc shooting that same year.
Nicholas brought the first LCT to the NT, the Saint Joseph.
The family had a small pearling fleet in the late 1960s, but as it was 'wild-catch' only, they went bust when plastic was invented and the until-then ubiquitious pearl button disappeared.
When the Betty Joan was destroyed on the rocks during Cyclone Tracey on Christmas Eve 1974, he took on the role of skipper of a barge service across the top end of the NT to various aboriginal settlements. Tony joined George on his last voyage.
Jack had the Red Witch and did ship moorings and carried Customs and Immigration to and from incoming ships. He then had the Artemis. Michael had the Marlin, an ex-Navy timber 26 footer, sister-ship to Red Witch. He had several others. Nicholas and his son Marshall later used an ex-Vietnamese 'refugee' boat to catch barra in the South Alligator.
And, in the words of Kurt Vonnegut Jnr, 'so it goes'.
Above slide show: Some oldies but goldies:
Taking the Duke croc shooting; barra fishing; croc shooting; Jack and shark; old Darwin wharf, and 'Torbul'; big beautiful 'Betty Joan'; Nicholas in precarious position - again-; George's last voyage as skipper before retirement, with Tony; Tony on that voyage; Tony with trevally early days.
Tony and friend's Indonesian prahu "Selamat Dua", fun times in the 1990's, both for adults and kids.
Rescuing a yacht stranded on the beach at Oecussi, scull dragging it by LCT to the water to hundreds of villagers jumping and cheering, as well as us onboard.
Tony and Nicholas (Ningle) crabbing.
The Medan hotel in Banda Aceh following tsunami, with unwelcome visitor (Tony clamboured down those steps at 4 am one night, no power, in the grip of big quake, people screaming down the stairs); with Acehnese man who lost his whole family bar eight YO son.
On the cat "Monoceros" Darwin to Dili; with Fitzy and Big Mac.
Port Vila, Vanuatu ...'niiiice'.;