John Moran

John Moran was a Mason by trade, who had turned his attention to fishing. He used the alias Desmond. In 1894 he went fishing with Henry Courtenay in an open boat. After catching a load of fish they decided to return to Fremantle from Rockingham Jetty. The ballast shifted during a strong wind and the boat sank. Moran was rescued in a late state of exhaustion by the crew of the Niola, but Courtenay drowned. Moran had been described as a strong swimmer, and it was for that reason that he likely survived the ordeal.

In April 1901 he met a similar fate to Courtenay but under different circumstances. He had been operating the fishing boat Lavinia with Peter Manolis and John March. He was last seen alive taking a midnight swim in the Fremantle harbour near the baths, and it was not uncommon for him to swim from the shore to the boat. Alec Robinson, a barman of the Esplanade Hotel reported seeing the body of a man floating close to the shore on the Esplanade. The body, when picked up, was clothed in only a pair of pants, with a pair of leather boots on.

An inquest was held before the Acting coroner (Mr. James Lilly) and jury at the local Coroner’s Court. The jury returned a verdict that Moran met his death by drowning while in an intoxicated condition. He was 27 years of age and single at the time.