Boat Boatbuilders Extraordinaire The Hawkes Family

In 1949, Graham and Delma Hawkes arrived in Proserpine from Melbourne with Delma’s parents, Gladys and Stanley Slater who later owned Slater’s Bus Service. Graham Hawkes was a boat builder with a difference. He had learnt his trade using hand tools which had to be maintained in top condition to achieve the best results.
The Hawkes settled on 12 500 acres of land at Dryander East, now known as Earlando, and there they set up a boat–building yard on the beach front. From this beach, ten boats were built and launched. During this time, they welcomed their son, Joseph Graham Hawkes. From humble beginnings their business grew.
Three years later, the family moved to Cannonvale where they purchased land at Ocean View Avenue and built their dream home. Graham had completed the shed which later became his boat-building workshop, when he accepted the offer of a job maintaining resort boats at Hayman Island. Dell worked in the staff and resort kitchens and Joe attended school there.

After another three years, the family returned to Cannonvale where Graham started the boat building business which led to the establishment of Hawkes Slipway at Abell Point. At least twenty wooden boats were built up on their property in Ocean View Avenue. To launch the completed vessels, Graham would tow them on skids down the hillside to the slipway. Quite an incredible undertaking.
Despite not liking school, Joe completed his education, trained as a fitter and turner at the Proserpine Sugar Mill and then worked in the loco shed for about ten years. He had, however, inherited his parents’ love of boats. Upon leaving the mill, he lived on his boat, “Emmaloo” and worked full time at the slipway with his father. He was responsible for boat slipping and launching, crane operation, engine repairs and general maintenance. Graham’s passion for boats had such an influence on Joe’s life that, at the age of eight, Joe built his own timber dinghy proving that even at such an early age, he had already acquired some great skills.

One particularly huge task undertaken by Graham and Joe was repairing the Hayman Vessel M.V. “Miramar 11” which had lost its superstructure before sinking in Shute Harbour during Cyclone Ada on January 17, 1970. It was recovered and rebuilt which could have been done only with their knowledge and boat building skills. A measure of the quality of their work was the 50 ft M.V. “New Moon” that was built for a Mackay publican. It was launched one week before Cyclone Ada, survived the ordeal and was used to assist in rescues in the area afterwards.
 
Graham and Dell sold their home in Ocean View Avenue and purchased land at Paluma Road where they built a house and planned to start a coconut plantation. Graham retired and sold the slipway business in 1995, however, Joe continued to work for the new owners, Carol and Rodger Carter, for about eighteen months and then started work carrying out boat repairs for himself.
Graham was an amazing boat builder and repairer, who built boats for over fifty years, twenty-one of those with Joe in Airlie Beach. During that time, they successfully launched eleven motor vessels ranging in size from 26 feet - 50 feet and two yachts.
When Graham passed away in 2000, Joe moved to live with his mother until she died in 2005. He continued to live at the property, however, Joe suffered deteriorating health. A diagnosis of diabetes; a major heart attack and then a severe foot infection contracted while clearing debris after Cyclone Debbie confined him to a wheelchair. He could no longer manage alone and so entered the Nursing Home. Joe died in 2020.
The Hawkes family played an instrumental role in the pioneering boat industry of the Whitsundays. Their legacy will live on with the slipway remaining Hawke’s Boat Yard and the landscaping and nursery business that continues to operate in Paluma Road.
Story and photo courtesy Proserpine Historical Museum.

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Joe worked with the locos at the mill. This retired steam loco was used in their shipyard.

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