Basil Bolt obituary: How a sailor built a life around his love of the sea

Basil Bolt loved Albany and the waters around it, spending countless hours working to enrich the life of the port city. A descendant of seafarers from the Shetland Islands, Basil was born in Cottesloe but moved to Albany later that year with his parents, Charles and Elsie, when Charles was appointed manager of the Albany branch of Westralian Farmers Co-operative Ltd. The eldest of five children, Basil’s life as a boy was one of freedom. He and his brother Tony spent many hours at the swimming baths near the town jetty and on Anzac Day accompanied Padre White to the top of Mt Clarence for the Dawn Service. His love of sailing began at the age of 10 as a baler boy and he went on to skipper various yachts, from catamarans to cruisers at the Princess Royal Sailing Club, and thrived in the challenge and adventure of ocean racing, participating in a number of Fremantle-to-Albany and Albany-to-Esperance races. Basil left school in 1941, a time of mayhem in the world. He gained a five-year apprenticeship in marine fitting and turning at the Fremantle Foundry, then a very busy wartime port catering for ships of all types, from warships to submarines, cargo ships and huge passenger liners transporting soldiers to the battlefields of Europe. The work was arduous but fascinating as many ships were in need of repair after being damaged by enemy action. After completing his apprenticeship in 1947 Basil joined the Merchant Navy as a marine engineer, with Liverpool his home port. Working for the New Zealand Shipping Company enabled him to travel the world while rising through the ranks. Some years earlier, Charles Bolt had left Wesfarmers and started a shipping and stevedoring business in Albany (C.E. Bolt Pty Ltd). It was a successful and busy operation and on one of his visits home from sea Basil was encouraged by his father to stay and help out, an arrangement which ultimately became permanent. Although from Roelands, her grandparents lived in Albany and her ancestors were surveyors in the area for several generations. They married in 1951 and four children — Jennifer, Meredyth, Peter and Beverley — quickly arrived. Basil inherited a strong sense of community commitment from his parents and over the years he was: a foundation member of the Albany Apex Club, member of the Albany Rotary Club, member of the Freemasons Lodge, chairman of the Albany Chamber of Commerce, member of the Emu Point Reserve Board, inaugural president of the Spencer Park Primary School P & C, board member of the State Electricity Commission, Albany town councillor (two terms), member of the Great Southern Advisory Road Board, chairman of the Albany Port Authority (eight years), life member, president and secretary/treasurer of Albany Probus Club, commodore, rear and vice-commodore of the Princess Royal Sailing Club, and president, committeeman and life member of the Albany Golf Club. When Charles Bolt died in 1963 C.E. Bolt Pty Ltd was now in the hands of Basil and he was very busy with the shipping agency, fruit export and potato marketing. Circumstances of the times, including the introduction of the European Economic Community which halted fruit exports to Europe, made it necessary to sell the business to Elders in 1965. Basil stayed on as manager until Elders underwent a restructuring, which resulted in many WA managers being made redundant. Basil then established a new company, Bolt Shipping Agency, and he continued in this business until his retirement in 1992. Family life was very important to Basil. All his children sailed and a highlight for Basil was when son Peter, in 2006, was chosen by the WA Education Department to be its representative on the yacht Western Australia, sailing the challenging leg across the Pacific Ocean in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. Never one to be idle, he turned his energy to hobbies of gardening, wood turning, beer brewing and golf while continuing to enjoy his family, which grew to six grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. Despite bouts of ill health and the death of Gwenda after 62 years of marriage, Basil was able to live at the house he built in Albany in 1957 until needing to relocate to aged care in Cottesloe in 2020, where he saw out his final days. Basil Bolt died peacefully in his sleep on January 1 and later this year his ashes will be scattered with those of Gwenda in King George Sound, Albany, his spiritual home. Basil Bolt Shipping agent and community leader Born: Cottesloe, 1925 Died: Cottesloe, aged 97