BULLIO Alphonse (Alfonse)

BITTEN BY SHARK.
ISLAND BOY INJURED.  LONG TRIP TO CAIRNS.

Two young Torres Strait islanders had to swim madly for their dinghy when , they were pursued by a shark while diving for trochus shell at Ota Reef on the Barrier Reef, opposite Hinchinbrook Channel, on Thursday. One of them, Nelam Kris, aged 17, was bitten on the right leg as he was climbing into the boat, and his calf and foot were terribly gashed. He was brought to Cairns, arriving, at 9 o'clock last night

The youth was admitted to the Cairns District Hospital, but his condition, is not serious.

CAUGHT BY LEG.

Nelam and Alphonse Bullio, of the lugger Frankton, owned by the Wyberi Pearling Co., of Thursday Island, were diving, and when Nelam was coming to the surface he noticed a big shark approaching. Nelam called to his companion, and they swam with all speed towards the dinghy. Alphonse got into it, but Nelam had his hands on the side and was just pulling himself aboard,when the shark caught his right leg. Before the shark could attack again Alphonse had pulled the youth into the dinghy. Blood was streaming from two ugly wounds, but with stoical calmness Nelam helped to signal the other dinghies. A towel was wrapped round the lower leg. The lugger came over and the two divers were transferred to it. The other dinghies were scattered over the reef and had to be summoned.

ON TO CAIRNS.

The lugger cleared the reef at dark and headed for Innisfail. Captain R. Wada considered the bar to the Johnstone River too dangerous to cross owing to the unsuitability of the tide. It was, therefore, decided to make for Cairns.

During all this time not a whimper came from the injured boy, who, however, fainted once during the voyage.

When Cairns was reached the boy was taken by ambulance to the hospital. This is his second trip away from his home at St Paul Island. The other divers aboard the lugger come from the same place. The lugger, which had about six tons of shell aboard, will stay in Cairns a few days and then return to its work.
Reference: http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/41826588?searchTerm=Alphonse Bullio&searchLimits=  Downloaded 11 May 2012

Story on Alphonse (Alfonse) as told by his granddaughter, Debra Bullio:

My grandad, Alfonse Bullio, sailed down from Torres Strait and got caught up in a cyclone. He saved the lives of the Pitt family and a caucasian boy, which would have been back in the 1950’s. He threw himself across the deck (a few floorboards came loose) to save the Pitt family from drowning. When the boat did go down, he rescued the two surviving Pitt girls and swam back and rescued the causcasian boy. A few years before my grandad died, the boy he rescued, now a man, came to visit him. The funny thing was that even though they hadn’t seen each other since the day of the rescue, my grandad knew exactly who he was.

Compiler’s Note: This story has been added as oral history to this project. I am satisfied that if Alphonse had been European, the story would have made the national papers.

Reference:  Information from Debra Bullio, posted 10 May 2012 on Facebook Group page: You know you grew up in Cairns when …