Published in News, 24 March 1937:

"PASSING BY MR. PIM
Grab Grabs a Stingray

AT Port Adelaide yesterday I saw a large stingray. It was on the deck of a mud barge working alongside McLaren Wharf. I was informed that it was 8 ft. long, 6 ft. across, and that the barb measured 2 ft.

The monster was brought up by the Terry grab crane, which was engaged lifting silt. The man in charge told me it was the largest he had seen in his 30 years on the river. He presumed that it followed the fishing boats up the stream and went to sleep at the bottom, to be disturbed when the strong jaws of the grab closed in on it. On being brought out of the water it resisted violently, but soon expired.

A stingray is not welcome in the river. This one brought up by the grab would have been an awkward customer for anybody to encounter.

I asked the man working the grab if he ever brought up anything of value from the river bed.

He said that a cup or a plate had been emptied on to the mud heap. A wallet containing, much money was supposed to be in the river, but he had not come across it."

Date of catch as published in The News:

"CLAIMED BY FISHERMEN to be the largest stingray ever seen in the Port Adelaide River, this one measuring 7 ft. 9 in. by 5 ft. and weighing between 7 and 8 cwt., was caught at Copper Co.'s Wharf today. Eight men were needed to pull it from the water."|

Location (west of Harts Mill) was confirmed by Steve Reynolds (president of the Marine Life Society of SA).

Reported in The News, Saturday March 26, 1949.

"Messrs. Max George and Silas Trezise caught this huge stingray in the Port River today. It was 4 ft. across and weighed 3 to 4 cwt.

A man had a narrow escape from being pulled from a dinghy when a huge infuriated stingray tooks his bait in Port river this morning. The man, -Silas Trezise, of Victoria street, Queenstown, had tied his cord fishing line round his foot before falling asleep in a 14-ft. dinghy moored within 20 yards of shore just below No. 20 berth.

Mr. Trezise said he and his companion, Mr. Max George, of Lipson street, Port Adelaide, were both awakened when the stingray, estimated to weigh between .3 and 4 cwt., and 4 ft. across took the bait.

"The ray almost pulled me overboard, and I would have gone only Max came to my assistance," Mr. Trezise said. The stingray became infuriated after taking the bait and dragged the small boat round the river for half an hour.

While Mr. Trezise tried to row, his companion played the large fish. At times both men were hard pressed keeping the lashing fish away from their boat. The men hailed a passing motor boat and borrowed a boat hook with - which they spiked the head of the stingray. They then made toward shore and dragged the fish up the bank. It took both the men all their time to pull it up the beach.

They had to keep clear of the wildly lashing tail with its 12 inch
poisonous spike. The men were surprised that they were able to land the fish as the small hook they were using to catch butterfish had slipped out of the stingray's mouth and caught in a fleshy part of the head.

Port Adelaide fishermen said it was the largest stingray they could remember being caught so far up the river."

--- Note: Also reported in The Mail, same day (see clippings for images)