Tracey - Reel Girls

How many women, who count fishing as their favourite sport, are actually able to get involved in angling on a competitive basis? How many women working full time manage to fully pursue their particular interest in sport? How many mothers of young children are there able to successfully juggle the responsibilities of parenting, home-making and marriage, yet still find enough hours in the day for fishing? Chances are it’s a slender minority. A brief profile of just one of these people may reveal a few surprises.

Tracey Rushford of the ‘Reel Girls’ team is no game-fishing boat ornament posing for the occasional ‘action shot.’ Tracey is no stereotype of fickle ideas glued together as a glamorous appendage to a serious tournament.

First impact of the first impression of Tracey’s character is vitality radiating from a fit and healthy person full of energy, and quiet confidence. Her greatest commitment is to her family, husband Jonno, daughter Jacqui and son Christopher. Jacqui is just old enough to lose her first front tooth, and Christopher is younger, but able to swim faster underwater in the family swimming pool (so he tells me!). Together the family live in a ‘Broome style’ home built close to the sandhills behind Cable Beach. Certainly the house is well-appointed with all modern conveniences, but essentially the duty of running the household as mother rests fair and square on Tracey’s shoulders. There are no short cuts like nannies or housekeepers.

The Rushfords’ new home stands among mature mango trees where their greenery leads onto wide shady verandahs and into cool rooms. The design captures that essence of tropical lifestyle and laid-back Broome Time atmosphere so special about local architecture. For those who don’t know it yet: Broome Time is a time zone where clock faces have figures but no hands. We just slip into Broome Time. Broome people are closely attuned to climate and weather, nuances of seasonal changes, phases of the moon and so forth simply because they spend so much time out of doors, eating , relaxing, entertaining, sleeping. Tracey is no exception, and this quality of lifestyle gives her an extra edge in her chosen sport.

Both Tracey and her husband work full-time in their own family business ‘Kingswood Marine’ on Port Drive in Broome. The business includes ships’ chandlery, sales and repairs to boats and outboards, fishing tackle, and primarily the constant manufacture of pearl panels for the pearl farming industry. Live shell are placed individually into pockets of netting on panels which are suspended in the tidal flow on pearl farm leases. Pearls are big business in Broome, and Kingswood Marine employ __ full-time workers with Tracey responsible for most of the day-to-day accountancy details.

To counterbalance the necessity of all that hard work Tracey indulges in her favourite sport: fishing. Never half-hearted at anything, Tracey’s involvement includes the responsibility of preparing her own gear for all tournaments, handcrafting lures and teasers, rigging baits and spooling new line._______

Good tackle is only part of the story. To achieve the most from her chosen sport Tracey needs to be physically fit and confident. Serious workouts, keeping fit with early morning walks along the beach, a healthy diet of fresh food, no smoking, and the pleasure of alcohol in moderation keeps Tracey ready to pitch her best at every hook-up.

As a member of the ‘Reel Girls’ team Tracey always demonstrates that best of all qualities in any team: sporting attitude and team spirit. Her unselfish attitude shines through the mayhem of every multiple hook-up in every billfish tournament. Believe me it gets pretty hectic out there!

Tracey’s love of the ocean and its bounty has led her to speak up about the value of tag- and- release tactics in competitions, and the importance of getting that message across to other anglers. With two young children at home she wants to be able to preserve fish stocks and the complex food-chain in the marine world so that the next generation of anglers may have the same pleasures she enjoys.

Dedication and vitality are the two words which most readily sum up Tracey’s attitude to angling among serious sports enthusiasts. How does Tracey juggle her responsibilities and still find time to ‘do as she likes’? Perhaps sharing so much of her life with a supportive life-partner, and being so deeply involved in the family business means her husband understands just how important time-off can be.