Blueback (2022) - full transcript

- Early start, Professor?
- Yeah.

I guess we're not following
dive protocols today.

- Thanks, Gitundu.
- Right? OK!

Sorry!

And good morning
to you too, Abby!

How you going, little fella?

You miss me?

It's not good news, I'm afraid.

Your home's dying

and I don't know how to help.

Abby?



Hey, you've got a call.

Oh, really? Thanks.

Hi. Is this Abby Jackson?

Yes.

This is Dr Levine from

the Longboat Bay Hospital
in Western Australia.

Apologies about the
different time zones,

but your mother's here with us.

She's suffered a stroke.

How severe was
it? Is she stable?

She's awake now and stable,

but she's unable to
speak at this stage.

We were hoping you'd
be able to get here.

Yes, of course. I...
I need to be there.



- Thanks for... for finding me.
- Yes, of course.

- And letting me know.
- Thanks, Abby.

Abby? Everything OK?

Something's come up.

My mum's had a stroke.

You need to go back home.

Abby?

Abby!

Come on, sleepy head.

Mum, I was dreaming.

Congratulations, Abby.

You're awake.

Come on.

- Today is the day.
- My birthday?

- You're eight years old.
- Yeah.

You know what that means?

Come on!

Maybe not this year.

Mum!

- Mum...
- Come on.

Whoo!

That's where you're going.

I can't, Mum. It's too far.

It's just a warm-up.

Abby, you're a big girl now

and you've been
swimming like a fish

since you were 18
months old, yeah?

No, Mum. Please don't.

No, Mum! No!

You're gonna have to try now.

Alright?

Straight down, follow the chain.

- Equalise.
- OK.

Just glide.

You got it?

I did it.

Come in. Come here. Come up.

Oh, I'm so, so proud
of you, alright?

Now I know you can
swim that deep...

Yeah.

..there's something I
want you to see, alright?

OK.

- Come here.
- I did it.

So this here is Robber's Head.

Now, the reef splits apart here

so there's caves and
crevices who knows where,

far too deep for you and me.

This is the deepest
part of the bay.

- You up for it?
- Yeah.

Right. OK.

Weight belts for this dive.

And, remember, we only take...

..one abalone in three.

That way, they'll still be here

for your children's
children to fish.

Are you coming?

Ohh!

Mum, get in the boat.
There's something down there.

It's OK, love.

- It nearly got me.
- Come on, Abby.

- Abby, Abby, take a look.
- No, Mum.

- Just please get in the boat.
- Abby, Abby, Abby, quick.

- I thought it was a shark.
- No.

That's a groper.

Come on. Let's go say hello.

I really can't believe it.

He's big enough to
eat your arm off.

Must be old to grow that big.

Yep.

Gropers can live
until their 70s.

Old and wise.

You must have made
him feel safe, Abs.

He'll always be safe with me.

Well, the only way to
make sure he's safe...

..is to keep him a secret.

You see, gropers,

they live in the same
place most of their life.

They don't tend to leave.

Blueback.

We'll call him Blueback

and keep him a secret forever.

Blueback?

I like that.

- Thanks.
- See ya.

What are you doing here?

Briggs, you lunatic.

Professor, some of
us still live here.

Don't 'professor' me.

- You alright?
- Yeah, thanks, Briggs.

Give me your bag.

The first stroke wasn't
so bad. You know Dora.

She said she felt "a bit
ordinary" after a swim.

Didn't even go to the
doctor's till the next day,

and that was in April.

Then...

..she was out by Robber's Head.

What do you think
she was doing there?

I don't know.

Looking for whales again.

A bit secretive, your mum.

A bit sly, the Jacksons.

Anyway...

..it doesn't look
too good, Abby.

They said she might
not speak again.

We'll see about that.

So what do you reckon?

Check out the abalone guy?

The compressor's on.

He must be under the water.

Mum, you can't just get in
someone's boat uninvited.

He's taking too many.

That's like breaking
into someone's house.

Yeah, he's got a licence.
He knows the rules.

-Macka!

-Hey, Macka!

Come on, ya old dog!

Macka!

Dora, what in the living
hell are you doing?

You right there?

Give a man a heart
attack, you will.

Sorry to board your
vessel uninvited, Macka.

Oh, you don't look too sorry.

You're taking too many.

I mean, you know how
long they take to grow.

You're gonna strip this bay in
no time if you keep this up.

It's not as bad as it looks.

It's pretty simple, really.

Well, I'm a simple bloke

so that's the best news
I've heard all day.

Now, are you the sheriff
or the deputy today?

I think I'm the deputy.

Anyway, I know this
looks a bit crook,

but it's not as bad
as it seems, honestly.

Some of this stuff's
from Henry's.

- Mm-hm.
- Some of it is from the Bluffs.

It's a full day's work there.

Yeah, alright. Shouldn't
they be on ice, then?

Yeah, it should be on ice.
We should all be on ice.

I'm getting a bit
sweaty in my wetty.

- On a day like this?
- Yeah.

How is the water?

It's up about a degree, a
degree and a half, I reckon.

- Jeez.
- Sure is warm.

Righto, if you two high-sea
bandits are finished,

I've got some
gastropods to harvest,

in a sustainable
manner, of course,

in line with all the relevant
health and safety protocols.

- He can be a bit rough.
- I like him.

- He's not that scary.
- OK.

Mrs Jackson.

Ted Costello.

Wonderful view.

Well, Ted Costello, I'm
sure you'll enjoy it

just as much from the
car on your way home.

I'm just here to
drop off a proposal.

I left it on your kitchen table.

Door was open. I called out.

We don't normally need to
lock our doors around here.

Doesn't mean we expect people
to just walk in uninvited.

Worth taking a look.

-No rush, though.

We're not going anywhere.

Your neighbours all
seem very interested.

We're here, Abby.

You want me to come in?

Thanks, Briggs.

I can take it from here.

What happens if they won't
let you take her home?

Well, I feel sorry for the
fella that says no to you.

Come on, sleepy head.

I'm gonna take you home.

Mum?

It's me.

Here.

Hey.

Come on.

I figured you might
need some supplies.

Thanks.

I... I guess I'll leave you two
villains up to your mischief.

OK.

Mum.

Do you remember the drawings?

This was my first.

Mum?

See ya.

And here she is.

Seven minutes late. New record.

Come on. Come on!
Time to make up.

Been getting many
fish out there?

Yeah, some here and
there. You know how it is.

Like where, for instance?

Fish are where you
find 'em, Merv.

Right!

You Jacksons, I tell ya,

the old apple don't
fall far from the tree.

You gotta give my love to Dora.

- G'day, Merv.
- Morning.

- Hi, Merv.
- Morning, Merv.

- G'day, Briggs.
- Hey.

- Morning, lads.
- Morning, Merv.

Come on, kids. Let's go!

Any ideas?

Yeah, it's a banksia.

I've seen this one growing
down Wilder's Road too.

There's heaps down my place.

Red. Blue. Yellow.

It's a Banksia attenuata,

or 'biara' as it's known in
the local Indigenous language.

Go on. Try and draw it.

Briggs! Abby!

Wait here.

What's going on?

The entry to the
bay is too shallow.

They need to dredge the reef,

create an entry point
for larger boats.

Mum said they need to pass

an environmental assessment.

The development isn't
even approved yet.

I don't think they're worried
about needing an approval.

Where are you going?

- Abby!
- See ya, Merv!

Oi! What am I supposed
to tell your mum?

Wait for me.

-Hi, Mum!

Hey. Good day at school?

The salmon's in, at last.

Here you go.

Yeah, alright. Thanks, love.

- Hey, Dad.
- G'day, mate.

- Abby.
- Hey.

Come on. I'm gonna
show you something.

Don't be late!

It's a blue whale.

The biggest animal
on the planet.

This was just a calf, I think.

They must get pretty big, hey?

Dad said there
were whalers here.

Like, way back.

- Yeah?
- Yeah.

There used to be so many whales,
you could walk across them.

Blues, humpbacks, right whales.

Have you seen one?

Sort of. Not really.

Just like a white
puff in the distance.

Dad says we're killing
a big hole in the world,

all of us...

..and we're all gonna
fall into it together.

You sure he hasn't
been talking to my mum?

I'd like to see that.

Yeah.

So we were just about to
send out a search party.

Sorry, Mrs Jackson. Hey, Dad.

Got the heads-up from Merv
you might be down here.

Sorry, OK?

Briggs just wanted to show
me something. That's all.

Well, the good news is...

..we get a free feed.

- Yeah?
- We've been invited to dinner.

Huh!

Hey, Jimmy!

Abby!

Hey, I saw you
today from my boat.

You were down by the blue whale.

You were with a fella.

- Hey, Macka?
- Yeah?

I assume you've
been invited, yeah?

Well, I can see the
flame from a mile away.

That's an official
invitation, isn't it, hey?

Besides, they'll be glad I came.
The fun's getting started now.

Good one, Merv!

- Whoa! Hey!
- Oh, Macka!

What's going on?

What's going on, kids?
What have we got here?

What have we got here?
Ten-ball shooter!

-Thanks, Macka!

Ooh!

There we go. Point
it upwards, OK?

Nah, next year.

Aww!

- Macka.
- Oh!

Hey, hey, hey! Here we go!

- That's so cool!
- Another one!

Briggs, hey!

-Yeah, baby!

Here we go, everyone!

Here we go!

Your mum's a good dancer.

Yeah, Merv too, hey?

You think he likes her?

Sorry.

That was a bit
thoughtless of me.

No, no problem with
me, Briggs. It's fine.

Everyone loved your dad.

That's what my old man says.

He was a pearl diver, right?

Yeah. Yeah, he was.

He headed north for the
pearl season every year.

Mum said he could
come back with, like,

a year's money in
just a few months.

But, I mean, he hated it.

He worked so hard

just to make a life for us.

And then one year...

..one year came around

when he just didn't come
home after the season.

They found his mask at
the bottom of Roebuck Bay.

They just never found his body.

So the sea took him?

A tiger shark most likely.

I mean, that's what they said.

Really? Not a word?

You are so damn stubborn.

OK.

What have we here?

A letter from the prime minister

and a copy of your
letter to him.

You're being way too polite.

My personal favourite.

Did you get any takers?

OK. One last thing.

The dolphin,

from the protest.

Remember this?

Mum! Seriously!

I was a coward.

It killed me.

Save our bay!

- You can breathe?
- Yeah.

It's not too tight?

Yeah, that's it, Merv.

- You can't get free?
- No, it's good, mate.

Save our homes!

Save our bay!

Save our bay! Save our bay!

OK, we're in. It's done.

What do you want
me to do with this?

- Eat it, Merv.
- I'm not eating it. I'm not.

Take it to the
ocean, chuck it in.

OK.

Save our bay! Save our bay!

Run, Merv! Run!

-Come on, Dora.

You've had your fun.
This is pointless.

You know what's in this truck?

- What?
- Ammonium nitrate.

That's what's in it.

It's your bay too, mate!

- Settle down!
- Save our bay!

Save our bay! Save
our bay! Save our bay!

Save our bay! Save
our bay! Save our bay!

Save our bay!

Save our bay! Save our bay!

- Thanks, Ray.
- See you.

Say hi to the missus
for me, will you?

Will do.

Hey.

You were there today?

At the protest?

You know I was there.

No, I didn't.

- Must have been hiding, yeah?
- No, I was there.

When it comes to standing
up for what you believe,

there is no place
for cowards, Abby.

I'm not a coward, Mum!

Yeah? It didn't
seem that way to me.

I'm not a coward!

And your dad would've
agreed with me!

Well, that's real mature,
bringing Dad into this!

Hey, Mum.

I just came to say
that I'm sorry.

Day's not over yet.

Should we go find
the old blue bandit?

- Yeah.
- Come on, bub. Come on.

- I'm sorry too.
- It's all good.

- You alright?
- Don't worry about it.

Do you reckon we can get her
out on the open water again?

I'm not so sure.

Come on. You used to be
able to fix anything.

I can give it a try.

Do you think you might
go to Robber's Head?

I'm not sure if I'm up for that.

Hey, you reckon we should do
a quick check-up on Macka?

Yeah.

Hey, Macka!

Hooroo!

- Look out!
- Hello.

Ducks on the pond.

Oh, pirate ducks at that.

Hey, you know those fireworks

you had the other night, yeah?

I think they're
actually illegal.

Oh, no! You gonna
call the authorities?

I was thinking about it.

How you doing down there, Macka?

I was going OK till
I had a visitor.

Oh, well, if that's how you
feel, we can just leave.

Nah, I'm not talking about you.

I'm talking about a man
in a sharp grey suit.

A shark? What kind of shark?

Well, the kind you step
out of the dance for,

if you know what I mean,

discretion being the
better part of valour.

A great white.

Pretty great, pretty
white, pretty big.

With all this fresh
meat lying around,

I didn't want to tempt him.

Didn't want to, uh, put his
good manners to the test.

They say I'm a bit tapped,
ladies, but I'm not that mad.

Seems pretty sensible, Macka.

Oh, look out. Mum's
agreeing with me.

-"Dear diary," hey?

Before you go...

..they tell me that
this is the favourite

of the old Achoerodus gouldii.

I beg your pardon, the what?

Groper, western blue.

Scoffs my popcorn apparently.

We don't catch groper.

Well, most people don't.
Can't say I do myself.

Well, then, what
are the crabs for?

Well, because every old man

likes a snack every
now and then, Dora.

You know about
Blueback, don't ya?

Blueback?

That's a nice name.

Righto, if you
reprobates are finished,

I'm gonna go finish off

this beautiful little snack
I prepared for myself,

and then I'm gonna go...

..back in and check if
old mate's still around.

Come on, mate. Why don't you
just get your boat out of here?

Take it out west somewhere.

I'm big enough and old
enough to look after myself.

Besides, I've always thought
when the time's right

for that sort of thing,
the time's right.

Know what I mean?

No point worrying about
things you can't control.

Isn't that right, Abby?

Yeah.

Righto, back to work.

Take care, Macka.

- Hooroo.
- Hooroo!

Looks like we've had
visitors again...

..laying out their
surveyor's posts.

Planning out where
they're gonna build

when we finally give in.

Well... not today.

Bye-bye!

Yeah. That's the
end of that, then.

What are you reading?

Um, it's a marine encyclopedia.

Mr Carlisle lent it to me.

To prepare for the new school.

Western blue groper.

Achoerodus gouldii?

Yeah.

A leafy seadragon.

A Phycodurus...

..a Phycodurus eques.

What kind of a name is it
if you can't even say it?

And the southern rock lobster,

Jasus ed... edwardsii.

So Briggs said the salmon
didn't come in on time?

Yeah, I spoke to
Merv the other day.

Yeah?

He said that the
sardines are dead

all the way down the coast.

And a dead leopard seal
came in from Antarctica.

So there's something going on.

You'd think there'd
be some way to,

you know, read all these signs.

It's a puzzle.

With an answer?

Yeah, there's always an answer.

Storm's coming.

Hey, Mum!

Macka's still out diving.
He should come in.

Let me see.

I think the
compressor's stopped.

Abby, come on.

-Macka! Macka!

Macka?

The compressor's low on fuel.

- Reckon you can get it going?
- Yeah, I think so.

Macka? Macka?

Do not get in the water,
Abby. Stay on the boat.

- You understand?
- Do you think it's a shark?

Stay on the boat.

-Come on!

Come on, please!

Come on!

Won't be needing that.

Was it that shark?

No, he's just floating
along the bottom.

I reckon he's had
a heart attack.

So he's dead?

Yeah, love.

He's drowned.

I'm sorry.

This isn't gonna
be nice, but, um...

..I want you to
tie off that rope.

I'll go down and secure him

and when I come back up,

we're both gonna have to pull.

OK, alright.

Thanks for checking. OK. Bye.

Oh, Mum...

Gitundu.

Hi, Abby.

How's your mum?

OK.

Not great, but it's good
to be here with her.

And the reef? Any
news from the survey?

That's why I'm calling.

The drones came
in this afternoon.

The bleaching...

Miles of it.

More than we ever predicted.

It's dying.

The whole reef will be gone.

We really need you here.

When are you coming back?

I'm not sure.

About anything.

Abby?

Sorry, Gitundu.

So I saw these amazing
leafy seadragons

down at the point yesterday.

Mm?

Never seen them before.

Oh, come on, Jackson!
Let's get wet. Come on.

Come on! Your new
school can wait.

That's a reef stripper
if ever I've seen one.

They have the abalone licence.

Poor old Macka's
only just left us.

We need to keep an
eye on Robber's Head.

Blueback, he...
he's a big target.

Yeah, I'm gonna have
a word with them.

With a boat that size,

they should be
fishing in open water.

This is the most stupid and
dangerous thing we could do.

You told me, Mum, "To do
nothing would be twice as stupid

"and twice as dangerous."

True.

Abby!

Hey, Mum, come up here.

It's not just abalone.

And so many undersized ones.

It's hard to be discerning

when you're stripping a reef.

And these fish...

Some of them are
meant to be protected.

How can they do this, Mum?

I'm gonna go down and see
what they're doing down there.

I want you to stay on our
boat. You understand, Abby?

'Cause some of these
fish have been speared.

-Bring it up.

Bring it on.

- Mrs Jackson.
- Costello!

I thought you'd have
something to do with this.

You're drag-netting
open-water style.

You're gonna fish the
reef out completely!

You don't want to talk about
it? No, didn't think you would.

- Don't worry about her.
- Maybe your guys do. Guys?

Do you realise exactly
what you're doing here?

Just ignore her.

You're gonna strip this
entire ecosystem...

..of marine life, so your boss

can push his agenda
through council.

So why don't we talk
about spear guns?

There's a whole range of
protected species here.

Any of you blockheads
know which ones they are?

No? Didn't think so.

Well, I'd be asking
my boss if I were you.

Hey, Mum, there's
someone on Macka's boat.

Alright. Let's get
out of here. Come on.

Sleazebag.

Hey.

What were you doing
on Macka's boat?

That boat's still
good in open water?

Yeah, sure is.

Smooth as, even in a storm.

Even in a storm.

- You feel safe on it?
- Yeah.

The man who owned it
took it out every day.

What was he like?

The man that took
it out every day?

Well, his name was Macka.

And people called him Mad Macka.

Maybe I did too.

But I liked him.

Abby?

Why don't you head back
up and get the meal going?

I'll... I'll deal with this.

She helped me pull him up.

Big thing for anyone, seeing
death for the first time.

Well, I'm grateful
for what you both did.

Did you know Macka?

He was my dad.

Abby!

It's yours.

He would've loved
you to have it.

Are you really sure
that I can have it?

Macka's son. He said you could.

Oh, wow! What do you reckon?

That's an engine, alright.

Alright? A bit rusty, but we
could work on it together.

Make it feel like yours, then.

Oh, yeah.

-I can't wait.

OK, where are the tools?

Abby?

Hey?

Here. Look.

- Is that his son?
- Yeah.

Looks just like him.

Do you know that the sea holds
more artefacts and remnants

of our history then all
the museums in the world?

And Mad Macka has
most of them in here.

What's this?

Careful.

Oh! It's an otolith.

I've only seen a picture of one.

What is it?

It's a skeleton of an ear.

The ear of a blue groper.

See? Here are the
lines along it, yeah?

- There?
- Yeah.

Well, it grows a
layer each year.

You can tell how old it is.

He was really old.

Like, really old.

How do you know
that he was a he?

Well, you see, all blue
gropers are born as girls...

..and they start off green.

And it's only when puberty
hits that they change colour

and some of them become boys.

I want to show you something.

Someone, actually.

- Yeah.
- Yeah?

Alright. Come on.

Now, the throttle
will flood the engine

if you're too hard
on the old girl.

- You feel that?
- Like this?

-That's it. You got it.

Yeah.

Come on.

What'd you think?

Oh, that was amazing.

So cool!

Hey, Mum, you alright?

Yeah. I'm gonna head home.

I gotta figure out what
Costello's next move is.

I'm gonna see you
back at the house.

- Before sunset this time, yeah?
- OK, yeah.

Doesn't look like they've
started dredging yet.

Maybe the protests
slowed them down.

Just make sure everyone's
there in the morning,

all the machinery's ready to go,

and I'll see you after the
council meeting, if not before.

Yeah, no worries. See
you in the morning.

I think she looks better.

Yeah, well, happier.

She still hasn't
said a word, though.

The doctor said the chance of
another stroke is so high now.

Yeah, I know.

That's it's just
a matter of time.

Time is all we have, Abby.

I'm sorry it's been so long.

There were my studies and all
the opportunities overseas...

It's fine, Abby. We were fine.

You know Dora.

She kept us up to date

with everything you were doing,

you know, read each
letter out aloud.

You know, she's very
proud of you. Very proud.

We are very proud of you.

Hey, Dad.

How you been?

I'm worried.

I don't know if Mum can
stop them this time.

And I wish I knew how to help.

I really miss you.

Mum.

Well?

Well...

..I just need to
finish this proposal

for the council tomorrow.

Come on. What do you think?

I think there's as good a
school as any right here.

Well, yeah, but two years there
and I can head to university.

It just...

It feels like
you're trying to get

as far away from me as you can.

Come on. You know
you can visit.

Maybe live with me over there.

If I leave here,
this house of ours

will be bought by developers
and Costello will win.

Look, I want to save
the world's oceans, Mum,

and I can't learn everything
I need to at the school here.

Abby, this is your home,
alright? You were born here.

Your father was born here.
Your grandparents. I just...

I don't understand what
you think you're gonna do

on the other side of
the world by yourself.

Just come with me.

You and me, we can make
a difference together.

Sweetheart, what do you
think I have been doing here

my whole life?

I'm sorry, sweetheart.

You look good. The
uniform, all of it.

It's just...

It's really hard letting go.

So I'm here to propose
a marine reserve

to protect the
diversity of species

that we have right
here in this bay.

This diversity,
tell us about it.

What threatens it?

Well, I'm not... that good
at all this kind of talk.

I live on the bay so
I've seen what's going on

and right now, there
are men overfishing...

Your mum still
banging on in there?

I'm up next.

That's how it works.

She speaks and then I get

an equal chance
to argue my case.

Fair enough, don't you think?

You and your mum really
think you can stop this.

- Don't you?
- Yeah.

That's not how it works.

You see, governments, they pay
attention to short-term gains.

Jobs. Economic activity.

They need to get re-elected.

I'll vote.

To stop them.

To stop you.

Not until you're 18.

I mean, as far as I'm concerned,

that's just stealing from...

..stealing from our future.

My name is Abby Jackson.

Hello, Abby.

And I'm 15 years old.

I've been studying
this bay since I was 8.

Since then, I've
been documenting

the unique marine
life in the bay.

This here is a redlip morwong.

And there are three different
types of these seadragons,

three,

one of which is only found here,

this incredibly rare
leafy seadragon.

And each and every one of them

is threatened by Costello's
planned development.

And we have larger fish,

like the western blue groper,

or Achoerodus gouldii.

They just love the
moderate temperatures.

They nestle here in... in reefs

as havens from the weather
along the coastline.

These pictures show us the many
species unique to this bay,

documented for the first time,

the diversity of this
marine life, that it's a...

I mean, it's a gift to us all.

Well, we all welcome
your work, Abby,

but do you believe that we
should make a decision today

based on the, uh... the
drawings of a child?

Hang on a minute, Abby.

Down at Robber's Head!

Abby?

Abby?

Abby!

Abby!

You stupid girl!

I told you to stay
out of the water!

- They've got spear guns, Abby!
- I had to save him, Mum!

- They could've killed ya!
- I had to save Blueback.

- There was no other choice.
- Oh, Abby!

He just wanted to play, Mum.

I was running out of air.

Those men, they
wanted to kill him.

So what happened?
Did he get away?

Well...

- Well?
- Well, I hit him one.

I... I punched him, OK?
Just to scare him off.

Don't laugh, OK?

- It's not funny.
- Oh, God.

You know, he's probably got
some big black eye or something.

Oh, get on the boat. Come on.

He's gonna hate me
now. That's for sure.

OK, so let's start
with the, uh...

..with the spear guns and
the fact that that kid

was nearly killed by
one of your blokes.

Yeah, look, I'm
very disappointed

about the spear guns.

I didn't know these
guys were doing this.

So what's gonna happen now?

Well, they breached
the fishing limits

set by their licence.

Turns out that spear guns

aren't typically used
for fishing abalone

and almost spearing
a teenage girl

is... is reckless endangerment.

And today?

- How'd it go after I left?
- Well...

There was six of them
that had to vote.

Five of them had
hearts of stone.

There was one, though.

That woman from the other
side of Cockatoo Bay.

Yeah?

She saw the sense in it.

It was you that did it, Abby.

Not me.

It was your pictures.

Your research.

Just one vote?

Oh...

Just one for now.

Next time two, then another,

then another,

then another...

They're here.

Where's Dora?

Dora! Dora, come
on, come on. Dora!

- See 'em?
- Yeah.

Thank you.

Ahh, yeah, yeah, there's
about eight of them.

Humpbacks!

New babies too.

Mrs J, is that why you
were down at Robber's Head?

'Cause you were waiting for
this mob to come through?

Patient as ever.

And you know the best
place to view 'em?

Right here.

Alright, Mrs J, let's
have a look for some more.

I reckon there's a few
out there lingering.

Whoa! Oh, look at that!

Whoo-hoo-hoo!

You kept them, Mum.

Where were they?

He never came back, did he, Mum?

I saved him sure enough.

But I never saw him again.

I truly believed he
would have shared

the secrets of
the sea with me...

..if only he'd come back.

Come on.

When you were born...

..we took you down while
the water was warm...

..and lowered you
gently into the waves.

Jack and me.

We couldn't keep you
out of the water.

We come from water.

We belong to it, Abby.

What if he doesn't come back?

If I never see him again, hey?

Well, you saved him, Abby.

That's the main thing.

If that's the cost,
then it was worth it.

You ever notice that
just before the sun sets,

beyond the horizon...

..the sun burns even
brighter just for an instant,

lights up the whole sky?

Yeah, it does.

One last beautiful hurrah.

Then it's gone.

We are gathered here today,

looking out across
her beloved bay,

to celebrate the
life of Dora Jackson.

Dora devoted her life

to establishing a marine
reserve for future generations

that stretches from here

all the way out
to Robber's Head.

A safe place at last.

She wanted more of them,
other havens along the coast,

but for now, as she came
to the end of her life,

she was content with
everything she had achieved.

And as we say farewell
to our dear friend,

I thought I'd play
a very special song

for fearless Dora.

Thanks, Briggs.

No worries.

I love you.

Abby!

Gitundu, you would
not believe it here.

My mum's marine
reserve is thriving.

I saw a huge pod
of humpback whales.

Every day, there are
whales off the shore.

Amazing.

A marine reserve?
That's incredible, Abby.

And it's beautiful.

If you can gather

my research material

and the latest
footage of the reef,

we've got some work to do.

Great.

Where do you want to begin?

- Let's start right here.
- Yep.

Take a good close look at
what we're fighting for.

Amazing. We'll be there.

Thanks, Gitundu.