Old fisherman 'drunk' with the sea

(Baonghean) - Coming from the sea, the fisherman followed the sacred call of his country and went to war. After returning to his hometown after being discharged from the army, he had to amputate his arm after an accident, but he did not surrender to fate, still steadfastly sticking to the sea, participating in production labor...

Protect the sea, protect the forest

During the days when the whale washed ashore in Dien Thinh commune, Dien Chau district, many people were impressed when witnessing the image of the small-bodied old fisherman, missing an arm, actively participating in the rescue and salvage with everyone. The spirit of the old fisherman looked fierce, fierce, mixed with a bit of arrogance in the face of the stormy sea...

Old fisherman Pham Sy Ba participates in whale salvage.

After the unfortunate whale was buried, I met the old fisherman again on the 5 sao of land where it was time for the family to harvest. He looked very gentle. The old fisherman's name is Pham Sy Ba, 60 years old, living in Hamlet 5, Dien Thinh Commune. The old man shared: "We coastal people, when there is trouble or joy, we share. Seeing the fish washed ashore in Hamlet 9, I went to help. That day, I saw people were suspicious and afraid that the toxic gas from the whale's stomach would delay the salvage work, so I volunteered. I am Uncle Ho's soldier. Having been through the war, I know that some people get sick when they smell the smell of death, while others are fine. As for me, I am immune...".

With his intact hand, he lifted the pot of green tea to pour tea for his guests. Old fisherman Pham Sy Ba said: The trawling profession in Dien Thinh is a profession passed down from father to son. Dien Thinh people mainly go out to sea on small rafts, one day fishing, the other day farming. When he was young, he still heard the elders tell stories about trips to sea that encountered sudden storms, the boat capsized, and thanks to the whale's help, he escaped death. Then there was the story of a year when a giant whale washed ashore in Hamlet 4, and the villagers built a large and beautiful tomb... In his youth, a few times when he sailed his boat out to sea 5-6 nautical miles from shore to fish, Mr. Ba also saw whales. That was a good omen, signaling a bountiful fishing season, with the hold full of silver fish...".

Then he slowly told his life story. In 1978, the 22-year-old coastal youth Pham Sy Ba set off to fulfill his military service. He was assigned to Company 15, Regiment 4, Division 337, preparing to go to Laos when the war on the northern border broke out. In February 1979, Mr. Pham Sy Ba excitedly marched 500 km from his military base in Minh Son commune, Do Luong district to Lang Son and entered the fight against the invaders. He and his comrades steadfastly held onto each high point, firmly defending every inch of the Fatherland's border.

In 1982, Mr. Ba was discharged from the army and returned to his hometown to live a simple life of farming and fishing. He said sadly: "Being able to return home to my family, I feel more fortunate than the 650 comrades in the division who have passed away on the banks of the Ky Cung River, Dong Dang town."

Will to overcome storms

Returning to his hometown, Mr. Pham Sy Ba married a village girl named Nguyen Thi Chau. Although the couple was poor and had to live on vegetables and porridge, they were extremely happy. From 1984 to 1993, their four children were born one after another. With many children and old parents to support, Mr. Ba and his wife always worked hard without a moment of rest. Their 8 acres of rice fields were rotated with peanuts, corn, sesame, beans, and melons. They had a harvest every season. Every morning, he rowed his boat out to the open sea, went out to sea to cast his net, and at noon, his wife took the fish to the market to exchange for rice, clothes, and notebooks for her children...

Mr. Ba participates in whale rescue in Dien Thinh commune (Dien Chau)

Just when he thought his life was going smoothly, in 2003, Mr. Pham Sy Ba encountered a major incident. While driving a tire cart home on Highway 1, he had a traffic accident and lost his right arm. The old fisherman Pham Sy Ba confided: “Without balance, everything is difficult to do, if you are not careful you will fall. With the wrong hand, you cannot hold heavy objects, making any movement awkward. The first day, I could not push the boat from the beach to the sea. I lay down on the beach because I was so tired, I cried. The feeling of being a failure, a loser arose again. But it only flashed by and then disappeared. I lay down in the morning and at night, thinking and determined to keep doing it until it becomes a habit. Practice, practice, and you will be able to do it...”.

Everything gradually became familiar, although he only had one hand, this old fisherman worked no less than anyone else. Early in the morning, he would go out to sea, go to the sea, and in the afternoon, he would carry his hoe to the field. Increasing the family's income, he raised fattened cows, raised 2-3 piglets that gave birth 2-3 times a year, and raised a flock of nearly 100 chickens and ducks. With tireless efforts, the old couple built 2 spacious houses, and raised 4 children to become good people.

Mrs. Chau - Mr. Ba's wife said: "The two eldest sons went to the South to work at a construction company for five years, then the company dissolved and returned home. The couple discussed that it would be difficult to make a living working in the countryside, so they saved up to send their children to work abroad in Taiwan. The third son stayed at home and contributed capital with friends to open a welding workshop. The youngest daughter is more active, so she found her own job with a monthly salary of 6-7 million VND/month... The eldest son went to work abroad, got married, and had grandchildren. Now that we have grandchildren, for the past two years, I have discussed with my husband about quitting fishing, staying home to take care of the grandchildren, farming, and raising livestock. We raise a small amount of livestock, but we take care of it, so it's quite good, and our annual income is around 30-40 million VND."

Mr. Ba misses the sea very much. After a long time, he goes out to sea to watch the boats, gliding on the vast water, dreaming about the whales - the gods of the sea; when he comes home, he checks the nets that have been hung on the ceiling to see if they are damaged, untangles them, and then folds them up and stores them carefully. Mr. Ba confided: "Recently, I heard from the fisheries management team that thanks to the attention paid to the protection of aquatic resources, fish have returned in large numbers, the catch has increased, and income is quite good at 6 - 7 million VND/person/month. Many households are happy to buy nets for fishing again.

But I still support the children to leave this small-scale fishing profession. If they fish, they should build big boats to fish far from shore, both to bring high efficiency and to protect the country's sovereignty at sea..."

Thanh Son