ABOUT ME
You may be thinking why Peter the Fisherman?
In life it’s funny how some things come about. It all began in 2008 whilst visiting family & friends in The Basque Country, Spain. I was given the nickname “Kepa Arrantzale”, which when translated from Basque to English is Peter Fisherman, it was then an idea was born. The Basque way of life and their respect for nature led me to believe we can all do so much more for our home.
The trials and tribulations within the years I’ve been alive have led me to this point, the time has come to finally put forth myself as a candidate to be a voice, a bright light shining in a dark world that needs more love, care, and understanding. To be a generational peacemaker, a spark that ignites hopes and dreams, creating something that gives everyone a bright and wonderful future. I have this intuition, an inner voice, a calling from God knows where that I’ve tried to ignore for many years. A calling to be a voice for those that want to see real change. Many of the Leaders and elite of this world are failing us. I, for one, can no longer sit idle, voiceless on the sideline. Together we can start a human wave of a new direction to swell up and wash away our harmful ways of the past and create a bright and healthy future for us all.
The time has come to plant a seed & see what I can grow, knowing the tiniest of seeds can germinate and grow into the most magnificent productive tree.
Have you ever met an old soul, held a baby in your arms and thought “they’ve been here before” with our ancestors of the past being the children of today, with you and I the children of the future? I certainly feel I’ve been here before, where we’re all connected with everything, a real Karma sort of thing, what we do here and now determines what we get both here and next.
I’ve come to this conclusion after living much of my life as an Atheist, I changed my beliefs after experiencing some weird, wonderful and at times terrifying situations and visions that made me question my very existence. Days that have seemed to have had every second planned full of wonderful enlightenment, nights of vivid dreams to faraway places transiting through the Universe turning me so Euphoric that I’ve been hospitalized, locked up in a padded cell. I’ve questioned these amazing coincidences, situations, and dreams in my mind for well over 15 years and concluded I’m far from “crazy” rather than an individual that has a certain connection to all living things. I feel the pain of the animals, cry when I see the forests burn, feel incredibly sad when I see the massive amounts of pollution everywhere, my blood boils when I see the continuous rape and pillage of our forests and oceans. When I see scared, frightened, hungry children fleeing war-torn areas by themselves – I get angry and hope that you do too. I’m just a simple man that doesn’t yearn for the high life, content with a roof over my head, a meal in my stomach, and a warm bed at night.
I could fill thousands of pages with fascinating stories from my life, it’s been one amazing journey so far that has moulded me into the person I am today. Could it all be just a product of my life evolving or has a certain path been created on which I’m to walk? The time has come for me to find out.
For now, one of my favorite memories is from when I was 17 years old, whilst growing up on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. I had a small car and a 4-meter-long aluminum boat on a trailer. In Australia we’d call this boat a “Tinny” it had a 25 Horsepower outboard motor on the back, I liked to use it to go fishing.
One morning I had decided to go fishing with a mate, however decided at the last moment that he rather go back to bed than head out for a morning of fishing. At just 17 I had never been offshore fishing by myself before, I contemplated going home and putting the boat away for another day. To go far offshore by myself, I didn’t think was the safest thing to do…I remember pondering that day, as I looked out over Long Reef, the sun was about to crack the horizon and it looked superb. How could I not go fishing on such a day? I jumped in my car and headed to Fisherman’s Beach boat ramp. Having not done this by myself before, I managed it with ease. I nudged the boat out over a couple of waves using my oars, then I dropped the engine into the drink and pulled the starter cord. The engine roared into life, I put it into gear and started to head out on the deep blue sea. What a wonderful morning to be out, with the sun coming up over a slow-rolling glassy swell. As I motored, these gorgeous almost iridescent flying fish started to jump out of the water, it was like I was being escorted by a squadron of these fine-looking winged fish. They’d fly out in front of my boat by the dozens as if to point me in the direction to go.
After a few miles of motoring, I hit the “stop” button on the motor, instantly I heard at extremely close range a “whoosh whoosh” “what was that” I thought. I then realized my boat had glided along only to stop near a pod of migrating Humpback Whales I hadn’t seen! I couldn’t believe it these graceful Whales all around my boat. It seemed they were as interested in me as I was them. I began to get worried they may surface right under my boat so I took out my nulla nulla (big stick in Aboriginal) and banged the boat hard, it was then an extremely large female with a young calf came within touching distance, I’ll never forget that moment when both the mother and calf gently rolled to one side to look me directly in the eye, I got this feeling from them they were just saying G’day and they seemed they were just as interested in me as I them. Within a few minutes, they were gone…
Time to fish. Getting my fishing line over the side I was amazed that on my first drop, a feeling on the end of the line that makes any fisherman happy, a good strong bite. I yanked the rod up and set the hook! A good-sized Flathead came over the side, promptly dispatched, and placed in my esky. I repeated this several times in quick succession, it seemed the fish were hungry, my esky was starting to fill! Looking further offshore I wondered if I should head further out to the Snapper grounds, I knew, a long way out was some very good Snapper to be had but it was many miles offshore. Would it be safe? What if something happens, I’m the only fisherman out on this vast mirror-like sea. I decided it was worth a shot…As I headed further and further out to sea, I could see that Sydney was becoming a dot on the horizon. I must be careful, go slow and be cautious I thought. Again, I turned the motor off and began to fish in my tiny tinny in what seemed the middle of the Pacific Ocean. I baited my hook and sent it some 65 metres down, I then saw some disturbance on the water further South, I watched this intently, Oh My God it’s getting closer and closer. What could it possibly be? The water was churning like a boiling pot of water, a large circle hundreds of metres of wide. Yet it came closer and closer, that’s when I realized it was the largest school of Dolphins I had ever seen, all heading straight for me! It was if every Dolphin in the sea had got a message, that there was a free feed off Palm Beach! I sat and watched hundreds of these silvery blue bullets racing along, how amazing I had never seen such a thing.
I settled back into my fishing; within a very short time, I had a wonderful Snapper come over the side. Wow, I thought can this day get any better? I fished a while longer and had one more lot of visitors for the day, another pod of Humpback Whales on the way North. My esky was full, and my heart was full of joy! What a day. I finally realized, I no longer needed someone to be by my side. I could do things like go fishing many miles offshore by myself. That day is forever etched into my mind, the day I felt like “The King of The Sea” I went to sea a boy & returned a man!
Then there are other days that have been the exact opposite. Days where I’d wonder “why me?’ Days that would start out innocent enough but would end badly. Like the time I went for a walk to the post office. As I sat with my dog Boris in “Say Well Lane” waiting for my friends to come out of the post office when a couple of vicious dogs broke free from their home down the lane and set their eyes on us. I tried to get us up and away, but it was far too late…The dogs attacked us, biting me so hard that they left bite marks on my bone, twenty minutes later I was on my way to the hospital in an ambulance to be operated on, with Boris off to the vet in a police car to have the puncture wounds he suffered tended to. Having been booked to go on a 40th Birthday present to myself the very next day – a lifetime dream of a week fishing on Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef! Instead, I was in an operating theatre having my lacerated arm tended to. It was then an extremely funny thing occurred. In the middle of the operation, suddenly became very aware of the situation, I could see everything in the operating theatre! I looked to my right and saw my arm all splayed open in some sort of contraption, seeing inside of my arm all the tendons, blood, and bone. Not feeling the best and I’ll never really know why, but I decided to sing a song from The Sound of Music– “Favourite Things” “Brown paper packages tied up with string, these are a few of my favorite things, When the dogs bite, when the bees sting, when I’m feeling sad, I simply remember my favorite things and then I don’t feel so bad” I remember the operating staff all looking very surprised, then someone put something in my arm and out I went. Both Boris and I were very lucky to have escaped with only minor injuries that day, although my right arm isn’t the same. I don’t blame the dogs for attacking Boris & me that day, I lay the blame on the owner that had trained their animals to act in such a way.
What more could I say than “Say Well”!
My faithful friend Boris .
Is it any wonder that Dog “Man’s best friend” spelled backward is God…
Another day that started out innocent enough on a hot summer’s day a couple of years later, I was helping a friend paint the outside of his house. There I was up a ladder when I fell off the top step, falling backward I put my arms out to brace my fall and landed extremely hard on concrete. I knew there and then that my body would never be the same, I didn’t know to what extent my injuries were, but by looking at my arm – my hand was a couple of inches closer to my elbow than where it should’ve been. My other arm didn’t feel good either and then there was a funny feeling in my spine. Off to hospital in an ambulance yet again. Several tests and x-rays later I was informed both arms, as well as my spine, had been fractured. Luckily, my spine was repairable with rest and the wearing of a brace for many months ahead. I had escaped being in a wheelchair permanently by just a few millimeters, for that, I’m eternally grateful. Even though this time in my life was far from easy, I’ve learned to always look for the positive in anything that happens. Such as being able to walk again, always respecting working safely, being thankful for such amazingly good free healthcare in my country, and for the family and friends that came and supported me in my yearlong recovery.
Sometimes things happen you don’t expect or want, such is life. Having been put through the furnace of life it’s my time to shine, I’m here to look towards the future and follow my heart, giving my all to create a human wave of change for a peaceful and happy eternal life for all. I hope you want to know more about my incredible journey, please become my friend on Facebook, join my mailing list, sign the petition, engage in some conversation, and stay tuned for today is just the beginning. People tell me “it’s impossible for one man to change the world” I beg to differ…
I’m only one man, Living my life in God’s hands.
Love to you ALL,
Kepa Arrantzale,
Peter the Fisherman