As pioneers of one of Australia ’s premier export industries, the Paspaley Pearling Company enjoys a long and colourful history. Paspaley recognises that its future is defined as much by the past as it is by the present. This recognition provided a natural fit for Paspaley to become the major sponsor of the National Library’s Future Memory exhibition. The Future Memory exhibition also provides an opportunity for Paspaley to share just some of its little-known history—a history that begins with a Greek family fleeing war-torn Europe during World War I and today sees the Paspaley name known around the world as the producers of the world’s finest quality pearls. When Nicholas Paspaley became a master pearler in the 1930s, it was the mother-of-pearl shell that drove Western Australia’s pearling industry. Broome was the centre of a thriving industry that supplied up to 70 per cent of global demand for the shell, mostly for use as buttons. Shortly after World War II, the invention of the plastic button changed Australia’s pearling industry forever. Virtually overnight, the pearling fleets were abandoned with many of the traditional luggers simply left to rot on beaches up and down the coast. Nicholas Paspaley, however, was determined to secure the future of his growing pearling business. Knowing of the success that the Japanese had enjoyed with culturing Akoya pearls, he dreamed of culturing South Sea pearls that could match, if not exceed, the quality of the rare natural pearls. Though his dreams were not fulfilled for decades, this was the moment of ‘future memory’ that has defined the Paspaley company and seen it emerge as a world leader in pearl culturing.
Paspaley
has contributed archival information about its flagship pearl farm, Kuri
Bay, to Future Memory. Founded in 1956, Kuri Bay was Australia’s
first South Sea pearl farm, named after Nick Paspaley, now the Executive Chairman of Paspaley, recently reflected on the extraordinary journey begun by his father some 70 years ago:
A selection of Paspaley Pearls can be seen in the Future Memory exhibition. |
| Back to NLA News Index | Back to May Issue | Back to NLA Home Page |
To order a particular issue of
the NLA News e-mail nlasales@nla.gov.au
or join the Friends of the National
Library of Australia and receive a copy each month by mail.