Local man finds fish on roof

A local primary school teacher has told The Echo he found a very fresh, recently deceased mullet on the roof of his Mullumbimby family home this holiday season.

Symon Roberts said he heard a noise on the roof the Wednesday before last while outside gardening.

‘Thinking it was a snake, I had a little look and couldn’t see anything,’ Mr Roberts said, ‘I went inside to cool off, while my wife continued gardening’.

But his wife soon heard the noise again and climbed up on some stairs to investigate further.

She came in ‘quite alarmed’, Mr Roberts said, saying she thought she saw a fish on the roof.

‘My initial thoughts were she was pulling my leg,’ the teacher said, ‘and just wanted some help outside’.

‘Lo and behold after getting a ladder to have a look..:,’ he continued.

Not a prank

Asked if he thought if the fish was thrown up by a prankster, Mr Roberts said he didn’t think so.

‘It must have been a good throw,’ he said, ‘or my 90-year old neighbour has it out for me.’

Mr Roberts said one possible scenario was that a bird dropped the fish mid-flight, although he said he saw no visible marks from talons.

‘We have had a bit of rain, so [the fish] could have been swimming in the clouds and got lost,’ he said, before musing that ‘an Act of God or the Mullum Mafia’ were trying to send him a message.

A local ABC listener, upon hearing the story, suggested the fish may have been captured whole in sea water inside a pelican’s bill before landing in Mullum.