Rockland Woman, 101… And Her Son, 78, Still Out Hauling Lobster Traps
If you told me that a 78-year-old man was still going out and hauling 200 lobster traps three days a week, I'd think he was a total badass. What if you were also told that the person driving the boat, banding the bugs when they came out, and baiting the traps before they go back in to soak...... was his 101-year-old mom?
You think you're tough...
Virginia Oliver from Rockland gets up at the crack of dawn three days a week, hops in a beat-up old truck, and heads down to Owls Head to begin hauling. Her husband died some years back, but she hops in the boat he named after her and heads out. Sure, she has a little help... her 78-year-old son.
He hauls the traps up, but Virginia bands the lobsters, and fills the bait bags, and is just generally the toughest bird off the coast. She'd have to be. Lobstering is no joke. It's hard, back-breaking labor. But they do it anyway, no complaints. In fact, quite the opposite. Virginia is right where she wants to be.
She's known as the "Lobster Lady" around town
Her whole family history, and present, revolves around lobstering, according to News Center Maine. Her father was a lobsterman, and so was her husband, as is her brother. And so are Virginia's four kids. That's a whole lot of lobstering. Although she says the only good part of being the boss is that she doesn't go out if she doesn't feel like it.
If you want to learn more about this awesome lady, check out this documentary that a member of the Rockland Historical Society made about her. It's a nice glimpse into the life of an amazing woman. The world could learn a lesson about practicality and hard work from Virginia. Let's hope there's more where she came from...