4th Dampier Icon - the man the Legend - Sam Ostojic

There is one Man whose name has been tied to Dampier since its very beginning, in fact he worked on the crew that built the causeway into town so in fact he helped pave the way for Dampier to become the town it is.

Sam Ostojic was born Yugoslavia in 1933 and arrived in Australia in the early 1960’s. He first visited Tidepole Island in 1965, aboard a raft of 44-gallon drums and got stranded on ‘his’ island for several days after a ferocious storm.  This is when the ideas formed in his mind - Sam had a vision to create his own piece of Yugoslavia here in the Pilbara, a vision complete with battlement, turret and ornamental shells.

Every waking hour spent beach combing and transforming his Island from literally a rocky island with an abundance of rats, rocks, a cave and not much else to the Castle home it became. A terrible accident in 1974, resulting in a broken back, extended time in hospital and the almost destruction of all his hard work by vandals and unwelcomed guests did not deter Sam. He had a plan and nothing would waiver his will, ingenuity and strength.

Back in the day it was not an uncommon sight to see Sam in his little dinghy, scouring the island for ‘treasure’, carrying water and soil to his island or heading to the post office to collect his mail. He completed his castle, his summer residence and his tropical paradise with boundless energy - an inspiration to all and they came in droves.  Sam enjoyed having visitors to his Castle and some weekends would entertain up to 20 guests, his only absolute was they came through the front door and rang the bell.

Life was not easy on the island, insects, heat and cyclones all played a big part of Sam’s life. A terrible fire in 1988 almost broke him and sent him packing but Sam always rallied. After that incident an army of Sam’s friends stepped up to help him rebuild. Hamersley Iron decided it was time to officially make Sam the ‘King of His Castle’ A 99-year gentleman’s lease was signed and the Island was connected to mainland water via a 1000 metre water pipeline.  

Sam passed away on his Island on 15th Feb 2005.  He was laid to rest on his beloved Island, right beside his first mate, Tiger the cat on 19th March 2005. From a squatter to the Monarch, Sam will live forever in our hearts and in his little Castle in paradise.

Sam and Tiger

Sam’s Island today