A day at the beach: ‘I’ve had many crocodile encounters over the years but none as close’

‘Any opportunity I get to fish, I grab it. I keep a fishing rod in my Darwin office’ … Bill Yan, pictured with barramundi catch in the Northern Territory. Photograph: Bill Yan

I grew up on the river flats around Wangaratta in Victoria, where I fished almost daily. It was a stark contrast when I moved to Alice Springs in 1990, at 21. There’s not a lot of fishing here, so any opportunity I get to fish, I grab it. I keep a fishing rod in my Darwin office for such occasions.

I’ve marshalled at the Barra Classic on the Daly River for the last nine years. I’ve had many crocodile encounters over the years, but none as close as on Sunday 9 October 2022.