My wife and I have spent many years detecting for gold in the Western Australian goldfields and have many stories to tell of our finds and adventures. But the one question on everyone’s lips is “what is the biggest piece you have found?”
That honour goes to my lovely wife Lesley (I’m still trying to beat her) and the best way to tell this story is through a poem I wrote at the time in 2009.
THE ODE TO THE LODE
We set off from Kalgoorlie, up Nor-East way we went, to look for precious metal in the ground.
The back road was a beauty, washed out and really rough, with lots of broken tyres scattered round.
The car it plundered forward, the van towed in behind till we drove across the causeway at the lake.
The track it wandered northwards, then we followed down the fence, we knew just where we were by no mistake.
Our camp was near old workings, just below the scrapes, and we both knew that nothing could restrain us.
From strapping our detectors on and checking up the hill, and soon we both had gold in our containers.
We tried the usual spots, below the camp and ‘round, to find the pieces others haven’t found. And slowly but so surely the pieces mounted up, till it was time to search for newer ground.
There was a hill out further with quartz above red earth that we both thought looked like a decent show.
So we spent the day there working, Lesley found a little bit then decided that tomorrow “Back we go!”
When tomorrow came around and we went back to that ground, the pieces started coming thick and fast.
With Lesley working high ground and me on down the slope, our tally rose as fast as each day past.
And when the show was over and we counted all the bits, we wondered in amazement with our catch.
Twenty one of them in all, the largest one nine grams, we decided that we’d name it “Lesley’s Patch”.
From here we went off searching to a spot down by the mine, where others had long plundered all its riches.
I bagged a little bit, and showing it to Lesley, she went off to cover all the inches.
And then I heard my two-way, with a quiver in her voice, “Come here NOW!” was her emotional command.
I legged it through the bushes, leaping larger trees with ease until I reached her side and gave my open hand.
The nugget was real weighty and a wonder to behold as it dropped into my clasp without a sound.
A six point four ounce monster all smeared with reddened earth, a surreal thing to dig up from the ground.
A trembling mess we both were, not knowing what to do, but absolutely mortified with glee
That we had found this beauty, perhaps missed by someone else. (I only wish that maybe it was me).
We found a few more nuggets there but nothing to compare, with the lifetime find sought after by all men.
And when we left our campsite to head off for somewhere new, the ounces found had added up to ten.
Experience is it they say and all we do or hear or see remains with us and shapes us in our quest.
But there is much to do you know with constant shrinking time and so it’s always good to do your very best.
So if you have a passion or a need to get away, don’t put it off or place it back in line.
Embrace it and engage it, make it happen then you’ll know, you’ve done your best before the passing time.
And here it is. Weighing 6.4 ounces and a lovely solid piece of gold. Well done Lesley and well done Minelab!
Stephen - QLD, Australia