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The Reg Wilson Gold Album


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JR,

Thank you for the honorable mention.  I appreciate it very much as I had no idea our initial conversations would lead to a thread like this. 

Your introduction to us of the Reg Wilson album is truly a find all by itself.  His years of prospecting and his words about finding the Orange Roughie nugget are a delight.  He has captured in words a picture that I think most of us can feel.

I'm glad that Steve keeps a good forum and encourages us all to teach and inspire others.  None of us has all the answers and one of the best things we can do is share.  You have shared with us more than nuggets.  You have shared with us early technology that lead to the detectors that many of us use today.  You've shared with us a lifestyle of a true metal detecting pioneer.  And of course you have shared with us more than just Reg.  Your description and views and finds make for a wonderful format.

It is my plan to make it down under one of these days.  I might be trying to make plans for next year but they need to be put on hold for a big nugget due to arrive in our life in January.  We'll be having our first child, a son and I think that nugget will keep us busy for a bit. (Swinging time is hard to come by now!)  There might be a window of opportunity in May/June of 2019.  We'll have to see.  You've made it seem like a thing I must do.

You guys take care of Paul and encourage him to write back more.  I'm sure he is going to need Norvic's intuition and wisdom to find those good nuggets.

Mitchel

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A special thanks JR for all the effort to post and arrange the photos . Thanks Reg for allowing the photos to be published . It would make a great book with your account of the different trips with great mates etc . The picture of the logan  pub was special , I could picture you boys sampling logan gold and bs on a bit  by the time closing came.

Thanks MB.

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Wow!  :smile:

Thanks again everyone. I'm hoping Reg will find time in his busy OS schedule to make a post, since it's his history and he deserves the credit.

To complete the story, perhaps he could also enlighten us with his perspective on the "Washington Nugget" scandal? :ph34r:

Mitchel! Congratulations on the imminent arrival of your firstborn, and yes, gold will take a backseat for quite a while. :biggrin:

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What can I say, thanks JR for sharing this with us all & thanks to Reg for giving his okay. I got into detecting through a love of history and after moving to the GT read about what the old timers had to do to make a living, my curiosity led me to "have a go" & yep I am hooked.

This album just adds so much to the history of the goldfields, and yes I think Reg could write one hell of a book.

You both would be fantastic to have a beer with, oh the story's!

Thanks again.

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Thanks Mop. It would be nice to physically meet up with everyone. Of course It rarely happens. However, at least we can meet "virtually" on the forums, but every now and then we do bump into posters.

Reg and I occasionally meet up with John H.S, who has left prospecting behind and now owns several holiday parks on Victoria's "shipwreck" coast. Also Ian, who is still chasing colours in Victoria. Both John and Bruce Candy followed this album in its earlier incarnation.

Reg is back in Aus and we are going to do a post on the "Washington Nugget" hoax just as soon as he unpacks and unwinds.:smile:

I'd love to do something similar with the late Jim Stewarts spectacular photo collection, but this is still in the "hoping" stage!

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This album does have a bit of a campfire/bar sort of feel to it.  Let me tell you a story ... and back it up with pictures!  When you get started you don't want it to end but we know better ... they don't quite end but there can be a finish until the next time you get back together and start telling the yarns again.

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mn,  after going back to google the Washington Nugget to refresh my memory of that particular saga, I was reminded of the amount  of misinformation, lies, greed, and just plain old bulldust that was involved. I am not sure quite how I can tell the true story without stirring up a hornets nest. There are some people who treated the truth carelessly, and made claims that for whatever reason were just untrue. 

I shall have to be careful how I compose this story, and some parts I will need to leave it to the reader to add up the evidence and come  to their own conclusions as to where the truth lies. Hopefully I will be able to bring this story to you shortly.

 

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I've Googled this story a bit lately as well Reg, and you're right about the misinformation that was flying around at the time. Perhaps if we were to ask some questions which you could then answer as diplomatically as you wish! Here's an Australian newspaper account :

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/world/australian-murray-cox-exposes-jim-sanders-washington-nugget-as-being-from-down-under/news-story/98f08820144b1a26bf886407867cb78e?sv=66e579eb9f2473db2f3a88cac147d780

Here's my question:

I've read several newspaper accounts of the expose. Is it just me or have you noticed that Murray Cox appeared to be somewhat "over inflating" his role in the "Roughie" discovery?

 

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In reply to your observations JR.

Murray Cox and I detected the 'butcher's paddock' (owned by the late Lloyd Laidler) when we speculated that the run of gold could possibly run across the road into John and Marlene Carr's paddock.

I aready knew John Carr from previous detecting on a seperate section of his property, and it was me who negotiated with John in regard to access and percentage to be paid. The percentage was to be paid in gold, which I said could be converted partially or wholly into cash through a reputable dealer if so desired.

I suggested to Murray that we should let John 'cherry pick' his percentage, and that we divide the rest. He rejected that idea, saying we should pay our percentage to John individually. I had not worked on that basis on other projects with other prospectors in the past and I asked him why he wanted such an arrangement. To my amazement he explained that he considered himself to be a better prospector than I was and didn't wish to be limited by such an arrangement. I reluctantly agreed to his proposal. The first gold found in the 'Orange Roughie' patch (11ozs) was found by me, just inside the fence.

I detected and dug the Orange Roughie, and two years later sold it to ( Rattlesnake) John Fickett in Dunolly. The price and conditions of sale were not as quoted by Murray Cox, as he wae not present, but Ian Jaques and John Hider-Smith were.

These are not the only discrencies in this tale, but perhap some other truths can yet be revealed.

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