Gems of Learning from the Opal Fields

by Paul V. Young

This is a true adventure that took place just over fifty years ago at Lightning Ridge, the home of unique Australian black opals in outback NSW. I arrived before my eighteenth birthday, making me the youngest miner working on the opal fields at that time as well as one of the last to work manually with pick and shovel, in tunnels lit by lanterns or candles.

Without electricity, water supply, TV, or telephones, this is a reminder for older readers of life in the Outback half a century ago. For younger readers, it describes an era without electronic communications, when we still relied on the postal service.

This is a recounting of the many adventures that befell me as I learned life’s lessons the hard way, sometimes existing on as little as 5 dollars a week. It is a story that needs to be told as a matter of historical record.

About the Author

Born in Melbourne in 1953, after leaving school I spent 2 years mining on the opal fields of Lightning Ridge, before settling in Brisbane in the early 70s. There I began a career in international shipping, allowing me to travel the world. I have resided long-term in Taipei, Manila, Hong Kong & Thailand. In 1980 I co-founded a Logistics company which is still going strong.

In preparation for an early retirement, I completed a diploma with the Writing School in 2003. My history is mainly as a contributor to magazines and 10 years ago I was commissioned to write a series for New Dawn Magazine on ‘Australia’s Esoteric Legacy.' I also wrote book reviews for New Dawn for 2 years.

While stationed in Thailand I completed the TEFL course and taught English in Chiang Mai and Bangkok. My other pursuits have been studying, and writing about, matters of an esoteric nature. Currently, I earn a modest income from writing news articles for websites, and monthly newsletters, for companies in the Logistics industry.