Diamonds in the Dirt

Luke Lockley is a person with whom many of us could initially identify.  In this time of Covid 19 Shut Downs (2020), many of us have felt very alone, with no one to turn to.  Luke turns to the Lord.  As God is the only one who's ALWAYS there for us. 

A jewel box is never really complete without a Diamond of some kind.  I learnt a lot about Diamonds while writing this.  I did not know Australian Bingara Diamonds are some of the hardest in the world.  They are often used to cut other stones. Various colours have been reported from this area in years gone by. One day I'll try my hand at searching for some.  I have certainly found Sapphires, Topaz, Rubies and other assorted gemstones in the Inverell area, but have never stopped and searched in Bingara.  There are still diamonds found in Inverell, I have been to the entrance of one such tunnel. I dared not go further!

 I have always had a soft spot for John Evans, as I too worked as a Taxonomist in the Entomological Department for the then Department of Agriculture in Parramatta.  I loved the work, especially pinning the butterflies and beetles, each unique and so special.  I have made many, many paper 'butterfly triangles' for collecting trips all over the world.  They transport brilliantly this way and rarely get damaged. Luke was the eternal student, although, in reality he was hiding from life.  After his prayer, life changed quickly, sadly this doesn't always happen in reality... but sometimes it does!

Rev Mr William Clarke is a person who should be mentioned in many Australian History books! He did the first  Australian Mineral Survey for East Coast of Australia.  He is the person who first reported gold at Hartley NSW and Governor Gipps told him to keep quite about it 'Or we'll all be murdered in our beds'.  The saga that followed Hargraves 'Gold Discovery' was controvertial. 

But that's a story in itself  and I'll not attempt to cover that!