Memorial recognises young men’s role in copper discovery
Wednesday December 9, 2009
It may have taken 139 years, but at long last two young aboriginal men, known as Boney and Frank, have been acknowledged for their role in the discovery of copper in Cobar.
The Cobar Heritage Centre recently erected a memorial stone and plaque dedicated to the pair who guided early explorers Charles Campbell, Thomas Hartman and George Gibb to the waterhole known as ‘Kubbar’, which was later to become the town of Cobar.
Boney and Frank led the temporarily out of work tank sinkers, Campbell, Hartman and Gibb, from Bourke to the waterhole known as ‘Kubbar’.
It was here the group camped and collected some unusual coloured rocks which were later identified by Mrs Sidwell Kruge (a former Cornish mine ‘Bal-gal’) as rich copper ore.
A claim was staked and this led to the discovery of the Great Cobar Mine which gained world-wide recognition and brought fame to Campbell, Hartman, Gibb and the ‘Bal-gal’ Sidwell Kruge.
The plaque was funded by a grant from the Premier’s Department as a joint venture between the centre and local Aboriginal groups.
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