Photos from yesteryear

Come on folks, dig through your archives and pull out your old photos, will kick it off with an oldy from 1994 (quality not the best). We had a horse shoe chucking competition one night over a beer or three, Neil and myself ended up champions. Good times and lots of life long memories. Still have the tee shirt.



The beginnings of our bush camp in 1995, important things first, our shower shack. Very welcome after a dusty day dry blowing.

Great pictures

Question... why is the guy in the centre sucking on a Pacifier?
Well that’s what it looks like to me.

Pacifier Jen? We call them dummys, he was about to "spit it" was amember of losing team. Great times and lots of pleasant memories from back then. All the best and happy hunting for you and Mike when this flu blows away.

Me somewhere near Wedderburn way back in 1984 With Fisher 553D & Compass Relic Magnum. Rescued a roo out of a shaft that day and the bugger kicked me in the guts as he took off into the scrub.


The first and only time I was able to get the missus to give panning a go. Also 1984.
Reedy creek Eldorado Vic

Nice pics Adrian,I some how didn't picture you being tallish, it's funny how we build an of a person through their writings.
Nice wagon as well.


Cheers   moredeep

Yeah I liked that wagon. XB Fairmont with 302, mild cam & 4 b carby. Could get up and go quite well,kept it till well into the 90s.
I was 6 foot 2 then, Now I am 6 foot.

Found this shot from 2008.


This one today:
Still have the same cap but it is like me, a bit faded.

Adrian had a sluice box just like yours, won it in a raffle, sold it for $50, regret it now.

you could start a museum Adrian  variety they say is the spice of life.
very cool pic,is that an xc or fairlane under that cover? don't answer that if you don't want to by the way.

cheers   moredeep

ZA. Fairlane 500 V8 1967.  Been in the family since 72

PeterInSa wrote:Adrian had a sluice box just like yours, won it in a raffle, sold it for $50, regret it now.

Still have that sluice. Supplied it with water from a 12 volt bilge pump attached into a panning dish submerged in the creek.
Lugging the battery around was a bit of a hassle although More awkward than heavy. I carried the sluice like a back pack with shoulder straps and stowed all of my other trappings into the sluice.

thanks for that Adrian ,a nice vehicle.
I wish our family had kept the fc station wagon we had ,purred like a kitten.

cheers   moredeep

G'day Adrian.

I have one of those sluices (highbanker) in my garage. Bought it from Bruce "Bomber" Brown in Wedderburn around 1987. I still have everything it came with but made up a nozzle so I could use it as a dredge, just to suck up the stones and dirt in crevices. Never found any gold. Probably only used it a couple of times all up.

Ah, the 15000. Loved that detector. Bought one off the same person I got the sluice from and had it modified by Barry Johnson and he converted it to a hip mount. I then bought a second hand 15000 for my wife after selling my original Goldseekers 9000. I did the modifications for that one and also converted it to a hip mount as well. I sold it to my brother's brother in law before he went to Queensland and he sold them unfortunately.

It was the only detector which I could identify between ferrous and non-ferrous targets. I found some nice pieces with that.

Ah, the memories.

Regards Axtyr.

I count 22 detectors??


cheers    moredeep

Re (Ah, the 15000. and had it modified by Barry Johnson)

Ditto he modified my 15000 on the shaft and wifes 15000 hip mount, from memory that was in Wedderburn and his workshop was in his garage.... Ah... The good old days.

moredeep wrote:I count 22 detectors??


cheers    moredeep

I must have miscounted,coz there is 3 more still in the shed. A limited edition Fortune Finder 9000 (faulty cct), a 6000DI Pro and the Pro Scan.
Have not fired up the Pro Scan for 10 years. Charged the battery today and away she went no probs. Same with the Midas 500 and both still have their original NiCad battery packs.

Axtyr wrote:G'day Adrian.

I have one of those sluices (highbanker) in my garage. Bought it from Bruce "Bomber" Brown in Wedderburn around 1987. I still have everything it came with but made up a nozzle so I could use it as a dredge, just to suck up the stones and dirt in crevices. Never found any gold. Probably only used it a couple of times all up.

Ah, the 15000. Loved that detector. Bought one off the same person I got the sluice from and had it modified by Barry Johnson and he converted it to a hip mount. I then bought a second hand 15000 for my wife after selling my original Goldseekers 9000. I did the modifications for that one and also converted it to a hip mount as well. I sold it to my brother's brother in law before he went to Queensland and he sold them unfortunately.

It was the only detector which I could identify between ferrous and non-ferrous targets. I found some nice pieces with that.

Ah, the memories.

Regards Axtyr.

Last time I spoke to Barry he was in Bendigo but don't know how/where he is today. Good Bloke.
The sluice worked fine and retained plenty of good gold. I used the Gold Spear to help find panable gold in the creek beds. That gadget works well when used in the sandy and clay creek beds. Not so flash in rocky or hard ground. A very sensitive detector that can respond to micron size gold.

hey Adrian...would you leave me your collection in your will??

On a more somber note, re tony P's comment and will's

My son/daughters have no idea of the value of our detectors ie 7K, 45's a 23, a Nox and a Garret Coin machine, have written down the name/phone number of a friend who can sell them for a fair price, and included as a loose attachment in my/our will pack.

Mine will go the Ebay way. Have already sold a good number on the bay without any problems.