It is 1930 in Australia and Harold Lasseter has a story to tell. He claims to know of a fabulous gold reef in remote Central Australia. He tells his story convincingly and ignites the passion known as ‘gold fever’ in his listeners.
So begins the story of Lasseter’s reef. Lasseter claimed to have discovered the reef nearly 40 years earlier, and then mapped it with the help of a surveyor. An expedition (funded by establishing a company and selling shares) set off in July 1930, with Lasseter as its guide. They failed to find the reef. Does the reef exist, or is it just a legend?
Lasseter, the man, the legend, the gold by Kathryn England (Omnibus Books, 2003) is in A4 magazine format. It is pitched at upper primary aged readers and comes from the same series as the award-winning ‘Iron in the Blood’ by Alan Tucker. Lasseter, the man, the legend, the gold is rich in information, including abundant artifacts and photographs associated with the journey. Journal entries and letters are included. Analysis of Lasseter’s information suggests that legend outweighs fact, yet there are also those who firmly believe that one day someone will rediscover ‘Lasseter’s reef’. Such is the stuff of legends.
Lasseter the man, the legend, the gold by Kathryn England
Omnibus Books 2003