Peter’s Story starts in Grabben Gullen, a sleepy little one horse town about an hours drive north east of Canberra.

With schooling finished I really had no idea where my life would take me. I knew I wanted to do something with geology.

I was totally captivated with this new family life, enjoyed having our own freedom and the choice of spending time together as a family I looked forward to the time that we had spare money and do more of the things we dreamed about.

Once back in Canberra we attempted to revert to a normal family lifestyle. However there was always an under current feeling of discontent between Kris and I. I could feel the closeness we initially shared evaporate.

After the accident I went by bus to Brisbane and visited Chris who was staying with her mother. We went car hunting and I purchased a horrible little two door Holden Torana.

The week before opening my new shop was hectic. I flew down to Melbourne to purchase stock with my remaining money. With a limited budget it was a difficult exercise.

The “French connection” was a welcome diversion. Christian was a very sensitive and sensual lady. She was to stay with her sister for three weeks. I would work in my shop during the day and see her at nights and on weekends.

I was almost 30 and my life was about to enter a period of dramatic change on all fronts. Christian was offered a posting with the French embassy in the Maldives.

The year of 1981 saw us on our way to Mintabie to try our hands at opal mining. We met up with my new partner Robert and his wife June at the shell garage on the outskirts of Port Augusta

Robert and I had just started mining ‘Spooky’s claim’ on the Old Field at Mintabie. We were accumulating a nice selection of cuttable stones.

We returned home to Canberra with my share of the opal from Spooky’s claim. What a feeling to have so much beautiful rough opal to look at and cut.