George Cowan
Photograph courtesy of Ruby Cowan.
George Edward Cowan was born in Bourke on 14 February 1895, the younger son of James Cowan and Eliza (nee Coleman). He arrived at Lightning Ridge as a child around 1905 with his mother, brother James Nettleton “Jim” Cowan (no relation to Charlie), and extended family. His mother ran a cool drink shop at Three Mile Flat, selling hops and ginger beer.
George became one of Lightning Ridge’s finest opal judges and cutters. Known for his discerning eye, he was often ranked alongside Pappa Francis for his valuation skills. He began buying in the 1920s and was still the only local buyer in 1948. He also worked for a time with Ted Murphy in Sydney and returned to the Ridge to buy opal on his own account. George had a reputation for doing well. He owned fourteen suits, a mark of prosperity in those days.
The Daily Telegraph, 26 April 1933.
In Lightning Ridge, Ion Idriess lists Cowan among the major buyers of the day, alongside Harry Abotomey, the Dominick brothers (Albert and Jack), and others.
George Cowan passed away on 15 December 1956, after being airlifted from the flooded Ridge to Walgett. He is buried in the Lightning Ridge Cemetery.
George Cowan’s signature sourced from a petition to resist the relocation of residents from Old Town and The Flat to the surveyed town, 1912.
Article: Research by Leisa Carney, edited by Russell Gawthorpe. LRHS research compiled by Len Cram and Barbara Moritz. Sources: Lightning Ridge: The Land of Black Opals, Ion L. Idriess, 1940, chapter XXVI; The Lightning Ridge Book, Stuart Lloyd, 1967, p. 15; Lightning Ridge - The Home of the Black Opal: Unique to the World, Gan Bruce, 1983, p. 61; They Struck Opal!, E. F. Murphy, 1948, p. 154; Walgett Spectator, 16 April 1914, 28 October 1931, 21 March 1945; A Journey With Colour: A History of Lightning Ridge Opal 1873-2003, Len Cram, 2003, p. 171.