Jack Leechman
John Leon “Jack” Leechman was born on 7 August 1929 in Singapore, son of George Francis “Frank” Leechman (author of The Opal Book, 1961) and Blanche Leechman.
Like his father, Leechman served in the British Merchant Navy before migrating to Australia. He arrived at Lightning Ridge in 1949, where he worked as a miner during the early 1950s. He was capable, popular, and highly intelligent, and was known for his quiet manner. He would often cycle the long distance into Walgett to have his hair cut, returning to the Ridge the same day.
Jack Leechman building the Mud Hut, 1950s. Photograph: Lightning Ridge Historical Society.
In 1953, Jack Leechman began construction of The Mud Hut, located in Morilla Street, intending to open a cafe. He made mud bricks on site, using adobe blocks measuring 9 × 6 × 18 inches, and finished the walls by 1956. He later used a tradesman to finish the roof, windows, and doors. To finance the work, Leechman occasionally left Lightning Ridge to work in the mines at Guyra and Mount Isa. Construction was completed by 1958, and the building was first occupied in 1959 by a friend and caretaker.
The Mud Hut under construction. Photograph: Lightning Ridge Historical Society.
The Mud Hut under construction. Photograph: Lightning Ridge Historical Society.
By the late 1950s Leechman was working as an assayer at Mount Isa, Queensland. He married Judith Hawkins - daughter of a station owner and a qualified pilot - and they had a daughter, Jennifer Margaret Leechman, born in 1960.
Jack Leechman contributed illustrations and maps to his father’s book, The Opal Book.
On 21 December 1960, Leechman, his wife, and their daughter were travelling by car from Mount Isa to Lightning Ridge for Christmas when they were killed in an accident near Glen Innes, New South Wales. Jack Leechman was 31 years old at the time of his death, Judith was 34, Jennifer was seven months. All three were cremated, their ashes scattered at Newcastle Memorial Park with no memorial marker. Administration of his estate was granted in August 1962.
The Opal Book is dedicated to John, Judith and Jennifer.
Article: Research by Russell Gawthorpe and Leisa Carney, edited by Russell Gawthorpe. LRHS research compiled by Len Cram and Barbara Moritz. Sources: ‘In the Matter of the Estates of the Undermentioned Deceased’, Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales, 10 August 1962, iss. 75, p. 2396; ‘Mount Isa Family of 3 Killed in Car Smash’, Mount Isa Mail, 23 December 1960, p. 1; The Opal Book, Frank Leechman, 1961, p. 264; The Lightning Ridge Book, Stuart Lloyd, 1967, p. 38; ‘Letter to the Editor’, Lightning Flash Newspaper, 30 May 1974; Lightning Ridge - The Home of the Black Opal: Unique to the World, Gan Bruce, 1983, p. 55.