The Graham Brothers

Sid & George Graham were timbermen from New Zealand who found their way to Lightning Ridge. The brothers were born on the south island and left for Tasmania during the influenza epidemic in 1919. They found the osmiridium deposit (associated with platinum and used in fountain pen nibs) southwest of Hobart and sold to Mount Lyell for their nestegg to come to the mainland. Herb Brown said they were in Angledool town by 1927.

Dr. Archie Kalokerinos' autobiography tells of the Grahams' amazing journey to “the heart of the world's opal” by camel with an Aboriginal couple, circa 1924. In 1964, the brothers wanted desparately to return to Coober Pedy with Archie but the arrangement was not to be.

Sid and George were famous for their “verandah hospitality” and are well remembered by many who call in on their way past the Morilla Street cottage.

Transcript: God’s little acre, they call it. I ought to be giving him a hand, by the way. But two brothers, living together, mate, it’s not natural, and it causes some awful blues. We never did agree in our lives, it’s a funny thing, but that is a fact. Two brothers living together for practically a lifetime, it takes a bit of doin’. We’ve survived it so far, and neither of us have murdered yet, but we’ve been lucky, both of us.

Both were grave diggers at the Lightning Ridge Cemetery.

Sid died in 1969 and George in 1975. Both are buried at Lightning Ridge Cemetery.

• George Graham @ Find a Grave.

• Sid Graham @ Find a Grave.

Article: Research by Leisa Carney, written by Barbara Moritz, edited by Russell Gawthorpe. LRHS research compiled by Len Cram and Barbara Moritz. Sources: Lightning Flash Newspaper, 18 December 1975, 1 January 1976; The Lightning Ridge Book, Stuart Lloyd, 1967, p. 43; Lightning Ridge - The Home of the Black Opal: Unique to the World, Gan Bruce, 1983, pp. 72, 75, 77.