Tommy Gale
Bob Beckett and Tommy Gale, 1930s. Photograph: Lightning Ridge Historical Society.
Thomas Arthur “Tommy” Gale was born in 1880 at Dubbo, New South Wales, the son of Thomas and Isabella Gale. He was one of the early opal miners at Lightning Ridge.
Gale was a miner on the Grawin field in the 1920s and 1930s, where he also worked as a baker and storekeeper alongside his brother Billy. He worked a number of claims, including at Hornet’s Rush in 1930, where he and others found good opal. He was also one of the earliest miners at Cleared Line and at the Nine Mile.
In 1924, Gale and his brother Billy caused a bit of interest in the area that became known as Berlin Rush, though it did not develop into a major field. Gale remained at Lightning Ridge through the 1930s, appearing on electoral rolls and in local records.
He died on 10 November 1944 at Burwood, aged 64, and was buried at Rookwood Cemetery.
Article: Research by Leisa Carney, edited by Russell Gawthorpe. LRHS research compiled by Len Cram and Barbara Moritz. Sources: The Lightning Ridge Book, Stuart Lloyd, 1967, pp. 64, 75, 90; A Journey With Colour: A History of Lightning Ridge Opal 1873-2003, Len Cram, 2003, pp. 146, 248, 301, 306, 317;