A modern-day prospector and unsung hero of the Eastern Goldfields, Bill Allen is set to be immortalised in a new book ‘No Royalty, No Deal’ by Karl Wolzak, launched this month by the Amalgamated Prospectors and Leaseholders Association (APLA) of Western Australia.
Royce William Allen, better known as Bill, was a Kalgoorlie prospector who during his lifetime discovered gold deposits totalling 45 tonnes in situ and worth almost $3 billion in today’s gold price.
As a friend and colleague, Karl Wolzak found Bill Allen to be an extraordinary man with a story worth sharing.
“Bill achieved in his lifetime more than most prospectors could ever hope for,” Mr Wolzak said.
Bill worked as an underground miner in Coolgardie, Bullfinch and Kalgoorlie for over 35 years, before taking up prospecting full time in the early 1980s. He was a modern-day prospector who utilised traditional prospecting methods, primarily the art of loaming taught to him by his mentor Sam Cash.
One of Bill’s greatest discoveries was the gold in granite deposit at ‘Golden Cities’ near Broad Arrow, which went on to become the second largest gold in granite resource in the world and is now mined by Norton Gold Fields, for which he was awarded APLA’s Prospector of the Year in 2005. He also discovered the half a million ounce resource at ‘Kintore’, currently being unearthed by Evolution Mining.
Providing the book’s Introduction, John Bowler Mayor of Kalgoorlie-Boulder, recalls fond memories of Bill’s expertise and neighbourly attitude.
“Like all good prospectors Bill Allen was both a believer and a dreamer. And he dreamed big. But it wasn’t just dreams. He would look you in the eye and say without a moments doubt ‘there’s plenty of gold where I’m looking’.
“One of the great characters of our town, an old school prospector who epitomised our colourful past but also who had a great vision for the future,” Mr Bowler said.
Through his discoveries, Bill leaves behind an enormous legacy in the Eastern Goldfields region and greater WA, having created enormous wealth and job opportunities for many.
Bill's projects were also the basis of the public listings for Kalgoorlie-Boulder Resources Limited and Nex Metals Exploration Limited.
No Royalty, No Deal will become available for purchase at a discounted price following its official launch in Kalgoorlie-Boulder by APLA on Thursday 21 November 2019, after their branch meeting which is to be held at 7pm in the Tower Hotel.