He Nearly ‘Did a Perish’ –

Jim Keen arrived in Kalgoorlie from out East this week with his three camels. He has prospected in several other countries besides Australia and has had some narrow shaves in the last 40 years. But he reckons the narrowest he has had was just recently when he nearly perished of thirst while trying to make it from Ooldea in South Australia to Laverton in the Murchison WA.

A New Zealander born, Jim Keen prospected in his native country before gold took him wandering over a great part of the globe He was in the rush to the Klondike, he has prospected in Africa and the United States, He was one of the early adventurers in Papua New Guinea, he knows most of the Northern Territory, the Kirnberleys and northern Queensland between times he has seen other parts of the world while working his way as a sailor.

Naturally, a man does not lead this sort of life for 40 years or so without having some narrow escapes, but Keen considers he has never been nearer death than he was last April, when he started from Ooldea mission station with an aboriginal guide and three camels, intending to make it up north and west to Laverton and prospect the country on the way. Starting with only a limited quantity of water in expectation of finding more at known rock holes, he had the bad fortune to strike a very dry season. When the first hole was dry he pushed on hoping to find water at the next one. The result was that he found himself far into a waterless country and had a fearful struggle to get back to the mission station.

This is his story in his own words:— ‘First day out from Ooldea, on April 17 we did 22 miles and camped on a sandy oak flat. The next day I expected to find a good rockhole, but after doing 25 miles could not locate it. The aboriginal guide with me said it might have ‘closed up’. ‘Next morning I woke with sandy blight. I had only a gallon of water left but decided to push on. My eyes were so bad that the boy had to lead me. We did 25 more miles without finding any water. The next day the boy got about a pint of water from mallee roots, and we did another 25 miles. I could not see to unload the camels that night. The next day we found a rockhole, but it was stone dry. The boy said he didn’t know where the next water was, and my eyes were still bad, but I thought it was as easy to go on now as to go back. On April 22 we did 30 miles, and the boy was able to get about two quarts of mallee root water. The next day the boy got his bearings again and said we were on Larry Wells track with ‘big fella soak’ close by. We got to the soak at sundown, but it was again stone dry. I decided to turn back. Things looked so bad that I didn’t think there was any chance of making the mission station again. I was unable to eat anything but a few dried apricots, as there was no water for cooking. On April 24 we traveled all day from sunrise to sundown without water. The next day the camels were showing signs of cracking up. We found another dry rockhole. The only water we had was a little more from mallee roots. We traveled all day and night on April 26. I could just see well enough to find my way. We tied up the camels for about three hours and dumped some of the load.

Jim Keen – Daily News – 3 November 1934, page 17

The boy got another two pints of water from the mallee. Then we made a last effort by traveling all night and reached the mission all in at about 5 o’clock in the morning. It was a hard trip all right, and if the boy hadn’t been able to get the mallee water and the camels hadn’t been real good ones, I’d have provided some tough pickings for the crows.

Jim Keen is not cured of prospecting. He is off again next week to try some country out Kurnalpi way.