Whitehead's Find Gold Mine (Lady Betty; Tokomaru; Vosperton; Gindalbie), Gindalbie Goldfield, Kalgoorlie-Boulder Shire, Western Australia, Australiai

Regional Level Types
Whitehead's Find Gold Mine (Lady Betty; Tokomaru; Vosperton; Gindalbie)	Mine
Gindalbie Goldfield	Ore Field
Kalgoorlie-Boulder Shire	Shire
Western Australia	State
Australia	Country

Whitehead's Find is approximately 15 kilometres north of the Yarri Road and Donkey Rocks Road intersection, and borders the west side of the latter track. Old shafts, mullock, and wooden infrastructure remnants remain. GML 1123X (old GML 817X).

Confusingly at times in its early years the mine was named Vosperton and Gindalbie. Both names were used for the town, 15 kilometres to the south, and for the gold district in general.

A prospector called Whitehead (surname), initially found gold around 1898, on the cap on the black reef. Parallel to this is a laminated lenticular, vertical dipping quartz reef. The reef was located on a north-south trending ridge of slate. Gold had been found previously at the location by Jack Hayes, but the workings were soon abandoned.

The 1898 discovery saw a rush, and soon 50 men were working the site.
Scattered gold was found near the surface as ragged pieces, with no fine gold. The lode was described initially as an ironstone and cement conglomerate capping, carrying rich gold. However down to 5 feet no body was located, and appeared barren, with red slatey rock with veins of cement and very thin quartz veins. It was initially panned as being of any value.

Whitehead and party initially got 191 ounces of gold from 120 tonnes of ore. Mine manager was Gribble (surname) originally from the Thames area in New Zealand.

The Perry brothers purchased the mine for 300 pounds in May 1899. The mine was called Tokomaru at this time. They held it for a few months, before selling the mine to John Scott, who floated the lease in England.

An English company, called the Vosperton Gold Mines Co., took over the lease. Before any development work had taken place, a 10 head battery originally from the Hannans Consols mine, and palatial mine managers house were erected. The company was criticised for not employing properly qualified personnel. By 1903 it was applying for exemptions. The mine manager Horace Tremlett resigned, and left for South Africa. Attempts to reconstruct the company was unsuccessful.

George Astley Cooper purchased the mine at auction, but the transfer failed when the company went shortly after into liquidation. Cooper than jumped the lease, and re-applied for it under the Gindalbie Gold Mine name. Cooper retained ownership of the lease for around 15 years.

Cooper was one of the first on the field in 1895, and remained a force in the area until the 1930's. In 1934 a parcel of ore is noted from his prospecting area, 8 miles east of Whitehead. He also owned the hotel at Vosperton/Gindalbie.

Around 1906, the mine was on option to a Boulder syndicate. The shaft was down to 200 feet, with four others to a shallow depth. Four men were employed to work the mine, achieving four crushings in twelve months.

The mine became involved in a widely reported gold stealing case in 1906. Both John Moore (publican at Kalgoorlie), and Hugh McKay (jeweller at Boulder), were option holders over the lease from Cooper. At the time there was widespread concern over employees stealing gold from mines, then using third parties to dispose of the gold through local banks and the Royal Mint. A Royal Commission was set up, with Moore and McKay called to give evidence.

Moore was charged with selling 12 000 pounds worth of gold to the Bank of N.S.W, the origin of the gold in question. The police case rested largely on the amount of gold in question was impossible from the Whitehead mine. The trial quickly descended into a farce. Moore's solicitor, J.W. Clydesdale failed to appear. Warden Finnerty decided to proceed with the case regardless. Moore in turn refused to acknowledge the court. After some phone calls, Clydesdale arrived, and immediately requested the case be terminated as the warden was both sitting judge and a witness. Finnerty saw no conflict of interest, and the case proceeded.

Other option holders, John Jacobson and Kerr was called. Also Walter Hall and his nephew by the same name, who had sampled the mine. With little evidence, Moore was convicted and sent to prison for 6 months. McKay in a separate case was also found guilty. However, in separate legal proceedings, he was able to remove warden Finnerty as the judge. McKay was fined 50 pounds. Moore refused to appear at the case as a witness, producing a doctors certificate he was unwell.

The 10 head battery and machinery was placed up for auction in 1915. As to whether the battery was sold in 1915, is open to question, as ten years later the lease has reverted to Crown control, with the old battery sold to P. Maher's Lake View Mine at Comet Vale.

Under the Whitehead name to 1918, the mine had produced 313 tonnes of ore for 546 ounces of gold.

During the 1940's and 1950's, the Lady Betty mine at Whitehead comes to prominence, owned by Lionel (Jock) Pitchers. GML 1540X. After a number of crushings over a period of 15 years, the mine in 1954 was let on option to English investor R.C. Keen, with Frank White appointed mine manager.

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