Charles Sharpe

Died 1959

Charles Sharpe is listed in the SA directory 1939 – 1958
Prospector in Coober Pedy

We read of Charlie Sharpe in Vin Wake’s book “Opal Men” when Charlie encounters Jim Shaw, the “Iron Man” on his epic walk from Kingoonya to Coober Pedy, pushing a wheel barrow.

“He ( Jim) had not gone far when he was overtaken by Charlie Sharpe, who had come from Kingoonya with a string of camels. In Germany Charlie had served his time as an engineer but on arrival in Australia he had chosen the life of an opal miner.
Small and dark-haired, he was reserved except with people whom he had known for a long time, but for once he did not exhibit his usual restraint.”

Charlie offers to carry Jim’s gear on one of his pack camels but Jim will have none of it as he laid bets at Tarcoola that he could make the trip on his own steam. So Charlie rode on and in the middle of the next afternoon Jim reached the head of Bolshevik Gully.