David Mead Crocker

21/12/1933 – 3/5/1966

David was born in Anchorage, Alaska and came to Australia with his family at 18 years of age in 1951.

At 20 he married an older woman, with whom he had a daughter, but it was a difficult relationship. He worked for the Snowy Mountain Authority at this time and at some point left his family and took on the name Mead to avoid being traced.

In c. 1962, he arrived in Coober Pedy with Dawn, his second wife, their daughter Patsy and Dawn’s son Peter.

They lived at first in a caravan about where Opal Inn is now. Dawn worked at Brewsters and David helped with the building of the Opal Inn. Later David built a House behind Brewsters.

He is remembered as being tall, skinny, very likable and always barefoot. He was given the nicknames ‘the Eskimo’ and also ‘Davy Crockett’

He died tragically by electrocution while pumping water for Coros. (He was as usual barefoot)

Information & photos : Betty Crocker (David’s sister)