Bernhardt Holtermann
| Bernhardt Otto Holtermann | |
|---|---|
Holtermann and the gold specimen from Hill End
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| Born | 29 April 1838 Hamburg, Germany |
| Died | 29 April 1885 (aged 47) St Leonards, New South Wales, Australia |
| Resting place | St Thomas's Cemetery |
| Residence | Germany and New South Wales |
| Occupation | gold miner, businessman, and politician |
| Spouse(s) | Harriet Emmett |
| Children | (unnamed male) Holterman (1869–?), Harriet Esther Holtermann (1873–1901), Bernard Edward Henry John Holtermann (1875–1875), Burlington Otto Holtermann (1876–1897), Sydney Hermann O. Holtermann (1879–1956), St Leonard Leichardt Ratchford Holterman (1882–1950) |
| Relatives | Hugo Louis Beyers (husband of sister-in-law and business partner) |
The view of Sydney Harbour from Holtermann's St Leonards residence
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Bernhardt Otto Holtermann (29 April 1838 – 29 April 1885) was a successful gold miner, businessman, and politician in Australia. Perhaps his greatest claim to fame is his association with the Holtermann Nugget, the largest gold specimen ever found, 59 inches (1.5 m) long, weighing 630 pounds (290 kg), in Hill End, near Bathurst, and with an estimated gold content of 3,000 troy ounces (93 kg). A larger find was made by the same men, but was broken up soon after being brought to the surface without being photographed.
Holtermann was born in Hamburg, Germany. He emigrated in 1858 to avoid Prussian military service. He departed Liverpool aboard the ship Salem and reached Melbourne in August after a journey lasting 101 days.
After working at a variety of jobs, he teamed up with Ludwig Hugo 'Louis' Beyers. They began prospecting around Hill End, New South Wales. Years of unrewarding labour followed. On 22 February 1868, Holtermann married Harriett Emmett, while Beyers married her sister Mary.
In 1871, the Star of Hope Gold Mining Company, in which he and Beyers were among the partners, struck rich veins of gold. On 19 October 1872, the Holtermann Nugget was discovered. Not strictly speaking a nugget, it was a gold specimen, a mass of gold embedded in rock, in this case quartz. Holtermann attempted to buy the 3,000 troy ounces (93 kilograms) specimen from the company, offering ₤1000 over its estimated value of ₤12,000 (about AU$1.9 million in 2016 currency, AU$4.8 million on the 2017 gold price), but was turned down, and it was sent away to have the gold extracted. Disheartened, he resigned from the company in February 1873.
He built a magnificent mansion in St Leonards, a suburb of Sydney, complete with a stained glass window depicting himself and the specimen. He invested wisely and kept his wealth, allowing him to take up his true passion, photography.
Holtermann was also interested in patent medicine. He was proud of having cured fellow passengers on his 1858 sea voyage to Australia. After he retired from mining, he wrote papers and devised formulae for medicines, and promoted and sold "Holtermann's Life Preserving Drops".
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