REDLAND Bay residents Fred and Gloria Olsson are heading to Spain with gold on their minds – and in their pans.
The seasoned gold panners will represent Australia at the World Gold Panning Championships, to be held in Navelgas, Asturias, from August 3 to 10.
The couple are no strangers to the shimmer of victory, having previously claimed national titles across Australia, New Zealand, Poland and the US, as well as the Australasian crown.
This year, they will compete individually, as a two-person team, and as part of a national team in the veteran class.
They’ll also throw their pans into the ring for novelty events, including panning at night under a flare light and the “blind date” challenge.
“The main reason we keep competing is for the camaraderie,” Mr Olsson said.
“Every time we go, we get to hang out with a bunch of new friends from 20 nations and also see our old friends we met last time.”
Mr Olsson first got hooked on gold panning in 1995, fossicking in the rivers and creeks of Victoria.
“I’ve been doing this since my youth and now we travel the world doing the same,” he said.
A far cry from the tin pans of old, Mr Olsson now uses a high-tech racing pan, which has dramatically changed the pace of competition.
“Things have really changed since I put a pan in the central rivers,” he said.
“It is now a highly regulated sport.”
Competitions involve buckets of sand and gravel seeded with minute particles of gold, about the size of coarse pepper.
“It is judged on speed and accuracy,” Mr Olsson explained.
“Plus, you get to keep the gold you find.”
Thanks to advances in pan design and technique, what once took eight minutes can now be done in three, with the fastest competitors finishing in just one minute.
In preparation, the Olssons have spent winter honing their skills – right in their backyard, using a children’s paddle pool.
“We’ve practised most of the winter,” Mr Olsson said.
“It’s like learning to ride a bike. You don’t forget how to do it.”
This year’s venue, Navelgas, was once a gold-mining hub of the Roman Empire – a fitting backdrop for modern-day prospectors.
“There are plenty of places where you can get gold, although it is harder to find these days,” Mr Olsson said.
“There are places where there is more gold than what has been taken out and there are places where the gold has been depleted.”
Whether they strike it rich or not, one thing’s certain – Fred and Gloria Olsson are chasing more than just gold.
