The IOJDAA festival has truly become an international event with entries now flooding in from overseas and all states in Australia.
Many of the exhibitors will be coming personally to collect their pieces and hopefully an award.
They will not be disappointed with the forethought and planning that has gone into making this event one of the best ever. Thanks to Lyn Carney and her small band of helpers who started planning just weeks after the last one finished two years ago.
Of course, none of this would have been possible without the generosity of our sponsors, in particular Herman and Sandy Kreller from The Opal Cave who are sponsoring the iconic Linda Jackson, a judge and couture extraordinaire, which has engendered an enormous amount of interest and is without doubt one of the reasons why tickets to the award dinner are almost fully booked.
If you are thinking about going don’t think too long - you may miss out.
Other sponsors whose generosity to IOJDAA is legendary are Vicki and Roger Drackett from Down to Earth Opals who are sponsoring the Prestige Professional Award.
Vicki and Roger have been sponsoring this category for many years now and it is with deep gratitude that IOJDAA extend their thanks once again.
Vicki will also be exhibiting the Million Dollar Hat, being shown for the first time in the Ridge in conjunction with the catwalk parade.
These are only a few of the people who have made this event possible.
There are many more and in next week’s paper we will give you a run down of more sponsors, both large and small, who have contributed to the festival and who, through their goodwill, have put Lightning Ridge into the spotlight.
All persons who have booked to go to the award dinner are encouraged to pick up their tickets at their earliest convenience.
Tickets may be collected from the Opal Room most days.
Any enquiries ring Lyn at 6829 4488.
A reminder that doors to the Gala dinner open at 6.30 and all guests must be seated by 7.15.
Dinner will be served at 7.30 sharp.
o o o
Did you know... the age of the dinosaur
The history of Australian opal began many millions of years ago when parts of that great continent were covered in a vast inland sea and stone sediment was deposited along its shoreline.
When the water masses receded they flushed water containing silica into the cracks and sedentary rocks and also animals, plants and fish.
Australia’s lost sea is the only place in the world known to harbour animal fossils.
It is extremely rare for conditions to be just right for the formation of fossils and even more rare for them to opalise.
Opalised bones, teeth, shells and pine cones and other seeds are rare and a dazzling reminder of a time 110 million years ago when dinosaurs and other strange reptiles ruled the land, water and skies around this great inland sea which covered one third of Australia.
Dinosaur eggs and even an imprint of a dinosaur skin have been preserved in opal as well as teeth, bones, and claws.
Many of these were from the streamlined fish eaters who were the ancient ancestors of today’s dolphin.
The opal fields are an invaluable source of information about what the world was like when dinosaurs and the like walked the land.
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