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Keep it Dark Gold Mine, Crushington.
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Description The Keep-It-Dark mine was one of the earlier ones on the Great Inangahua Quartz Field (Coy was registered in 1874). During 40 odd years of production, 330 000 tons of quartz were taken out, yielding 182 000 oz of gold. Big dividends were paid out over the years.Map[1] External LinkKeep it Dark.ContributorHistory House Museum Greymouth
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Location (city or town)ReeftonOrganisation (eg business)Keep it Dark Gold Mine
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LinkFacebook LinkDate Created2nd July 2014Comments
John Rosanowski The Keep-It-Dark mine was one of the earlier ones on the Great Inangahua Quartz Field (Coy was registered in 1874). During 40 odd years of production, 330 000 tons of quartz were taken out, yielding 182 000 oz of gold. Big dividends were paid out over the years.
Like · Reply · 2 · 18 November 2015 at 07:34
Pete Lusk
Pete Lusk And olympic gold medallist Jack Lovelock was born here, right?
Like · Reply · 3 · 18 November 2015 at 08:53
Robert Messenger
Robert Messenger Pete Lusk Photo from 1909: Ivy Lovelock (nee Ivy Evelyn Harper), Jack’s mother, lays the first brick for the Progress Mine’s smelting works at Crushington. Jack’s father, John Edward Jones Lovelock, the mine manager, is on the left holding Jack’s older sister Olive. Jack was born the next year, January 5, 1910. He was world record holder for the mile and Olympic Games champion (Berlin 1936) and world record holder for the 1500 metres. Jack died three days after Christmas 1949, in New York.
Robert Messenger Jack as a toddler, right, with his sister Olive in Greymouth, c1912. I forgot to mention he was also Empire Games mile champion (London 1934).
Pete Lusk great photos, thanks Robert. Its Timaru and Fairlie like to claim Jack Lovelock but there's only one place you're born.
Like · Reply · 2 · 19 November 2015 at 18:45
Robert Messenger
Robert Messenger Yes Pete Lusk he went to school at Timaru Boys High and up until Norman Harris brought out his book Lap of Honour in 1963 it was generally accepted that he came from Timaru - along with Phar Lap and Bob Fitzsimmons. Dick Tayler, who I ran into in Greymouth with Eddie Gray at Easter last year did come from Timaru.
Like · Reply · 1 · 20 November 2015 at 11:09 · Edited
Peter Robertson
Peter Robertson He went to primary school in Fairlie with members of my family.He only is associated with Timaru because he went to Timaru Boys High.There was no high school in Fairlie then I don't think.His death was a mystery,but most people who fall under a train are self motivated,but it is said that he had double vision.
Like · Reply · 20 November 2015 at 08:42
Robert Messenger
Robert Messenger Jack Lovelock's father (born Churchdown, Gloucestershire, England 1868) arrived on the West Coast in 1902. Ivy, his second wife and Jack's mother, was the daughter of the clerk of the court in Greymouth, Benjamin Harper. They married in Greymouth in 1907. The Lovelock family actually moved back to Greymouth from Crushington, and remained in Greymouth for almost four years, 1911-15. Jack's father was reappointed battery manager at Progress in June 1911 but resigned in October of that year through ill health. After Jack senior was treated in Dunedin, the family settled in Greymouth, where Jack senior lived on Shakespeare Street, had an office on Mackay Street, was a licenced gold dealer, honorary auditor of Holy Trinity Church, a Supreme Court juror and an avid lawn bowler and golfer (at Omoto) and member of the rifle club. He was considered a "leading citizen" of the town. In May 1915, when Jack was five, the Lovelocks went to Temuka, where Jack's dad ran a garage (bought from the Spillane Brothers; he imported and sold Oakland and Chevrolet cars) and ran a taxi service. From 1919 Jack senior was manager of the Mount Cook Motor Company in Fairlie, He died in 1923. Jack junior was in standard two in Temuka in 1918 and standard three at Fairlie in 1919, (as well in St Stephen's Sunday school), dux of the Fairlie school in 1922, aged 12, and with that won a junior national scholarship, entitling him to two years' free education. After briefly attending Fairlie District High School in 1923 he was sent in 1924 as a boarder to Timaru Boys' High School.
Like · Reply · 1 · 20 November 2015 at 12:00
John Kerr
Thats about 17.15 grams per ton, bloody rich!
Ash Franklyn
John Kerr Absolutely! Not even close to Thames or Coromandel Town but pretty damned good indeed! ??
John Kerr
Ash Franklyn What are they getting at the current mine at Waihi? I think the grade down at McRaes Flat are pretty low in comparison to the old days? But I guess with the modern mining methods and tonnage put through plus the good gold price they don't need super rich ground?
Ash Franklyn
John Kerr A gram in the tonne. The best grade that came out of Thames was 12,500oz/ton and Coromandel Town chucked out a 9000oz parcel in 4 tons! Some of the bonanzas up here were insane! You've heard the stories of the quartz that was so rich it would crush in a stamper? 8oz/lb of quartz 50/50 gold to quartz! Those were the days!?⛏️
3h
Reply
John Kerr
Ash Franklyn Bloody hell thats amazing, that ton would be worth $68,750,000 today and the 4 ton before breakfast would be $49,500,000!!
I had heard stories that if you could see the gold in the ore it was about 60 oz to the ton, don't know how true that was, I guess it would depend on how much could you see?
Ash Franklyn
John Kerr That sounds about right!
Steve Purcell
My great uncle Joseph Manzoni worked here. Went to WW1 tunneling I think. When he signed up and asked where he worked - keep it dark.
Robin Gibbens
Great photo
Tony Smith
just read that twice,,,182000 oz of gold thats over 5 tonne
Zody Ensor
Was this a quartz crusher Bob?
Bob Naisbitt
Yes Zody it was One of many in Reefton
Barry Butcher
The Keep it Dark quartz battery was sited in Crushington across the Inangahua river from the Globe Progress battery where Oceana Gold are working at present.
Margaret Elaine Sadler
Another 160 jobs to go from Oceana mine very soon.
William Albert Whitehead
But you can move overseas and get a job dressing timber to go there shortly from West Coast.
Jill Mehrtens Roderick
hello Margaret these photos are making me homesick jill mehrtens Roderick
John Rosanowski The Keep-It-Dark mine was one of the earlier ones on the Great Inangahua Quartz Field (Coy was registered in 1874). During 40 odd years of production, 330 000 tons of quartz were taken out, yielding 182 000 oz of gold. Big dividends were paid out over the years.
Like · Reply · 2 · 18 November 2015 at 07:34
Pete Lusk
Pete Lusk And olympic gold medallist Jack Lovelock was born here, right?
Like · Reply · 3 · 18 November 2015 at 08:53
Robert Messenger
Robert Messenger Pete Lusk Photo from 1909: Ivy Lovelock (nee Ivy Evelyn Harper), Jack’s mother, lays the first brick for the Progress Mine’s smelting works at Crushington. Jack’s father, John Edward Jones Lovelock, the mine manager, is on the left holding Jack’s older sister Olive. Jack was born the next year, January 5, 1910. He was world record holder for the mile and Olympic Games champion (Berlin 1936) and world record holder for the 1500 metres. Jack died three days after Christmas 1949, in New York.
Robert Messenger Jack as a toddler, right, with his sister Olive in Greymouth, c1912. I forgot to mention he was also Empire Games mile champion (London 1934).
Pete Lusk great photos, thanks Robert. Its Timaru and Fairlie like to claim Jack Lovelock but there's only one place you're born.
Like · Reply · 2 · 19 November 2015 at 18:45
Robert Messenger
Robert Messenger Yes Pete Lusk he went to school at Timaru Boys High and up until Norman Harris brought out his book Lap of Honour in 1963 it was generally accepted that he came from Timaru - along with Phar Lap and Bob Fitzsimmons. Dick Tayler, who I ran into in Greymouth with Eddie Gray at Easter last year did come from Timaru.
Like · Reply · 1 · 20 November 2015 at 11:09 · Edited
Peter Robertson
Peter Robertson He went to primary school in Fairlie with members of my family.He only is associated with Timaru because he went to Timaru Boys High.There was no high school in Fairlie then I don't think.His death was a mystery,but most people who fall under a train are self motivated,but it is said that he had double vision.
Like · Reply · 20 November 2015 at 08:42
Robert Messenger
Robert Messenger Jack Lovelock's father (born Churchdown, Gloucestershire, England 1868) arrived on the West Coast in 1902. Ivy, his second wife and Jack's mother, was the daughter of the clerk of the court in Greymouth, Benjamin Harper. They married in Greymouth in 1907. The Lovelock family actually moved back to Greymouth from Crushington, and remained in Greymouth for almost four years, 1911-15. Jack's father was reappointed battery manager at Progress in June 1911 but resigned in October of that year through ill health. After Jack senior was treated in Dunedin, the family settled in Greymouth, where Jack senior lived on Shakespeare Street, had an office on Mackay Street, was a licenced gold dealer, honorary auditor of Holy Trinity Church, a Supreme Court juror and an avid lawn bowler and golfer (at Omoto) and member of the rifle club. He was considered a "leading citizen" of the town. In May 1915, when Jack was five, the Lovelocks went to Temuka, where Jack's dad ran a garage (bought from the Spillane Brothers; he imported and sold Oakland and Chevrolet cars) and ran a taxi service. From 1919 Jack senior was manager of the Mount Cook Motor Company in Fairlie, He died in 1923. Jack junior was in standard two in Temuka in 1918 and standard three at Fairlie in 1919, (as well in St Stephen's Sunday school), dux of the Fairlie school in 1922, aged 12, and with that won a junior national scholarship, entitling him to two years' free education. After briefly attending Fairlie District High School in 1923 he was sent in 1924 as a boarder to Timaru Boys' High School.
Like · Reply · 1 · 20 November 2015 at 12:00
John Kerr
Thats about 17.15 grams per ton, bloody rich!
Ash Franklyn
John Kerr Absolutely! Not even close to Thames or Coromandel Town but pretty damned good indeed! ??
John Kerr
Ash Franklyn What are they getting at the current mine at Waihi? I think the grade down at McRaes Flat are pretty low in comparison to the old days? But I guess with the modern mining methods and tonnage put through plus the good gold price they don't need super rich ground?
Ash Franklyn
John Kerr A gram in the tonne. The best grade that came out of Thames was 12,500oz/ton and Coromandel Town chucked out a 9000oz parcel in 4 tons! Some of the bonanzas up here were insane! You've heard the stories of the quartz that was so rich it would crush in a stamper? 8oz/lb of quartz 50/50 gold to quartz! Those were the days!?⛏️
3h
Reply
John Kerr
Ash Franklyn Bloody hell thats amazing, that ton would be worth $68,750,000 today and the 4 ton before breakfast would be $49,500,000!!
I had heard stories that if you could see the gold in the ore it was about 60 oz to the ton, don't know how true that was, I guess it would depend on how much could you see?
Ash Franklyn
John Kerr That sounds about right!
Steve Purcell
My great uncle Joseph Manzoni worked here. Went to WW1 tunneling I think. When he signed up and asked where he worked - keep it dark.
Robin Gibbens
Great photo
Tony Smith
just read that twice,,,182000 oz of gold thats over 5 tonne
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West Coast New Zealand History (2nd Jun 2025). Keep it Dark Gold Mine, Crushington.. In Website West Coast New Zealand History. Retrieved 4th May 2026 02:53, from https://westcoast.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/9332