There was an aged prospector named John Bourke. He tried his luck by prospecting in the Pilgrim’s and Blyde Canyon areas for a long time – but with very little success.
He eventually landed up at the point where Bourke’s Luck Potholes are today, where he fossicked about applying his trade looking for gold.
In the gulley where he was digging, he had to climb over a massive jutting rock to get to his claim. This irritated him no end.
Eventually he realised that he wasn’t having much luck there either, and he decided to pack up his meagre belongings and move on.
He further decided that he was going to destroy the rock that had been the cause of so much irritation for such a long time. He instructed his helper to bring him enough dynamite to blow the rock to pieces. Having strategically placed the charge he made his exit across the swing bridge.
On his way out after a massive explosion his able bodied servant ran after him shouting that the explosion had revealed an enormous deposit of nuggets beneath the “Rock of Nuisance”.
He was both amazed and absolutely thrilled.
He apparently wrote a friend and informed him that he no longer needed to endure a life of “prospector’s hit and miss”, as he had found a pot of gold at the end of his rainbow.
He is reputed to have teamed up with Walter Magley and Sir Abe Bailey in their gold mining industry exploits proper.
The John Bourke Building in Andries Street in Pretoria bears his name.
From various sources
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