LASSETER'S BONES

SYNOPSIS:
Harold Lasseter's body was found after perishing in Central Australia's deserts in 1931. Lasseter's diary tantalisingly reveals that he'd discovered a fabulous seven mile seam of gold, worth millions, but that he'd "give it all for a loaf of bread". Despite hundreds of expeditions since, the gold has never been found. Filmmaker Luke Walker discovered Lasseter's 85-year-old son Bob still wandering the desert after 50 years, on a quixotic mission to discover the gold that killed his father and destroyed his childhood. As a result, Walker found himself teaming up with Bob Lasseter on a quest to solve the many riddles his father left behind and believes this film has finally deciphered the Lasseter puzzle.

Review by Andrew L. Urban:
As a migrant to Australia I am fascinated by the myths of this country's past, not least Harold Lasseter's mysterious and mystically peppered - not to mention elusive - story. Luke Walker does a great job as the historical investigator (he's also a migrant) who is as seduced and obsessed by finding the true story as Lasseter seems to have been by finding his gold seam.

It's commendably simple filmmaking, with minimum crew and fuss; Luke himself is the seeker, our eyes and ears, as he searches through archives, families and anyone who has the faintest link to the Lasseter story.

It's a mythical story because of its scale and because of its mysteries, which Luke's intrepid journey seems to have enlarged. As we follow him on his trek in chronological order, we get a sense of his own journey, which is more complex than simply trying to fit a historical puzzle together.

Amazing and amusing, surprising and revealing, it's a great way to teach Australians about an era and a character. It also seems to prove conclusively that Harold Lasseter came up with the Sydney Harbour Bridge design concept ahead of time.