Austin's Australian Sister City Might Want Its Opal Back

This opal, originally part of a ceremonial necklace commissioned by a former Lord Mayor of Adelaide, Australia, now resides in a safety deposit box in Austin.
Miguel Gutierrez Jr./KUT News

Adelaide, the capital city of the state of South Australia, was designated in 1983 as one of Austin's sister cities. That's why, 32 years ago this Saturday, Adelaide officials gifted a $50,000 opal to Austin — a gift that the Australian city now wants back.

Adelaide newspaper The Advertiser reported back in May that the opal, which was worth $10,000 at the time, was “donated” to Austin as a result of an Adelaidian feud. Papers from the area report “mysterious” circumstances surrounding the gift.

Adelaide officials asked their city archival team to find out what had ever happened to the stone, originally part of a ceremonial necklace commissioned by former Lord Mayor James Bowen of Adelaide for his wife. But in 1983, reports the Adelaide paper the Herald-Sun, a “fierce internal row” among council officials there, including Bowen and his successor, former Lord Mayor Arthur John Watson, led to the gem's “removal,” and it was subsequently presented to Austin during a sister city-related ceremony.

The Adelaide archival team dug up documents on the stone's history, which revealed that the opal resides here in Austin. But, apparently to the surprise of the Australian sister citizens, Austin hasn't put the opal up for public display. David Green of the City of Austin confirms that the opal lies in a safety deposit box in the city's treasury department.

Read more: http://kut.org/post/austins-australian-sister-city-might-want-its-opal-back

Cross-posted in the Texas Group.