Crystal clear Cairns Post
FROM a young age, Rene Boissevain knew he was destined for a life of adventure and discovery.
’m a bit silly," René Boissevain admits. Be that as it may, the passion this man has for his work, and life in general, is clear after mere minutes in his presence.
The vibrant 73 year old can’t sit still by his own admission and is just as likely to be jumping around and waving his arms about as he is to be strolling quietly along a river wondering what’s around that next bend.
An adventurer and lover of life René says he feels like he’s about 45 years old, something he attributes to just being alive.
"I’ve always been trying to do things other people haven’t done," he says. "I love challenges and adventure. I’m unstoppable."
René recalls being just eight or nine years old when he mounted a one-man investigation into the habits of moles in his native Holland. He collected buckets and buckets of dirt and spread these throughout his bedroom. Having also nabbed a few moles, his experiment was ready. With trusty notebook in hand, a young René documented how high the moles built their mounds and how long their tunnels were. Of course, he had to drag all that soil back outside but he didn’t mind. Luckily neither did his Mum.
And thus began a life of searching, exploring and examining ideas that just wouldn’t let go. It would be some time before René discovered the passion that would beat all else – the crystallisation of minerals, which has culminated in the creation of The Crystal Caves and Fascinating Facets in Atherton. The Crystal Caves now hosts more than 600 items from René’s private mineralogical collection.
