Popular star of Outback Opal Hunters revealed as son of murdered outback miner Paul Tanzer
Popular reality TV star revealed as son of murdered outback miner after man is convicted of killing his father during an argument over opals: ‘He died in my arms’
- Reality star revealed as son of murdered miner
- A man was convicted of the murder this week
The son of an outback opal miner who was murdered in a remote Australian town as part of a long-running dispute has been revealed as a reality TV star.
Leif Tanzer, who can be seen on the reality TV show Outback Opal Hunters, is the son of Paul Tanzer who was killed in Andamooka, South Australia in 2019 after an altercation over stolen opals.
Brian David MacFarlane, 62, was found guilty of the death of Mr Tanzer, who was 77, on Wednesday by the Port Augusta High Court.
MacFarlane killed Mr. Tanzer by stabbing him twice with a single-blade pocketknife, one stab wound severing an artery in Mr. Tanzer’s leg.
Leif Tanzer (left), who stars in the reality TV show Outback Opal Hunters, is the son of Paul Tanzer who was murdered in 2019 in Andamooka, South Australia
Outback Opal Miners showcases teams of miners from all over Australia looking for opals.
It stars Mr. Tanzer, Colin ‘Cozza’ Kathagen and Matthew Kathagen, who are collectively known as the ‘Mooka Boys’.
The popular Foxtel series has been broadcast in over 100 countries, including the United Kingdom and the United States.
Mr Tanzer reflected on his father’s death on the programme.
“He was strict with my brother and myself, but everything he did paid off,” he said.
Colin ‘Cozza’ Kathagen, Leif Tanzer (center) and Matthew Kathagen are known as the Mooka Boys
The popular Foxtel series Outback Opal Miners features teams of miners from all over Australia looking for opals
“The way he said goodbye was to die in my arms on the way to the hospital.”
On the show, the Mooka Boys mention an “opal bible” made by Paul Tanzer while searching for possible mining sites.
“The whole point is to get on with Dad’s work,” Mr. Tanzer said.
“We don’t want to be millionaires, we just want to be comfortable.”
The court heard that after stabbing Paul Tanzer, McFarlane was punched, kicked and hit with a star dropper by Leif Tanzer.
McFarlane claimed to have acted in self-defense and cited several instances of animosity between himself and Mr. Tanzer.
Leif Tanzer claimed in court that the feud involved more than $1 million worth of opals stolen from the back of a ute owned by the Tanzers, by an associate of McFarlane’s.
The court heard that Mr. Tanzer and McFarlane had a history of conflict over gemstones, including an incident where McFarlane filed a complaint with the Department of Energy and Mines against Mr. Tanzer, alleging that he was mining opals without a permit on properties in Andamooka.
McFarlane will be sentenced later this year.