Maureen Muggeridge was born in Croydon, south London, in 1948. Her father was a co-founder of the charity Plan International. She spent much of her childhood in Cameroon, where her father was working, before returning to the United Kingdom to continue her education in Sussex, Brighton and then St Andrews University in Fife. It was from here that she graduated as a geologist in 1971.
- Name: Maureen Muggeridge
- Date of Birth: 13th August 1948
- Country of Birth: Croydon, England
- Date of Death: 17th October 2010 (age 62)
In 1972 she made her way to Perth in Western Australia. Within one week, she had landed a job at a mining company specialising in Diamond prospecting and was soon flying over the Outback searching for signs of the jewel. In 1979, Muggeridge discovered Diamonds in the flood plains surrounding Smoke Creek, a small stream in East Kimberley that drains into Lake Argyle.
Word began to spread about the discovery, so she quickly pegged out her claim and, in doing so, discovered the most significant Diamond deposit ever found. Her discovery became the Australian Argyle Diamond Mine, the biggest Diamond mine (by volume produced) for much of the time it was in operation. It only closed in 2020. Muggeridge passed away in 2010 doing what she loved most, prospecting Diamonds, her name well and truly written into the history books.
ARGYLE DIAMONDS
