A dose of the flu could not stop a Queenstown father and daughter from winning a world title last weekend. Megan Ide-Neill, father Stu Ide and Germany-based New Zealander Michael Cocks teamed up to win the three-person team title at the World Gold Panning Championships in Scotland. The trio were members of a nine-strong Kiwi contingent, including seven from the Wakatipu, competing at the six-day championships in the town of Moffat. For her father, now holidaying with her mother, Sandy, in Scotland, winning a world title had been a "dream come true". Competitive gold panning involves panning a bucket of dirt containing gold flakes as quickly as possible, with time penalties imposed for every flake missed.

Source: Otago Daily Times August 18, 2017 18:11 UTC