Nicole Evered OAM

Memories

Nicole Evered was staying at her holiday cottage in 1992, chatting to other Inverloch locals, when she heard that there was a crew looking for dinosaurs on a nearby beach. As Nicole tells it, she grabbed her hat and bucket and turned up on the beach demanding to be part of it. Thus started a lifelong commitment to Dinosaur Dreaming. I think that she even came up with that name... As the news of her passing spread throughout the crew, many of them felt compelled to share memories.

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Doris Seegets-Villiers

Nicole was not only an integral part of the dig, she was also a founding member of the ‘Blood blister sisters’, a first aider and instructor and, while wo-manning the sign-in desk at Friends’ Days, a trusted provider of lolly snakes. Who could forget her ‘I have a little thing’ catchphrase and variations thereof. I have no doubt that Nicole holds the unofficial record of finding these often unidentifiable little specks. Even when most of these were rejected, she enthusiastically kept on going, finding ever more little things. Over the years, she and Alan housed a number of us at their Inverloch holiday home. Staying one year at their cottage, Mary and I were rescued by Nicole not from one, but two sizable huntsmen. Nicole caught them in a jar, transported them across the road to a neighbour’s front yard and, upon return, announced that they must have been two males, as they had started fighting halfway across the road. When Nicole could no longer climb the stairs down to site, she held the fort at the dig house, faithfully breaking every rock that came her way.

Darren Bellingham

I will always remember two things about Nicole: Her offering of Dino shaped lollies with the phrase “Would you care to Dine-o-saur?” In my first year at the dig (2004) her professional assistant (PA) style management of bookings for internet access at the Inverloch Library, an important part of the dig back when that was the only way to remote access the web!! Especially important for the overseas diggers and the professional visitors needing e-mail access.

Rohan Long

Nicole will be dearly missed, we all have fond memories - I can hear her voice, clear as day, in my mind as I type this. Vale Nicole.

Tim Ziegler

The reflections and memories of everyone Nicole touched show the warm love and appreciation felt for her. She is a part of Dinosaur Dreaming for every digger, and will remain so.

Astrid Werner

Nicole was one of the original characters of the dig. I can still hear her gleeful cry “Hello little bone” when she found one. She made so many contributions to the dig, be it food name stickers, accommodation and probably many other things I am not aware of. She will be missed. Vale Nicole.

Peggy Cole

She was indeed an essential element of the digs. She was one of the people whose presence cemented the dinosaur dreaming community with her ready assistance, warmth and humour.

Marion Anderson

Hugs and “fish whiskers” to all.

Wendy White

In 2003. I had positioned myself near Nicole to skill up by watching her talk to kids. I loved the story of the grey-haired grandmother who found Qantassaurus. Nicole was the first person to recognise the mammal jaw I found that year. She was SO excited for me. “Put your hand over it”, she said, “and take it straight to Lesley!”. In later years as Nicole had mobility issues of the sort that would drive less determined people to cease their involvement, Nicole continued to break rock at the house (and re-reorganise my kitchen if I had a lapse in attention), and position herself and her ever-supportive husband Alan at the top of the stairs greeting Friends or Rookies and making child visitors feel special as she made them custodians of actual real dinosaur bones.

Keiichi Aotsuka

She was a very kind and friendly person. I want to express my deep gratitude for her hospitality when I participated in the Dinosaur Dreaming.

Lesley Kool

Nicole Evered played a major role in every aspect of Dinosaur Dreaming; from teaching new volunteers how to recognize fossil bone in the rock on Rookies Day, to making sure everyone had a name tag with their favourite dinosaur on it for Friends Day. In the early years she was the “go to” person on site where visitors would be enthusiastically treated to the history of the site and what had been found there. In 1995 Nicole proposed the name “Dinosaur Dreaming” to differentiate the Bass Coast digs from the Otway digs. That name has become synonymous with the research that still continues today. Nicole contributed to that research with her discovery of the Qantassaurus intrepidus holotype lower jaw in 1996 and along with Nicola Sanderson and Nick van Klaveren was honoured with the specific name of the first mammal to be found at the dig site – Ausktribosphenos nyktos in 1997. Even when her health failed her in later years, she always had a smile and a determination to find the next bone. She was a master of finding the tiniest of bones and her utterance of “I have a little thing” will be fondly remembered by many of the crew. She will be so sadly missed by all who knew her but has left behind so many wonderful memories. Thank you, Nicole.

Sanja van Huet

Nicole was all kindness