You’ve either got it or you don’t.
And Colin Krause has it.
Mr Krause uses a bent piece of wire, a dowsing rod as they are known, to find underground streams.
The water diviner uses their body as a conduit and the wire as a measuring instrument to find water and in Mr Krause’s case, he can tell how far down the water is, if it is salt or fresh and the size of the stream.
The Rosewood local was a teenager when he tried water divining.
“My dad was a water diviner and I took his wire with me to try it while I was minding the cows in our lucerne patch,” Mr Krause said.
“It is instinctive and it worked for me right away, this is not something you can learn.”
Mr Krause said he believed it is a gift given by God.
Watching Mr Krause find water makes for a fascinating sight.
“I grasp this fork wire tight in both hands and when I walk over an underground stream that will flip up to my chest area very quickly,” he said.
“This also depends on the strength and volume of the stream.
“This process drains away all of my energy, bruising my chest, even breaking shirt buttons and it wears me out.”
Mr Krause has been advised by his cardiologist that the work places too much strain on his heart and at 83, he is no longer able to use his skill, which makes him sad.
“I feel as though I always want to help people to the best of my ability, that is my policy in life,” he said.
“There are still people out there doing it but the craft is being lost.
“Water diviners are valuable to farmers as it is cheaper to find water than boring holes down here and there, which heavy machinery which is expensive.”
Water divining was a valued skill in years gone by as water is vital for farmers to have on hand for their animals, crops and themselves.
