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December 2008 - January 2009
Yuletide festivities for miners THIS MONTH • Industry outlook for 2009 • Downturn hits hard • Upbeat on oil shale • Young engineers with spark
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NEWS
The Mining Advocate | December 2008 - January 2009
The
MINING December 2008 January 2009
2 Sticking with shale Recent Queensland Government legislation has put the kybosh on new oil shale developments, due to longrunning environmental concerns about energy-intensive extraction processes. However, Paradigm Metals is on a mission to find suitable technology that will convince the State Government to allow it to proceed with mining at its oil shale prospect near Cloncurry. Managing director Graham Carman said he was confident that the government would eventually reverse its opposition if it was presented with a sound case for development.
5 Bright futures Engineers Australia’s Cairns local group recently named GHD’s Robby Chohan as its Young Engineer of the Year. Mr Chohan is pleased that his involvement in a large local project allowed him to remain in the region where he grew up. On Page 11, The Mining Advocate profiles another exciting young prospect, CN Barton Medal winner Julie Lovisa - a fourth-year civil and environmental engineering student at James Cook University.
6 Stormy weather
It’s time for miners to kick up their heels, as 2008 winds down with a string of parties. The Mining Advocate covers the social highlights on Pages 19 and 20, and looks back at the year that was with a collection of our front covers on Page 28.
FEATURES 11 People 12 Industry Update
The toll from the current economic downturn continues to climb, particularly affecting small to medium mining and exploration companies.
A comprehensive wrap of exploration and operations in North Queensland and the Northern Territory.
A flow-on effect has been the reduction in business for mining supply companies, which are similarly struggling to maintain sufficient cash flow to ride out the gloom. The Mining Advocate presents a snapshot of some of the affected companies in North Queensland and the
16 Between Shifts 20 Lifestyle 23 Bigger, Tougher, Better 22 Engineering Achievement 24 PRTS Feature 26 Health and Safety Feature
Northern Territory.
7 Silver lining On a brighter note, many companies in northern Australia are forging ahead with development plans. Some, like Incitec Pivot, are actually defying conservative trends and expanding their operations. The Mining Advocate looks at the work planned for 2009 by players who are very much still in the game.
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NEWS
December 2008 - January 2009 |
The Mining Advocate
Paradigm Metals still upbeat The company behind a planned oil shale venture near Cloncurry hopes to prove extraction can be environmentally viable. Paradigm Metals believes the Queensland Government will eventually reverse its opposition to oil shale mining and allow the company to develop its North Queensland deposits. The Mines and Energy Legislation Amendment Bill 2008 was recently passed by State Parliament in order to place a ban on new oil shale mines and a 20-year moratorium on oil shale mining in the Whitsundays. According to the Queensland Government, oil shale operations as they currently stand would have high energy and water needs and could potentially impact significantly on ecosystems through emissions and wastewater. The ban on new mines will be in place for at least two years while the government reviews different processing technologies. Paradigm Metals managing director Graham Carman said the new legislation did not affect the company in the short term because it was still allowed to drill and collect samples at the
OIL SHALE FACTS Oil shale refers to sedimentary rocks that contain solid combustible organic matter called kerogen. The kerogen can be decomposed to release hydrocarbons under an elevated heating process. These can then be captured to produce synthetic crude oil and combustible gas. Only one oil shale mining lease currently exists in Queensland, near Gladstone.
Toolebuc shale oil, vanadium and molybdenum joint venture prospect near Cloncurry. But in order to produce shale oil, the company will have to convince the State Government that it can extract kerogen from its organic limestones in an environmentally efficient manner.
Mr Carman did not claim that the development of acceptable processing technology was a certainty, but he said Paradigm Metals was evaluating different
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techniques and had already rejected a high-impact retorting method often used in past operations. With Queensland hosting
about 90 per cent of Australia’s known oil shale reserves, Mr Carman said the government stood to receive significant royalties if it reversed its ban on new mines. “There are plenty of opencut coal mines, so we need to demonstrate that we are a similar operation and that we can come up with acceptable technology,” he said. Mr Carman said Paradigm Metals had not set a timetable for production but would liaise with the government “when the time is right”. Apart from government policy, the company also faces an obstacle in the form of declining oil prices due to the global financial crisis. Mr Carman said oil shale mining was only justified during periods of high prices, but he was confident that the effects of the financial crisis would be reversed as the world continued to consume oil and as the peak oil situation took effect. The Mines and Energy Legislation Amendment Bill has also introduced wider public interest tests to all minerals covered under the Minerals Resources Act – see Page 3 for details.
Contact Mark Pope - 07 4779 0699 www.scottcorp.com.au
NEWS
The Mining Advocate | December 2008 - January 2009
New legislation sparks concern A Bill aimed at restricting oil shale mining in Queensland bears ramifications for the wider resources industry, writes Michael Stevens. New legislation targeting oil shale mining in Queensland could be seen by industry as increasing the sovereign risk of the State’s mining sector, according to Brisbane-based law firm Carter Newell. The Mines and Energy Legislation Amendment Bill 2008 was introduced to restrict oil shale mining in Queensland. But a number of the Bill’s amendments apply to leases for all minerals covered under the Mineral Resources Act 1989 – most significantly, the Bill introduces a broader scope of situations in which government decision-makers will need to consider “public interest”. Carter Newell senior associate James Plumb said the granting of mining leases was already subject to a public interest test, but changes under the Bill had increased requirements for
the government to consider public interest when granting, amending and renewing exploration permits and mineral development licences. He said the Bill also called for consideration of public interest in decisions about whether or not to include particular conditions in a new or renewed mining lease. Mr Plumb said that if a large number of projects failed to obtain approval because of the wider public interest considerations, resource companies could look to jurisdictions other than Queensland as better targets for investment. “But it really is a waiting game as we look towards the government for guidance as to how they see the changes being implemented,” he said. “Aside from issues arising
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in respect of uranium and oil shale, it is difficult to speculate on situations where the government might invoke the new provisions.” The government stated during Parliamentary debate that public interest tests under the Act would continue to be used sparingly. Member for Fitzroy Jim Pearce said only eight mining lease applications had been rejected in Queensland since 1999. He said that in some circumstances the amendments under the Bill would provide certainty for industry by preventing situations where preproduction leases were approved but final mining leases were rejected on the basis of public interest. The Queensland Resources Council has expressed its disappointment with the government’s introduction of the legislation, which immediately halted development of the Whitsundays’ McFarlane oil shale deposit.
Stairway to Aircore, Kambalda, Western Australia, by Greg Tossel. Photo: courtesy of Snowden.
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NEWS
December 2008 - January 2009 |
The Mining Advocate
Reaching out to NT youth Getting them young is Engineers Australia’s aim, with a raft of activities to help engage Territory school students in science and maths. If firing catapults and making moon buggies is what it takes to get Northern Territory kids into maths and science, then Engineers Australia is more than willing to give it a go. The organisation’s Northern Division is planning to hold its next science and engineering challenge in Darwin and Alice Springs in early May 2009. Youth programs promoter Rosemary Carson said the challenge program, devised by the University of Newcastle, targeted students in Years 8, 9 and 10 – a crucial period for choosing the senior subjects required to go on to engineering studies at university. Favourite events for students in the 2008 event included the “war machine” challenge, where participants constructed a catapult from masking tape, wood and plastic bottles to fire tennis balls at a target. Another hit was the “mission to Mars” challenge, where students built moon buggies
• • • • • • • • •
and tested their capabilities on an undulating track. Ms Carson said a vigorous marketing campaign before the 2009 event - including school visits and promotional DVDs would help science and maths teachers energise their students into forming teams. The science and engineering challenge is one event of a suite of programs that Engineers Australia will again support and deliver into Northern Territory schools in 2009. SMART Road Show staged its inaugural remote visit in September 2008, entertaining primary school students with 30-minute shows on topics such as robots, sound and the human body. The Northern Division is planning to involve more schools in the remote schedule and arrange longer stays in 2009, depending on sponsorship. The 2009 SunChase solar model car challenge for students will be synchronised
Science and engineering challenge supervisor Peter Hagan, from Engineers Australia, joins students from St John’s College during the “mission To Mars” event at this year’s Darwin-based challenge. Photo: Christopher Knight
with the World Solar Car Challenge – a race from Darwin to Adelaide held between October 25 and 31 - to promote a large crowd to both events. EngQuest – a curriculumbased web activity that
reaching out to young people and helping to address the serious problem of skills shortages. “There is a 28,000 shortfall of engineers in Australia and it’s predicted by 2010 there will be a 40,000 shortfall,” she said.
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NEWS
The Mining Advocate | December 2008 - January 2009
Opportunities lie at city’s doorstep A local economist says Cairns should be setting itself up as a labour supply base for major PNG projects, writes Michael Stevens. Cairns is continuing to look to Papua New Guinea (PNG) as one of the most promising regions to export manpower and mining services. Speaking at a Cairns Chamber of Commerce luncheon, locallybased economist Bill Cummings said that before the recent fall in mineral prices, two major liqueďŹ ed natural gas (LNG) plants were planned for Port Moresby involving about $13 billion in construction activity over the next ďŹ ve years. He said some operations in Cairns’ sphere of inuence northern Australia, PNG and Papua Indonesia - had been reduced or cancelled due to the ďŹ nancial downturn. But he believed the larger projects would continue, depending on activity within the Chinese economy.
THE FACTS Two major LNG plants mooted for Port Moresby Report points to massive requirements for workers Demand also expected in construction, training and maintenance areas In a report released earlier this year, which is being considered by the Cairns Chamber of Commerce’s Resources and Industry Taskforce, Mr Cummings said construction of the two major LNG plants would produce a massive requirement for workers that could not be met in PNG. He said Cairns’ large labour force, its desirability as a place to live and its strategic position in northern Australia meant that
the city should establish itself as a source of y in-y out labour to the PNG projects. Taskforce chair Sharon Dawson said the projects would also provide much-needed opportunities to Cairns in the areas of construction, training and maintenance. She said PNG had always been important to the Cairns business community in terms of proximity and trade. As the closest Australian city, Cairns already had wellestablished diplomatic, business and transport links with its northern neighbour. “Several large companies operating in PNG have their Australian oďŹƒces in Cairns and we hope to attract more,â€? Ms Dawson said. Members of the Cairns business community recently visited a PNG trade day in Townsville presented by Townsville Enterprise, Austrade and Ausindustry.
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GHD senior structural and civil engineer Robby Chohan. Photo: Romy Siegmann
Keeping it local Robby Chohan - who was named 2008 Young Engineer of the Year at the inaugural Engineers Australia Cairns local group gala night – believes keeping large project work in regional Australia will help it retain local engineers. Cairns born and bred, Mr Chohan graduated from James Cook University in 1997 and is now a senior structural and civil engineer with GHD in Cairns. He won the Young Engineer of the Year award mainly for his work as lead structural engineer for the
Cleanerseas Alliance project. Mr Chohan said his responsibilities on the $180 million project were signiďŹ cant for someone with only 10 years’ experience, and the challenge was an important part of why he had remained in the region. The other award winners at the gala night in Cairns were Tony Black from Black & More (Professional Engineer of the Year) and Mamu Rainforest Canopy (Engineering Project of the Year).
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NEWS
December 2008 - January 2009 |
The Mining Advocate
In come the administrators Project managers as CopperCo hits the wall left reeling CopperCo has appointed voluntary administrators, to the surprise of many industry commentators. The company said it took the decision after it was advised that a financing transaction that would have provided support through new equity and debt facilities would not proceed. Media reports stated that the Perth-based miner acquired a $50 million debt when it merged with Mineral Securities earlier this year which it could not now repay despite having copper price protection in place for cathode production from its Lady Annie copper operation near Mount Isa. This situation would have been almost unthinkable at the upbeat official opening ceremony for Lady Annie in October 2007, which The Mining Advocate attended. As government dignitaries and
industry representatives heaped smoked salmon onto their plates and quaffed specially labelled CopperCo wine, managing director Brian Rear lauded the then-high copper prices, saying copper oxide from the operation was forecast to generate between $1 billion and $1.4 billion over its predicted mine life of nine years. He did, however, say he was aware that metal prices could go down as well as up – a truism that became all too real. Lady Annie was the first greenfields base metals mine to come online in Queensland in more than a decade and was held up as an example by the Queensland Resources Council and State Government as they implored other companies to focus on exploring greenfields prospects with a view to developing them. CopperCo’s collapse is perhaps
MATRIX METALS The company appointed voluntary administrators when it could not meet a substantial partial repayment of a provisionally paid invoice from Glencore International. Matrix – which operates the Leichhardt copper project in north-west Queensland – said it had an off take and sales arrangement that involved Glencore making provisional US dollar-denominated invoice payments when copper cathode was delivered in Townsville. These were then adjusted for changes in the average US dollar copper price during the month of shipment. The timeframe between the provisional invoice and final invoice could be several months, and it had been Matrix’s practice to convert the provisional payments into Australian dollars on receipt in order to meet the company’s operating expenses. Managing director Shane McBride said that with the projected low copper prices there were likely to be further partial repayments over coming months of invoices provisionally paid when the price was high and, after discussions with Glencore, it became apparent that it would not be possible to restructure arrangements between the companies within a reasonable timeframe.
OZ MINERALS At the time of writing, the company had frozen its shares until December 29 as it accepted an offer from its lenders to extend the date by which it was required to refinance loan facilities worth $US560 million (almost $A880 million). An option also existed to extend this date past December 29 to January 31, 2009, subject
CopperCo managing director Brian Rear speaking at the opening ceremony for the Lady Annie mine in late 2007.
the most dramatic of the recent falls reported in North Queensland during the current financial downturn.
to certain conditions being satisfied. OZ Minerals – operator of Century zinc mine in the lower Gulf – stated it required time to continue negotiations and that these negotiations could be jeopardised if they took place during a period of potentially extreme share price volatility.
ADITYA BIRLA MINERALS Aditya Birla Minerals has suspended indefinitely development work on the Ezperanza South project at its Mt Gordon operations. The company stated that the project would be placed on care and maintenance pending an upturn in the market, but all other activities at the company’s Mt Gordon operations would continue as normal.
Navigating the financial downturn has become a gargantuan task for Charters Towers-based Conglomerated Project Management (CPM) after it did not receive payment it expected from a Chinese company it was contracted to. CPM director Paul Dale said the Chinese company – which he did not name – owed CPM and its creditors $500,000 for project management, earthmoving and camp management services. He said the company had suspended the project it was undertaking, but had not settled the amount and was now communicating with CPM through lawyers. With many companies tightening their belts to conserve cash during the financial downturn, not
Axiom Mining Limited
AXIOM MINING Exploration offices in Australia have been placed on care and maintenance and staff have been made redundant at the company’s Townsville base. All field operations undertaken in Australia and Vietnam have been suspended, including those at a number of North Queensland tenements. Axiom Mining geology director John McCarthy said the suspensions fortuitously began as wet seasons approached, when field programs would have been curtailed in any event. He said the company was actively seeking interested parties for possible joint venture or other appropriate commercial arrangements in relation to a number of advanced projects.
OLYMPIA RESOURCES .
LIONTOWN RESOURCES The company recently closed its Charters Towers base, laying off three geologists and several field crew. Chairman Timothy Goyder said the company’s management and staff had also accepted reduced salaries and nonexecutive directors had agreed to accrue director’s fees rather than being paid. During 2008 Liontown Resources released a maiden resource estimate of 194,000 tonnes of zinc, lead and copper for its Liontown project near Charters Towers. Mr Goyder said the resource was insufficient to support a stand-alone mining operation at current metal prices, but it formed an excellent base to build on through further exploration. He said that in line with preserving available funds, the company had also entered into a joint venture with Exco Resources at its Fort Constantine South iron oxide, copper and gold project near Cloncurry.
The company is undertaking a strategic review of its operations including the Harts Range abrasives project, 130km north-east of Alice Springs. Managing director Peter Gazzard said a slowdown in expenditure and production activities and asset rationalisation would be considered. The full results of the review will be announced as soon as they are available and have been considered by the Olympia Resources board as well as any further proposed actions.
QUEENSLAND ORES Operations have been suspended at the company’s Wolfram Camp tungsten and molybdenum mine - between Mareeba and Chillagoe in North Queenslandto save on costs while mining and metallurgical issues are addressed. Managing director Taff Greenwood
receiving a large expected payment has impacted heavily on CPM. It has closed its doors in order to resolve the issue, with a view to re-opening in March next year. “If we could go out and find other projects ourselves we could trade our way through the financial crisis, but at the end of the day, we owe so much to our creditors that we haven’t been able to do that,” Mr Dale said. He said that if the payment issue was not resolved CPM would have to sell its equipment and possibly scale back its business to project consultancy. Mr Dale said he knew of other companies around Charters Towers, including trucking and pumping businesses, that were also struggling.
said the ore at Wolfram Camp contained significantly more fine material than the company originally expected, meaning that the operation was suffering from an inability to deliver target headfeed grade material to the run-of-mine stockpile.The processing plant was also unable to recover an acceptable quality of concentrate. Mr Greenwood said Queensland Ores was investigating options to obtain necessary funding to focus on resolving its mining and metallurgical issues, with a view to returning Wolfram Cap to production.
KANGAROO METALS The board has accepted an offer by a consortium of investors to recapitalise the company, in order to inject sufficient cash into the company to support future operations. Earlier in 2008, Kangaroo Metals entered into a purchase agreement for assets in Tasmania including the Riverside alluvial tin mine, which in part was meant as a test-bed for the company’s larger California Creek tin project in North Queensland. Kangaroo Metals has now wound this purchase agreement back.
URAMET MINERALS Restructuring of the company’s corporate office and reductions in administration and technical staff have been implemented. Chairman Sam Randazzo said Uramet was scaling back its exploration activities to preserve cash. He said Uramet would focus on attracting well-funded joint venture partners to assist with exploration programs and would consider selling some of its projects to add further cash to the company’s treasury. Uramet has base metals, phosphate and uranium exploration tenements focused on the Georgina Basin in the Northern Territory and Queensland.
NEWS
The Mining Advocate | December 2008 - January 2009
Fortunes have been mixed for North Queensland and Northern Territory mining companies over the last few weeks, with the impact of the economic downturn being fully felt. Some companies have been forced to lay off staff and curb their operations, while others have fallen over completely. But not everyone has a sad tale to tell – many companies in the uranium, phosphate and base metals fields are pushing ahead firmly with their projects in 2009. The Mining Advocate presents a snapshot of the developments for operations on both sides of the fence.
Minelec casts net wide Interstate projects are helping Townsville-based electrical contractor company Minelec push through the economic downturn. The company recently completed a project for Argyle Diamonds at its underground mine in Western Australia, which involved the connection, the testing and running of three new high-voltage ventilation fans. Manager Tom Birt said the company would undertake more projects in
the Kimberleys and it had previously completed work for McArthur River Mining in the Northern Territory. Mr Birt said Townsville was well situated to service interstate operations because of its sound infrastructure and available labour force. He said goods were easily manufactured in the city, but transporting them interstate did present some challenges. Engaging in work outside of Townsville helped keep Minelec stable during the financial climate, he said.
KRUCIBLE METALS LTD
KRUCIBLE METALS Managing director Tony Alston said the prime focus for early 2009 was to establish joint ore reserve committee-compliant resources for the company’s Mount Isa area polymetallic tenements. He said the company would pursue resource definition rather than exploration, with its Phosphate South project the first priority.
MINEMAKERS The company was expecting a resource statement to be ready in December for its Wonarah phosphate project in the Northern Territory, which managing director Andrew Drummond said would dramatically increase a previous Rio Tinto defined resource of 72 million tonnes. The project has been awarded major project status by the Northern Territory Government and Minemakers is aiming to start production in two years.
COPPER STRIKE Executive chairman Tom Eadie said the next few months would be spent finetuning a recently released feasibility study for Copper Strike’s Einasleigh copper project in North Queensland, to increase profitability through a number of factors that had emerged since the study was begun. One of these factors is continued strong drilling results from the project’s Kaiser Bill prospect, which was not originally included the study’s scope. Mr Eadie said significant increases in tonnage and grade were expected at Kaiser Bill, which would allow for increases in the production rate and mine life of Einasleigh and allow for a
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IPL plans $26m upgrade for northern operations Incitec Pivot Limited (IPL) plans to invest up to $26 million expanding its major northern Queensland facilities at Phosphate Hill, Mount Isa and Townsville. The capacity of IPL’s fertiliser manufacturing plant at Phosphate Hill will be lifted by 40,000 tonnes a year through a series of projects to increase the supply of sulphuric acid to the plant. The projects, due for completion by 2010, include construction of sulphuric acid storage tanks and train loading facilities at Townsville, new sulphur handling and storage facilities at Mount Isa, and minor “debottlenecking” at Mount Isa and at the phosphoric acid plant at Phosphate Hill. “When stage one is completed in 2010, for the first time the design capacity at Phosphate Hill
decrease in operating costs. Copper Strike hopes to begin production at Einasleigh in 2010, but Mr Eadie said hold-ups could be expected with project financing in the current economic climate.
will be in excess of one million tonnes of fertiliser annually,” IPL northern Australian operations manager Hans Van Bovene said. A second phase of work involving installation of a fifth filter at the phosphoric acid plant at Phosphate Hill at a cost of $35 million is under consideration. If approved, it would increase capacity by a further 40,000 tonnes a year after completion by the end of 2010. Sulphuric acid and locally mined phosphate rock are the two major inputs used in the production of diammonium phosphate and monoammonium phosphate fertilisers at Phosphate Hill. Further funding has also been approved to conduct a viability study into the construction of a plant at Phosphate Hill to produce up to 400,000 tonnes a year of high-grade phosphate
Incitec Pivot’s Mount Isa acid plant.
rock for export sales. Phosphate was recently given a positive outlook for 2009 by respected economist Allan Trench.
in North Queensland, which is a greenfields prospect with potential for an open-pit operation and coal seam gas. Mr Sheard said the company was deciding whether to drill the project itself or bring a partner into a joint venture. The company also planned more drilling work at its Mt Agate iron-oxide copper gold prospect near Cloncurry in 2009.
uranium project in the Northern Territory. The company undertook a reverse circulation and diamond drilling program at the project in the last quarter of 2008, which it said returned significant intercepts. Executive director Lindsay Dudfield said production at Bigrlyi was scheduled to begin in 2011, with a predicted 12-year mine life.
SOUTHERN URANIUM
NORTH QUEENSLAND METALS
ARAFURA RESOURCES Strategic development and exploration general manager Richard Brescianini said the company would spend 2009 progressing its definitive feasibility study for the Nolans rare earths, phosphate and uranium project in the Northern Territory. Mr Brescianini said 50 per cent production was planned at the project in 2011, ramping up to full capacity in 2013. He said the mine would be a small-scale, low-strip operation of about 800,000 tonnes of ore per annum.
ANCHOR
Managing director John Anderson said the company looked forward to drilling the Calvert Hills joint venture uranium prospect in the Northern Territory at the start of the 2009 dry season. He said a large airborne electromagnetic survey completed at Calvert Hills in 2008 successfully mapped prospective unconformities and structures in the extensions to the nearby Westmoreland field. The company also planned drilling at the Rum Jungle project in the NT and at the Pandanus West prospect in North Queensland.
RESOURCES LIMITED
ANCHOR RESOURCES The company spent time in the last quarter of 2008 refining drill targets for its Chillagoe uranium project in North Queensland. Managing director Trevor Woolfe said drill rigs were easier to find because of the financial crisis. Anchor Resources also has gold, tin and tungsten prospects north-east of Greenvale in North Queensland.
ICON RESOURCES The company recently secured 100 per cent of the historic Mount Carbine tungsten mine and a 14-year mining lease. Managing director Dr John Bishop said the mine was currently used as an active hard rock quarry rich in tungsten and he believed the company would be producing tungsten from the tailings by Christmas 2009. He said some resources were left in the open pit and exploration drilling was expected to extend these resources.
CARPENTARIA EXPLORATION Executive chairman Nick Sheard said the company was focusing on bringing a project to production as soon as possible. One possibility that the company is exploring is a coal project at Hughenden
The company is planning to take advantage of stronger revenues from increasing gold production at its Pajingo mine near Charters Towers to intensify tin exploration at its Herberton projects. Chief executive officer John McKinstry said NQM had already established a mineral reserve at the Baal Gammon copper-tin-silver-indium project, which the company envisaged as the first of several projects to feed a processing plant proposed for Herberton. Mr McKinstry said Pajingo gold mine recently completed the transition from contract mining to owner mining, a change that was expected to result in cost savings.
ENERGY METALS A feasibility study is due to kick off in early 2009 for the Bigrlyi joint venture
CLONCURRY METALS A memorandum of understanding was signed with BHP Billiton in 2008 to assess various arrangements to allow for early development of Cloncurry Metal’s lead-zinc-silver Pegmont deposit, based on the premise of delivering the mined ore to BHP Billiton’s nearby Cannington plant for processing. Following due diligence, a closespaced drilling program was begun at the prospect in late 2008. Company secretary Barry Casson said the results were expected to give essential information on the continuity and grade distribution of the mineralisation, allowing for the design of a resource definition drilling program planned to begin in 2009.
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December 2008 - January 2009 |
The Mining Advocate
RECYCLING PROFIT - BIT BY BIT If your father ever said, ‘look after your pennies and the pounds will look after themselves,’ he may well have been a drill bit sharpener.
steels keep getting straightened until the threads are unusable. We get about 60 a week done out there.”
There are a lot of pennies in $200,000. That’s what NT Rockdrill Services Director Chris Pache estimates is lying discarded in some waste heaps on mines sites in northern Australia. Drill bit sharpening is one of those niche services that are indicative of a community ‘arriving’ as a mines service and supply centre. Chris and his partner Elwyn first eyed off Darwin as a location for their business in 1997. But the conditions needed to improve; meaning the gold price had to increase from where it was flatlining at around US$270/ ounce and there needed to be a lot more exploration. The Territory now meets those conditions and the business has taken off for the Paches in the last 30 months since setting up the Yarrawonga operation.
“For the first little while we were doing it hard like everyone does trying to get a business up and running and working at the same time, “Mr Pache said. “That has changed now. We are now in the position where we can work for ourselves and it is going quite well.” NT Rockdrill Services counts Rio Tinto’s Argyle Diamond Mine as one of its major customers and the business has permanent presence on site, with services housed in a container. The mobile and compact set-up is being used as a template for future sites, Mr Pache said.
“We have a set-up there where we can do everything on (the Argyle Diamond) site for them; straighten steel, sharpen bits and basically look after all the inventory on the drilling side of things,” he said. “It is a good measure for your larger mine sites. We vary and (one day) will do up to 130 bits per day with one machine and one person on site. “The next day we’ll straighten steels, whether it is 4.3 borer or down to 2.7 chemical rod. As long as the bend is not too great, it comes back to us, a lot of the time
Mines could be saving hundreds of thousands of dollars a month in new product by refurbishment said Mr Pache, who noted it was a misconception that you can’t get a refurbished bit to drill as good as a new. It was all in the preparation he said. “It is all money saving. Some mines at the moment drill to destruction. The rod bends, throw it in the bin. A bit; drill it until it is dead. “The advantage for mine sites to sharpen bits is they can have a 45mm boring bit, sharpen it a few times … until it is under gauge and goes down to a 43mm bit. Now, they can use it for bolting. They get five times the use instead of drilling it, killing it and throwing it away. “We have seen a lot of companies with big piles of bits lying around …. There (can be) $200,000 worth
Chris and Elwyn Pache – Owners NT Rockdrill Services note that hundreds of thousands of dollars in drill bits which could be recycled are lying in mine dumps. of gear sitting there doing nothing and it’s going to go in the bin. “It may cost you $2,000 in freight to send it; $10,000 to fix and there you go. There’s 12 grand and you’ve got $200,000 worth of gear that can be re-used. It takes throwing figures around a lot of the time for companies to see exactly how much they can save.”
Mr Pache is a second generation bit sharpener. He did his apprenticeship with his father in Mount Isa in the early 90s and worked with his uncle in Perth who owns Rockdrill Sharpening Services before setting up operations in the Top End. Now NT Rockdrill Services is looking to expand its operations into other states.
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10
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December 2008 - January 2009 |
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COLLEGE UNVEILS PLANS FOR THE FUTURE Zac Green named 2008 Apprentice of the Year
The Australian Technical College – North Queensland has unveiled details of its plans to expand operations in 2009.
Boilermaking apprentice Zachary Green was named the 2008 ATCNQ Apprentice of the Year at the College’s recent awards evening.
Chief Executive Officer Roslyn Baker presented the new business plan to supporters of the College at a special launch evening.
The year 12 student received the honour over 17 other top apprentices who were named the best in their respective trade areas.
The launch comes one week after the Federal Government gave the final approval for the College to run independently when funding for Technical Colleges expires at the end of 2009. Ms Baker said the College was extremely excited about moving forward with the business plan and providing more opportunities for young people in the region. “Our vision has always been to become the leader in flexible and innovative learning and this new model will put us in a position where we can provide North Queensland with more training opportunities than ever before,” she said. Amongst the biggest changes in the College model for 2009 will be the offering of third year trade training for its current year 12 apprentices. “Employers now have the choice of leaving their apprentices at the College to complete the remainder of their qualification, rather than switching to another Registered Training Organisation (RTO),” Ms Baker said. “It allows for a bit of continuity in their training. Our trainers here know the apprentices’ history and so they will just be able to pick up where they left off. “This will expand into the fourth year training from 2010.
Zac, 17, was recognised for his skill in his chosen trade, attitude to his work and positive feedback from his employer Murphy Steel. “Our research has shown that there are often a number of issues that arise when students transition into full-time employment, so we have support systems in place to ensure that the transition period is as smooth as possible for both the apprentice and their employers.” Ms Baker said the College would also be making dramatic changes to the way it trains its school-based apprentices next year and beyond. “Of course, one of our biggest goals is still to get students completing their Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) and undertaking trade training at the same time. “Students who are completing their QCE with the College will be learning under a completely integrated curriculum,” she said. “In the past, there has been a definite split between the traditional school subjects and trade training, but with the new curriculum students will be working on various projects that encompass all of the subjects they require to
complete their senior schooling and still get competencies signed off for their trades.
are undertaking a school-based apprenticeship under the trade training in schools initiative,” she said
Chief Executive Officer Roslyn Baker said the ATCNQ Awards was an opportunity for the College community to look back at the year that was, and acknowledge the quality of its apprentices.
“It’s something that’s never been achieved before, and we’re in the fortunate position that we can deliver such a rich and authentic learning experience for our students.”
“Over the two years, they will be able to complete up to 30 per cent of their trade competencies before transitioning into a full-time apprenticeship.
“Our apprentices show some great skill and knowledge in their chosen trades, and this is our chance to recognise their outstanding work,” she said. “It also gives the entire College community the opportunity to reflect on the success we’ve experienced throughout the year.”
The future will also see the College branch into remote areas, providing training for students who may not otherwise get the opportunity. “There are so many young people out there that don’t have the same opportunities as students in the bigger centres, so what we’re trying to do is bring the training to them through E-Learning. “At the end of the day it’s about providing viable career pathways for young people, and boosting the workforce.” Ms Baker said students wanting to stay in traditional schools can also benefit from the new College model. “In 2009 ATCNQ will act at the Supervising Registered Training Organisation for students in secondary school who
“We’ll also undertake the training for full-time apprentices who have already commenced their apprenticeship through another RTO. “In the future there will also be the opportunity for those full-time apprentices to study at the College part-time in order to finish their QCE. “We really want to offer students a range of different options, so that they have the best chance of success in the future. “By training their apprentices with us, employers are choosing a very industry-focused, flexible program with expert trainers, personal service and state-of-the-art facilities. It’s a win-win situation for both the employer and the apprentice.”
Other trade excellence award winners on the gala evening were as follows: • Boilermaking Apprentice of the Year (yr 12): Zac Green • Boilermaking Apprentice of the Year (yr 11): Clinton Bowen • Fitting & Turning Apprentice of the Year (yr 12): David Lane • Fitting & Turning Apprentice of the Year (yr 11): Shaun Silver • Carpentry Apprentice of the Year (yr 12): Daniel Britton • Carpentry Apprentice of the Year (yr 11): Alex Howard & Guy Couchman • Plumbing Apprentice of the Year (yr 12): John Fryer • Plumbing Apprentice of the Year (yr 11): Daniel Bower • Wet Trades Apprentice of the Year (yr 12): Wade Layt • Electrotechnology Apprentice of the Year (yr 12): Jesse Dalton • Electrotechnology Apprentice of the Year (yr 11): Tony Patane • Heavy Vehicle Apprentice of the Year (yr 12): Bobby Stockham • Heavy Vehicle Apprentice of the Year (yr 11): Julian Langdon • Light Vehicle Apprentice of the Year (yr 12): Antonia Hodson • Light Vehicle Apprentice of the Year (yr 11): Catherine Williams • Panel & Paint Apprentice of the Year (yr 12): Daniel Lynch • Panel & Paint Apprentice of the Year (yr 11): Chantal Jenkins
Calling all employers The Australian Technical College North Queensland is looking for employers to take on apprentices in 2009. If you are an employer who is interested in taking advantage of this opportunity please register your interest now. We will have students ready for an apprenticeship in 2009 in the following trades.
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The Mining Advocate | December 2008 - January 2009
11
Firm grounds for success 2008 CN Barton Medal winner Julie Lovisa.
reduce costs and increase effectiveness. I’ve had articles published in two journals, which will be used as a basis to conduct more tests on reinforcement in practice. It needs to be done on a larger scale – my tests were done on a small scale.
Photo: Stewart McLean
Q: Where do you see your career heading? JL: I’m planning on staying on at JCU and doing a PhD. After that, I think I will stay in the geotechnical field, but I’d like to branch out a bit eventually. I’d like to work for Coffey or Golder
“I think I will stay in the geotechnical field, but I’d like to branch out a bit eventually”
Townsville-based James Cook University ( JCU) student Julie Lovisa has been named the winner of this year’s CN Barton Medal for her work in geotechnics.
A fourth-year civil and environmental engineering student, Ms Lovisa’s thesis examined interaction mechanisms in soil reinforcements. She compared the effectiveness of random reinforcement (fibres mixed into the soil) and systematic reinforcement using sheets of geotextile
(with and without prestress) and investigated the effect of moisture on the settlement of fibrereinforced soil. She found the optimal method to be prestressed geotextile reinforcement. Ms Lovisa spoke to The Mining Advocate about her studies and the road ahead. Q: Why did you choose to
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Q: Why do you believe you were chosen as winner of the CN Barton medal? JL: The CN Barton Medal result was based on my presentation to the panel - with questions at the end - and the content of my thesis. There were industry representatives and lecturers on the panel with a wide base of knowledge, so you really have to know what you’re talking about. I guess I delivered my presentation well - I was certainly nervous.
Associates – one of the big geotechnical companies. It also depends on how my PhD goes. Q: What was your family’s reaction to your win? JL: My dad was actually shortlisted for the medal’s shortlisting as such when he was at JCU. My sister is also coming through and she might be a good chance at it. My family were really excited that I’d won really proud.
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12
INDUSTRY UPDATE
December 2008 - January 2009 |
Apprentices honoured
Follow-up work for Baal Gammon North Queensland Metals is planning further exploration at its Baal Gammon North prospect following encouraging drilling results.
Apprentices Edmund Busch (second from left) and Sorren Owens (fourth from left) celebrate their awards with family, OZ Minerals management and Normanton community members.
It was a family affair for two Century Mine apprentices recently when they were recognised at the Australian Mining Prospect Awards. Third-year communications technician trainee Edmund Busch won the Trainee or Apprentice of the Year award, while his nephew - light vehicle mechanic apprentice Sorren Owens - was a finalist in the category. OZ Minerals chief operating officer Brett Fletcher and Century Mine general manager John Lamb presented Mr Busch and Mr Owens with their awards at a celebratory barbecue in their home town of Normanton. “Edmund winning and Sorren being selected as a finalist in this category is no small feat, as nominees come from all parts of the Australian mining industry,” Mr Lamb said.
NT attracts Chinese interest Three of China’s largest mining companies have expressed interest in exploring in the Northern Territory. Representatives from China Minmetals Corporation, Zijin Mining and the Jiangxi Nuclear Industry Geological Bureau approached Resources Minister Kon Vatskalis at the recent AustraliaChina Mineral Exploration Investment Seminar in Beijing. According to the Northern Territory Government, the representatives were mostly interested in uranium, gold, and base metals including nickel, lead, zinc and copper. One of the companies was also said to have shown interest in taking over Pine Creek’s GBS Gold project,
which recently went into voluntary administration.
CDE Capital wins mining award Darwin-based company CDE Capital was named Contract Miner of the Year at the recent Australian Mining Prospect Awards in Sydney. “The award has given CDE Capital added credibility and strength for ongoing contract tenders and positive exposure within the mining and civil earthworks industry,” managing director Robbie Rusca said. He said CDE Capital had recruited up to 50 per cent of the workforce from local Aboriginal communities on some projects. About 80 per cent of its permanent workforce is indigenous.
The Mining Advocate
awaiting assay results from about 30 new holes at the prospect.
Mt Carlton resource upgrade
Conquest Mining has upgraded 40 per cent of the resources at its Silver Chief executive officer John McKinstry Hill prospect in North Queensland to said drilling targeted the Consolation measured status. vein system, which includes two main Managing director John Terpu said veins containing copper, indium and the upgraded resource estimate was silver over an inferred strike length of an appropriate statement of resources 280m. on which to base He said three feasibility studies. holes contained He said the total CAIRNS significant Mt Carlton TOWNSVILLE intercepts resources – THURSDAY ISLAND of sulphide incorporating the Silver Hill, mineralisation Mt Carlton, Mt similar to that seen Carlton-Western at the nearby Baal lodes and Herbert Gammon deposit. Creek East The Baal Gammon prospects- are Without a travel agent you’re on your own project is in the estimated to be 25 Herberton area, million tonnes at west of Cairns. 1.70 grams per tonne gold, 60 grams per tonne silver and 0.28 per cent copper.
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Cape Alumina to list on ASX
Cape Alumina, owner of the Pisolite Hills bauxite project in Cape York, plans to list on the Australian Securities Exchange by mid December. The company opened an initial public offer (IPO) recently, with local and overseas investors having already committed to more than 60 per cent of the minimum subscription. Chief executive officer Dr Paul Messenger said IPO proceeds would be used to fast-track a bankable feasibility study, with first production from the project of seven million tonnes per annum scheduled for 2012-2013. Cape Alumina is 40 per cent owned by Metallica Minerals.
Sulphide intersections for CuDeco CuDeco has announced further “massive” sulphide intersections at the north-west end of its Las Minerale prospect, part of the Rocklands Group copper project near Cloncurry. Chairman Wayne McCrae said gold and cobalt mineralisation had also been encountered, and the company was
Good drill results for Exco Exco Resources recently announced that ongoing drilling at its E1 North prospect had led to a 55 per cent increase in the total resource, which now consists of 12.3 million tonnes at one per cent copper and 0.29g per tonne of gold. Managing director Michael Anderson said infill drilling had delivered an 87 per cent increase in indicated resources at the prospect. He said further resource potential existed on the eastern limb of E1 North and in the E1 central zone. The E1 camp consists of three deposits 40km northeast of Cloncurry.
Chillagoe tin project forges ahead Republic Gold and Staldor Mining have completed an aircore drilling program at the Kangaroo Creek tin project, south-west of Chillagoe. Republic Gold managing director John Kelly said drilling had confirmed the potential for several million cubic metres of tinbearing wash. A preliminary geological block model is being prepared.
INDUSTRY UPDATE
The Mining Advocate | December 2008 - January 2009
Watershed study almost finished
president of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM). He was inducted into the Queensland Engineering Hall of Fame in 2004 and was made Honorary Fellow in 2006.
Vital Metals is close to completing a detailed feasibility study of its Watershed scheelite deposit in far North Queensland. Managing director Andy Haslam Diamond potential near Mount Isa said the only outstanding items for Superior Resources believes it has completion were final pit optimisation, discovered diamond potential at its some defining flotation tests on ore Elizabeth prospect, part of the Dajarra treatment, finalisation of tailings project in north-west Queensland. storage design and compilation of the final report. The Managing director study is based on Ken Harvey said Service an operation of the company Trucks 450,000 tonnes recently completed of ore per annum a gravity survey to produce about over the prospect, 1800 tonnes per which showed a annum of tungsten pronounced gravity concentrates low over a circular containing 118,000 feature at the metric tonne units northern end. of wolframite in He said this www.equipmentplacement.com.au the first stage, over feature – possibly a six year mine life. a diatreme - could Mr Haslam said the potential to extend have potential for diamonds and would the mine life well past 10 years was be targeted for drilling in 2009. excellent, with the current mine plan Superior Resources has been exploring involving extraction of less than 20 per the Elizabeth prospect for coppercent of the established global resource. lead-zinc deposits of the Mount Isa He said Vital Metals was cash style following the discovery of strong restrained and looking to raise some anomalies in the area in the second half interim funding in the near future. of 2007. The company is holding discussions Mr Harvey said that if the diamond with potential overseas investors. potential of the Dajarra tenements was realised, the company would consider funding options for a major diamond Sir Bruce Watson remembered exploration program. Former Mount Isa Mines (MIM) chief Mr Harvey said exploration for base Sir Bruce Watson died in Brisbane metals would continue, as the presence recently, aged 80. of possible volcanic diatremes would not Sir Bruce, a Queensland-born and affect this work. educated electrical engineer, started his career at the Hydro-electricity New Queensland Minerals targets Commission in Tasmania before joining MIM’s Copper Refineries in Townsville Queensland Minerals recently in 1956. announced that major drill targets had been indicated by geophysical surveys He was appointed managing director of at its Dingo Peak copper-gold porphyry MIM Holdings in 1980, chief executive discovery. officer in 1981, and chairman in 1983 following Sir James Foots’ retirement. The prospect is located near Chillagoe and is in a 150km-long porphyry belt He was knighted in 1985 in recognition enclosed by the Palmerville fault system. of his distinguished service to Queensland industry. Kagara is developing a concentrator to treat similar mineralisation 35km from Sir Bruce was a notable member of Dingo Peak. Engineers Australia and a national
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13
New deposits for Ranger
Ranger uranium mine in the Northern Territory.
Energy Resources of Australia (ERA) says drilling at its Ranger 3 Deeps area – part of the Ranger uranium operation in the Northern Territory - has defined a significant extension to mineralisation to the north of earlier intersections and at a shallower depth. ERA has defined an exploration mineralisation target in the range of 15 million to 20 million tonnes, potentially containing 30,000 to 40,000 tonnes of uranium oxide. The Ranger 3 Deeps area is located adjacent to the current Ranger 3 operating pit in an easterly direction. ERA is continuing to drill this target area in order to develop sufficient data for a mineral resource statement. Exploration has been focused on defining the potential for an extension to the current open-cut pit or the possible establishment of underground mining.
Queensland Minerals chief executive officer James A Crombie said the company would prepare a program of reverse circulation and deeper diamond drilling to evaluate the system at shallow to moderate depths.
Firms eye GBS Gold assets More than 30 expressions of interest have been received for the various businesses and assets of GBS Gold’s Australian subsidiaries, currently in voluntary administration. Separate information memoranda and data DVDs are being circulated for the Union Reefs operations centre, Tom’s Gully project and Nicolsons’ project, with the deadline for submission of indicative offers set for December 5.
All mining and milling activities at GBS Gold Australia’s Union Reefs operations centre in the Northern Territory have been suspended and the sites have been placed on care and maintenance pending the outcome of the administration process.
Territory Uranium on target Territory Uranium recently announced that results from a ground gravity survey at its Tennant Creek project had identified a number of iron oxidecopper-gold type targets for follow up drilling. It plans to continue refining geological and geophysical models towards the definition of future drillingbased exploration activities.
14
INDUSTRY UPDATE
December 2008 - January 2009 |
World-first retrofit at Callide
Japanese Vice Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Yoshifumi Matsumura, visits the Callide A power station, set to switch on oxyfuel technology.
Work has started at a Queensland coal-fired power station for a world-first demonstration of innovative bolt-on technology for reducing emissions. The $206 million Callide oxyfuel project involves retrofitting CS Energy’s Callide A power station near Biloela. The oxyfuel technology will burn coal in a mixture of oxygen and re-circulated flue gases, which will create a highly concentrated stream of carbon dioxide suitable for capture and storage deep underground. The project involves CS Energy, the Australian Coal Association, Xstrata Coal, Schlumberger, JPower, Mitsui & Co and IHI Corporation. It has received funding from the Queensland, Australian and Japanese governments.
Redbank funding package Redbank Mines has secured a $6 million funding package to underpin continued development of its high-grade Redbank copper project in the Northern Territory. The funding will be provided in stages through an agreement with Crawley Investments, the private investment vehicle of Australian mining entrepreneur Michael Kiernan. Redbank Mines said the package would significantly enhance its financial position, de-risk its balance sheet and enable it to complete a definitive feasibility study on development of the oxide copper deposits at its Redbank project, ramping up to 6000 tonnes per annum over two years.
Redbank acquired the project in 2005 and is currently treating high-grade oxide stockpiles through vat leaching to produce a high-grade, high-quality concentrate in a form known as copper cement. A 2007 pre-feasibility study confirmed the technical and economic viability of developing a series of oxide deposits, to be followed by mining of deeper sulphide ore bodies.
NT maintains focus on China Northern Territory Resources Minister Kon Vatskalis recently delivered a keynote address on behalf of Australia at the China Mining Congress in Beijing.
The Mining Advocate
potential at Kurundi further enhanced Mr Vatskalis outlined the success of the prospectivity of Northern Uranium’s those Chinese companies already in 100 per cent-owned exploration licences joint ventures with Northern Territory at Epenarra, situated to the north-east. mines including the CITIC and Legend International. Northern Uranium has also expanded its phosphate interests in the Amadeus As part of his ministerial visit, Mr Basin through five new applications Vatskalis was joined by representatives for exploration licences over an area of from the NT Resources Council, 450sq km near Alice Springs. Clayton Utz, Energy Metals, Emmerson Resources, Territory Uranium, and TNG to promote mineral exploration Drilling initiatives bear fruit investment opportunities. Nine companies Mr Vatskalis said have used Water the government’s Queensland Trucks China Minerals Government Investment grants to assist Attraction their exploration Strategy aimed to programs since create confidence the second round in the Territory of a collaborative by showcasing drilling initiative the government’s began mid-year. commitment to According to opening doors for www.equipmentplacement.com.au the government, industry. Citigold’s deep drilling program near Charters Towers Seeking new projects has led to the discovery of a significant China Yunnan Copper Australia is mineralised intersection close to the seeking advanced new projects to Brilliant West structure. complement its greenfields projects in Results from Auzex Resources’ North Queensland. Khartoum drilling program north of The company has copper and gold Mount Garnet have indicated pipetargets at Cloncurry and Mount Isa, like bodies with economic tin grades and gold targets at Pentland and extending to at least 100m deep, which Ravenswood. could lead to a significant new tin Managing director Jason Beckton said discovery. Renison Consolidated Mines the company was focused on exploring has found that the structure and gold its tenements in Queensland but was mineralisation of the Agate Creek actively evaluating other acquisitions fault – part of the company’s Friar Tuck and joint venture opportunities to grow prospect east of Georgetown - was its business rapidly. significant and continuous.
Progress at Kurundi Northern Uranium has received positive results from the first stage of reconnaissance phosphate exploration activity at the Kurundi project in the Northern Territory. Executive chairman Kevin Schultz said targets for drilling in 2009 at Kurundi - which is being explored in a joint venture with Washington Resources - were being defined by geological interpretation and the results of surface sampling. He said confirmation of phosphate
Students’ enthusiasm rewarded Two senior students from Kirwan State High School in Townsville were recently recognised for their enthusiasm towards the resources sector by the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA). Jessie Pastorello and Glen Stillaway each received a Right Direction student award, which recognised their involvement, interest and participation in minerals and energy activities. The awards included cash prizes of $500.
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INDUSTRY UPDATE
The Mining Advocate | December 2008 - January 2009
Education needed for landowners The North Queensland Miners Association (NQMA) has called on the Queensland Government to better educate landowners about their legal obligations in relation to land access for mineral explorers. President Ralph De Lacey said miners also needed to be better informed about landowner rights and the NQMA would facilitate negotiations between both sides if requested. “It is not in our interests to fall out with the landholders - we need their cooperation, and the sensible explorer should bend over backwards to establish good relations with those who have other rights to land use,” he said. The State Government recently set up a Land Access Taskforce of peak rural and resources industry bodies to look into the concerns regarding access to farming land for exploration and mining. It includes AgForce, the Queensland Farmers Federation, the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association and the Queensland Resources Council.
Macmahon wins Darwin contract Macmahon Holdings has been awarded the contract for Stage Two of the Tiger Brennan Drive extension project in Darwin. The $89 million project includes the design and construction of 7.5km of road works, including a four-lane dual highway from Berrimah Road to the Stuart Highway and a grade separated interchange with provision for pedestrians. Macmahon has operated in the Northern Territory for more than 42 years and major projects have included the Alice Springs to Darwin
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Critical medical know-how
Railway, the Darwin City Waterfront redevelopment, Blacktip gas project, Alcan Gove, Bradshaw Training Area and the Gemco tailings storage facility on Groote Eylandt.
Changes to Queensland legislation The Workplace Health and Safety and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2008 will take effect on January 1, 2009 in order to further harmonise Queensland’s legislation with other jurisdictions. According to Commerce Queensland, the most significant change allows for workplace health and safety representatives to issue provisional improvement notices to their employer in situations where there is a risk of injury or exposure to illness in a workplace. The provisional improvement notices will require the employer to remedy the contravention or likely contravention of the Act. These notices can be challenged and a second opinion sought from an inspector in the event of any dispute.
Ash Ware practises his skills on fellow ERT member Owen Ferguson.
Nine members of the emergency response team (ERT) at Xstrata Copper’s Ernest Henry mine recently undertook intense training in pre-hospital care. The 11-day course gave participants skills such as how to diagnose injuries, apply intravenous lines, maintain a patient’s airways and administer basic drugs. Ernest Henry site nurse Yvonne Goldsworthy said the pre-course study and training regime was time consuming because the actions taken in the first half hour after serious trauma could be crucial to a patient’s outcome. ERT member Rob Tree – a mechanical fitter at Ernest Henry – said the most challenging part of the training was adjusting to a very low margin for error. “With many other things you do in life you can move between parameters, but you just can’t with this - you’re dealing with peoples’ lives,” he said. The ERT members achieved Certificate IV qualifications as medical technicians after being assessed as competent.
North-west power review The Queensland Resources Council (QRC) has praised the State Government’s commissioning of an independent review of energy supplies to north-west Queensland. QRC chief executive Michael Roche said the review by consultant Rod Sims would bring a fresh perspective to the commercial complexities surrounding reliable and competitively-priced energy supplies to the region.
Territory looking to hot rocks A Geothermal Energy Bill to facilitate and regulate the exploration and extraction of geothermal energy in the Northern Territory has been introduced to Parliament. Resources Minister Kon Vatskalis said the natural heat energy had a wide
range of uses and could be delivered with very low or no greenhouse emissions. Mr Vatskalis said the main value of the hot rocks energy to Australia was in the generation of electricity, where it has the capacity to provide base-load power. The Bill will be debated in Parliament in early 2009.
would be opened up to explorers. Nine separate areas will be released in three stages next year on February 15, March 29 and June 14.
Nicole at the helm
Queensland land release Land in the North West Minerals Province has been released for exploration by the Queensland Government. Mines and Energy Minister Geoff Wilson said over 3600sq km of land near Croydon, north-east of Mount Isa,
MOVING FORWARD.
Darwin
The Queensland Resources Council has elected a new president. Nicole Hollows, chief executive officer and managing director of Macarthur Coal, has taken over from outgoing president John Pegler, who led the organisation from 2004. Ms Hollows has spent 16 years in the resources industry including roles as company secretary and chief financial officer at Australian Premium Coals.
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BETWEEN SHIFTS
December 2008 - January 2009 |
CN Barton Medal Presentation
The Mining Advocate
PHOTOS: Stewart McLean
James Cook University, Townsville Engineering students Larissa Daveson and Gavin Spanner with Sarah Mobbs (Townsville City Council) and fellow engineering student Douglas Prince.
Angela Quantrill with her partner, fourth-year engineering student Marc Dickenson.
Lui Vedelago and Neil Meadows (both from BHP Billiton Yabulu).
Ling Yin (JCU School of Engineering), CN Barton Medal winner Julie Lovisa and her mother Bernadette Lovisa.
Damien Watson (TP Human Capital), third-year engineering student Max Burns and Clayton Cook (TP Human Capital).
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Ron Smith and Noel Lovisa (Code Valley) with Peter Graban (JCU School of Engineering).
Siva Kugan (JCU School of Engineering), Daniel Hansen (LCJ Engineers) and Sallyanne Brooke-Taylor (Golder Associates).
BETWEEN SHIFTS
The Mining Advocate | December 2008 - January 2009
Purchasing officers dinner
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PHOTOS: Romy Siegmann
Fetta’s Greek Taverna, Cairns Arthur Davie (Global Welding Supplies), Justin Malaponte (NQ Crash and 4WD Spares), Brendon Wylie (Australasian Drilling Institute) and Lyndon Sheather (Sargent).
Neil Mac Isaac and Toby Sciacca (both from Choice Finance Cairns).
Sharon Dawson (Dawsons Engineering) and Tyler Scott (from Xstrata Copper).
Gayleen Toll and Leslie Lofthouse (both from Precruitment).
Dr Darren Delaney (The Pier Medical Centre) with Ann Delaney and Nancy Delaney.
Julian Morrison (Novotel) and Judy Lloyd (Cairns Chamber of Commerce).
Peter Hall (Northern Chemicals), Karen Ross-Farren (BHP Billiton) and Peter Anderson (Events NQ).
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BETWEEN SHIFTS
December 2008 - January 2009 |
Chemtrans Christmas party
The Mining Advocate
PHOTOS: Stewart McLean
A Touch of Salt, Townsville Michelle Christian and husband Scott (Chemtrans) with Matt Harrison (Chemtrans).
Julie Bowden and husband Robert (Incitec Pivot).
Darren Sorah (Chemtrans) and wife Carolyn.
Doug Forsyth, Peter Gauci and Andrew Behm (all from Chemtrans).
Robert Hilton (Chemtrans) and wife Debbie with Mark Pope (Chemtrans).
Robyn Needham and husband Dave (Chemtrans).
Kathy Weismann, left, and Diane Hall, right, with Burt Hinkley (Chemtrans).
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BETWEEN SHIFTS
The Mining Advocate | December 2008 - January 2009
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Mine Christmas celebrations Cannington mine, Ernest Henry mine and ERA events
Energy Resources of Australia (ERA) - Greg and Wendy Sinclair.
BHP Billiton Cannington Mine - Mel Smith and James Dunshea.
Xstrata Copper Ernest Henry Mine - Joe Laucirica and Michael Todd (Hastings Deering).
BHP Billiton Cannington Mine - Paul and Isa Marrinan.
Xstrata Copper Ernest Henry Mine - Mike Webster and Dave Carter.
Xstrata Copper Ernest Henry Mine - Andy Chalker and Stephen Hallam (Barminco).
Xstrata Copper Ernest Henry Mine - Di Hutley and Jodie Kuskopf.
Energy Resources of Australia (ERA) - Liz Sarneckis and Alex Thurston.
BHP Billiton Cannington Mine - Amy and Andrew Cooper.
BHP Billiton Cannington Mine - Heather Hanks and Clinton Russell.
Xstrata Copper Ernest Henry Mine - Kev Cowie, Bob Tree, Paul Vaughan, John Twomey and Guni Liepins.
BHP Billiton Cannington Mine - Lorell and Greg Gelly.
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LIFESTYLE
December 2008 - January 2009 |
The Mining Advocate
Miners kick up their heels Three giants of the northern Australian mining industry threw Christmas mas parties to match their size recently. Xstrata Copper Ernest Henry Mine had workers rocking around the Christmas tree at its on-site village this year, with Aussie legend Jon English headlining the entertainment at two of its four staff Christmas parties. Ernest Henry increased the number of parties it held this Yuletide because of the new roster it adopted during the year. All employees were given the chance of attending a party regardless of their shifts. Partners, mine stakeholders and Cloncurry community members were also invited to attend the four parties. A seafood buffet proved ever popular and Santa visited the parties to hand out lollies to the kids. The Cloncurry Girl Guides served fairy floss as part of their fundraising efforts and raffles raised about $300 at each party for “Movember” (benefitting men’s health organisations). BHP Billiton Cannington Mine held two parties at Jupiters Townsville, attracting about 590 attendees. Entertainment was provided by five-piece band Abbey Road and the food was a Christmas-style buffet. One of the highlights of the second party was the fact that by attending the event, long-serving underground miner Mark Irons and his wife Karen were able to celebrate their 21st wedding anniversary in the same room as they had their
wedding reception. Cannington also planned to hold a children’s party on The Strand in Townsville, featuring a full drum circle, face painting, a balloon artist, a jumping castle and Santa with pressies. Energy Resources of Australia’s (ERA’s) ff Darwin-based corporate and technical staff he gathered with fly in-fly out employees at the rate SkyCity Casino on November 28 to celebrate the end of their busy year. A Roaring Twenties theme proved a hit,, with staff going all out in their best flapperr and gangster get-ups. ERA employees and their guests were entertained by the Bob Marshall jazz band and dined on a Christmas buffet. Chief executive Rob Atkinson thanked all workers for their contribution to the company’s achievements in 2008 and asked staff to continue to work safely in 2009.
Above: Claire Burke and Nic Morgan embrace the Roaring Twenties theme of ERA’s Christmas party.
Left: Ernest Henry mine village chef Yvonne Doherty helps prepare a feast for guests.
Christmas on the job Plans have been b put in place to ensure that miners working on Christmas Day D can still enjoy the occasion. Ernest Henry H mine is spicing up breakfast at the village with non-alcoh non-alcoholic eggnog and Christmas dinner will consist of ham, turk turkey, coral trout, prawns and oysters. Christ Christmas Day falls on a crew changeover day at Cannin Cannington mine this year and workers at the start of their roster are a flying in later than usual so that they are able to spend some of the day with their families. The workers coming off site will fly out early so that they can spend s Christmas afternoon at home. F For those on site on Christmas night, the operation is pla planning a big Christmas dinner in the mess hall with de decorations, roasts and everything else festive. Dancing up a storm at the Ernest Henry Christmas party.
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Jon English got the Ernest Henry village rocking with Sydney-based band Jonah’s Road.
BIGGER, TOUGHER, BETTER
The Mining Advocate | December 2008 - January 2009
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Globalstar Inc SPOT Messenger This hand-held personal tracking device is a potential life saver for outdoor adventurers and has already been linked to a number of rescues. The Pivotel Group, which recently sealed a deal to sell the SPOT Messenger in Australia, believes it will also be embraced by businesses to safeguard staff operating in remote areas. SPOT has four distinct functions that can be executed through the push of a button - a locator, an emergency function, a help function and a tracking function that can be followed through Google maps.
Terrain Tamer snatch strap with DVD
Xray Vision driving lights The Xray Vision range of driving lights consists cons co n ns of three models – 160mm, 200mm an and 220mm - each available in quartz halogen or state-of-the-art Xenon HID (high intensity discharge). Top of the range performance-wise is the 220 Series HID pencil beam shining 1100m (at 1Lux). Australian distributor Britax Automotive Equipment says all models have their own unique features including LED position rings (200s) and LED position plates (220s), a chrome body option on the t 200s and coloured or chrome rims th on the t 220s.
Terrain Tamer has introduced a new DVD with the snatch straps it sells featuring clear demonstrations from 4WD experts on the product’s correct use. The move follows the Queensland Government’s recent introduction of a new mandatory safety standard for the suppliers of recovery or snatch straps following two fatal incidents caused by the uncontrolled release of such devices. Terrain Tamer’s snatch straps are Australian made, with 20 per cent stretch, in-built wear indicators and a reusable bag.
Blue Tongue compressor This US-built compressor can be hard-wired into vehicles and promises to inflate tyres quickly. Distributor Opposite Lock says the high-quality, fan-cooled machine can inflate 10 tyres in rapid succession without getting hot.
Black Widow storage systems Old Man Emu suspension for LandCruiser 200 Series ARB’s specialised Old Man Emu engineering team has released new integrated suspension systems and GVM (gross vehicle mass) upgrades for the Toyota LandCruiser 200 Series. ARB says the team has developed an extensive range of front and rear coils using new steel materials that offer greater resistance to sagging and corrosion, while maintaining performance and durability.
Well-organised storage can reduce roadside hassles and Black Widow provides a wide variety of options. Their range includes twin drawer systems, low-slide and single-drawer combinations with optional second tier drawers, cargo barriers, fridge slides, add-on tables and top shelves. The company says the bottoms of Black Widow drawers are cross-pressed so they will not sag under heavy loads.
TJM bull bar for the Holden Colorado A new TJM Type 15 alloy deluxe bull bar has been released for the Holden Colorado. Features include raised centre section, heavy duty aerial tabs and polycarbonate indicator/park assemblies. The design accommodates large driving lights and the winch frame caters for a wide variety of recovery winches. The bull bar is airbag compatible and will not void new vehicle warranties.
Mitsubishi Triton Fastback utility Mitsubishi Motors Australia recently unveiled a new variant to its Triton utility range – the Triton Fastback. The vehicle features futuristic sports-style bars, a durable hard tonneau cover, unique front bumper protector and 17-inch alloy wheels. The interior boasts luxury appointments including leather seat trim, steering wheel cover and gearshift and transfer lever, an electric sunroof and automatic climate control airconditioning. The Triton Fastback is powered by a 3.2-litre intercooled and turbo-charged diesel engine and comes with Mitsubishi’s Super Select four-wheel drive system.
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ENGINEERING ACHIEVEMENT
December 2008 - January 2009 |
The Mining Advocate
Helping hand for island artists The logistical expertise of Engineers Without Borders volunteers was put to the test recently in an unusual infrastructure project. A group of engineers has helped make life easier for indigenous artists striving to maintain a close connection with their traditional homeland in the Gulf of Carpentaria. The Kaiadilt people were forced to leave Bentinck Island after severe drought and tidal waves in the 1940s, relocating to the mission community on nearby Mornington Island. But a 15 to 20-strong group - mostly women - has returned to live on the island and a number are drawing on their ancestral ties to that land as part of a blossoming Kaiadilt art movement. Now, Engineers Without Borders (EWB) Australia has stepped in to help upgrade facilities for the remote community in a challenging project completed recently. EWB programs co-ordinator - indigenous Australia, Lizzy Skinner, said the team had completed an amenities block including two composting toilets, two showers and an open-space living and kitchen area. The facilities, adjoining existing living quarters, would improve conditions for family and friends wishing to visit the women on the island as well as for people employed to perform maintenance work there, she said. “The Centre for Appropriate Technology (CAT) had been working with Bentinck Island for a number of years and they identified the project, with the community, as a priority,” Ms Skinner said. “They realised they needed some engineering advice, so they came to us to help them with the project.” EWB began the project in May, with a Brisbane-based team carrying out design work
Rocks at Main Base 2008 by Bentinck Island artist Rayarriwarrtharrbayingat Amy Loogatha. Image: courtesy the artist, Mornington Island Arts and Craft and Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne.
and making a scoping trip to the island before their recent twoweek construction effort. “The construction work involved a team of Kaiadilt people, some of the (EWB) volunteers and CAT,” Ms Skinner said. She said 10 EWB volunteers had contributed to the project in total, including student engineers who acted as construction manager, project engineer and civil engineer. The students’ mentors for the job included a civil engineer from Arup, a building foreman from the Queensland University of Technology and a construction manager from Baulderstone Hornibrook. Ms Skinner said an interesting aspect of the exercise was the way it had recycled old materials – such as steel and toilets which had been left on the island from previous, uncompleted projects. These reclaimed materials accounted for more than 95 per cent of the construction.
The remote location of the building site presented challenges to the team. Supplies were barged to the island from Karumba after being freighted from Brisbane. The EWB project team travelled from Brisbane to Cairns. Some chartered a flight direct to Bentinck Island - 670km away, while others flew to Mornington Island and made a three-hour trip to Bentinck by boat. “If you’ve forgotten something you can’t just go to the store and pick it up. You have to be careful in your planning,” Ms Skinner said. EWB is currently working on a renewable energy and waterway health project
is a Queensland company and an accredited Registered Training Organization (RTO). We were established in 1994 and have trained over 80,000 students across a broad spectrum of construction related fields.
High achievers from the State’s north and north-west made a strong showing at the Queensland Division of Engineers Australia’s Hawken Address Awards Dinner for 2008. Among this year’s inductees to the Queensland Engineering Hall of Fame was Mount Isa mining heavyweight Julius Kruttschnitt, while Inghambased Bill Pickering was named Engineering Technologist of the Year and Cairns businessman Don Fry took out the Eric Brier Memorial Award. The awards dinner and address was hosted in Brisbane by the Queensland President of Engineers Australia, Michael Ganza. Hall of Fame inductee Julius Kruttschnitt (1885 – 1974) helped lay the foundations for the powerful Mount Isa mining industry of today. As newly appointed general manager of Mount Isa Mines Limited in the 1930s, he was responsible for returning a mining venture headed for financial loss and foreclosure to profit.
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with the Kooma Traditional Owners Association in southwest Queensland and a lake
management initiative with the Gapuwiyak community in the Northern Territory.
State’s finest recognised
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CSTC Pty Ltd
Engineers Without Borders volunteer Alex Dalrymple helps Bentinck Island resident Geoffrey Loogatha fix his spear.
www.cstc.org.au
Bill Pickering Engineering technologist
Professor Mat Darveniza and Sir Charles Barton (1907 – 1986) were also inducted into the Hall of Fame this year. The 2008 Queensland Engineering Technologist of the Year, Bill Pickering, was also recently named as Australian Engineering Technologist of the Year at the Australian Engineering Excellence Awards in Canberra. Mr Pickering started work as an apprentice electrician in 1950 and has developed a long and distinguished career.
He has been a very active member of the community, serving on numerous boards, and was awarded a Centenary Medal for Community Service. The Eric Brier Memorial Award is awarded annually to an Engineers Australia member who has made a significant contribution to advancing the public status of the profession of engineering, particularly in the field of sustainable development. This year’s recipient, Don Fry, is owner and chairman of Cairns-based engineering firm AIMTEK, which has trained about 1000 apprentices and provided more than 40 million hours of direct employment in the North Queensland region. In 2006, he received the Innovation Hero Award from the Sydney University’s Warren Centre for Advanced Engineering. The two other Queensland engineers honoured on the night were Alan Keith McLennan, named 2008 Queensland Professional Engineer of the Year, and Malcolm Mathie, named 2008 Queensland Engineering Officer of the Year.
ENGINEERING ACHIEVEMENT
The Mining Advocate | December 2008 - January 2009
Putting the team first
Technologist stands tall
Engineers Australia has devoted 2008 to advancing the recognition and involvement of the industry’s technologists and associates. The past year has been all about knocking down barriers for Engineers Australia head Peter Godfrey. The organisation’s new national president has been leading a taskforce that set out to tackle a raft of issues as part of Engineers Australia’s “Year of the Engineering Team”. Their work has highlighted the roles of engineering technologist and associates, as well as setting organisational changes in motion to improve the value those occupational groups get out of Engineers Australia membership. “We want to knock down any barriers - perceived or real - that discourage people from becoming members,” Mr Godfrey said. Engineers Australia’s 87,000plus membership includes about 1400 engineering technologists and 5000 associates. Engineering technologists generally possess a three-year degree in that field, while associates possess a two-year associate degree, advanced diploma or equivalent. Mr Godfrey said the Year of the Engineering Team theme for 2008 stemmed from an approach by the national committees of engineering technologists and engineering associates, who had proposed a number of actions to address issues of concern. These actions have included increasing awareness within Engineers Australia, primarily through personal stories in the organisation’s magazine. “A lot of engineers don’t necessarily understand the role of an engineering associate or technologist,” Mr Godfrey said. “Telling the stories of
Peter Godfrey Engineers Australia president
associates and technologists throughout the year has helped in showing the broader membership the role they play as part of the team - so that has been pretty valuable.” Many of the problems tackled were “back office” issues, including voting rights within the organisation. Engineers Australia is also working to join the Dublin Accord, which would provide international recognition of the engineering associate level qualifications of its members. “We are hoping by mid 2009 we’ll be a signatory to the Dublin Accord. That will allow mobility for associates, as we have with the Washington Accord - which allows mobility for professional engineers,” Mr Godfrey said. “ In June this year, Engineers Australia became a full signatory member of the Sydney Accord, which provides international recognition of engineering education and training at the level of engineering technologist.
The Pandanus building in Darwin.
Engineering technologist Len Chappell can truly lay claim to having made his mark on Darwin. The two tallest buildings on the city’s skyline - the 33-storey Evolution and 28-storey Pandanus complexes – are among the projects Mr Chappell has turned his skills to in the past year. The 59-year-old director of engineering consultancy Townes Chappell Mudgway designed the electrical services for those and many other major Northern Territory facilities. “(This means) liaising with the supply authority, designing substations, high-voltage cabling coming into the place, lowvoltage cabling and reticulation throughout the building for lighting and general purpose power, as well as voice and data communication,” he said. Mr Chappell’s role at
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Len Chappell Townes Chappell Mudgway director
Townes Chappell Mudgway covers a range of technical and administrative tasks including liaising with project architects and clients, checking the design work of engineers and following jobs through to ensure construction is carried
out in accordance with design documents. In addition to his business activity, Mr Chappell holds positions as the Northern Division’s representative on Engineers Australia’s Electrical College Board and National Committee of Engineering Technologists. His achievements saw him named Engineering Technologist of the Year at the 2008 Engineers Australia Northern Division Engineering Excellence Awards. Born and educated in Sydney, Mr Chappell began his working life as an electrical draftsman with the city’s water board. After a number of jobs he joined the engineering consultancy Kuttner Collins in Melbourne, where he says he was offered the chance to step across into the engineering side of the business. Mr Chappell started visiting the Territory in the early 1980s in his work with Kuttner Collins. “Then, in 1987, I moved up here with Meinhardt,” he said. “I became a director of Meinhardt NT in 1995 and worked alongside Graeme Townes, who was the Meinhardt Australia director.” Mr Chappell and Mr Townes, a structural engineer, bought out Meinhardt’s NT practice in 1998. Their business employs 12 people and has an annual turnover around $2 million. Mr Chappell holds a certificate in electrical engineering and has completed a number of further courses during his career of more than 40 years. He said the difference between an engineering technologist and a professional engineer boiled down to “one year at uni”. “An engineering technologist has the equivalent of a threeyear degree, while a professional engineer has four-year degree qualifications,” Mr Chappell said. “It all comes back to, basically, education and they say with a four–year degree you really learn a bit more intense maths and science-type subjects. “But there are a lot of people out there with ability – technologists with exactly the same abilities as engineers.”
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PRTS FEATURE
December 2008 - January 2009 |
Measuring up Townsville-based company PRTS offers a wide range of instruments and back-up services to meet the mineral processing industry’s needs. There is nothing subtle about the business of pulling minerals out of the ground. But the process of separating the “wheat from the chaff ”, so to speak, can be as exacting as surgery. The temperatures and chemicals are extreme and
precise measurement can be the difference between creation and anarchy. It is certainly the difference between value adding and big profits. Townsville-based company PRTS is one of only a few in the country providing retail and
PRTS director Greg Fitzgerald and instrument engineer Marco Marttila outside the firm’s Townsville operations. Photo: Stewart McLean
back-up services for measuring instruments to processing industries. Every process will have a measuring tool, according to director Greg Fitzgerald – whether it be for temperature, pressure or humidity, the flow of air or water, level, pH or density. “Effectively, you need to look at the end result,” he said. “The process in mining is controlling the content of the end product so it is a saleable item. “That’s what field instruments do. They provide the data in the field back to the operator so they can control the end product.” Mr Fitzgerald said PRTS was able to offer access to tools for applications ranging from temperature and ultrasonic measurements, through to radar levels and pressure transmitters. to serve the multitude of demands the market placed on the minerals processing industry. The secret of operating a service in the tropical north was firstly to have a suite of products and secondly to be able to hone items to specifically suit the application, Mr Fitzgerald said.
The Mining Advocate
Extreme exercise in innovation One of the hardest requests PRTS director Greg Fitzgerald has faced as a supplier of field instruments was to measure the levels in an autoclave for a Papua New Guinea-based mining operation. An autoclave is like a rotary kiln that operates at around 1200 degrees and is full of a cocktail of caustic substances. “The only way we could do it was to make the base of this particular instrument out of solid titanium,” Mr Fitzgerald said. “They had an instrument doing a similar job. It melted in half and the electronics fell outside and the horn fell inside. “If you said ‘hey, this one’s cheap’ but it melts in half, then it doesn’t matter, it is not cheap at all. “Basically, we went to the manufacturer and had one made out of titanium to withstand the heat, pressure and the caustic substances.” There were other instances
where tools were developed and calibrated to operate in a northern hemisphere summer, Mr Fitzgerald said. “They operate on these cement silos in Germany where the ambient temperature is 15 degrees,” he said. “You just can’t comprehend that you have the same instrument sitting on top of a silo in North Queensland where the ambient temperature is 50 degrees plus the ‘heat soak’. They were failing every summer. “A client would buy these instruments each year because they were failing. So we designed protective hoods for them; insulated fire blanket hoods. “We design and fabricate them for any instrument; from an ultrasonic measurement probe to nucleonic density gauges, to flow meters. “The same client now gets four years out of the same instrument.”
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PRTS FEATURE
The Mining Advocate | December 2008 - January 2009
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Perfect match PRTS personnel pride themselves on product knowledge, with the ability to supply just the right instrument for specific applications. When it comes to measuring industrial processes, Townsvillebased PRTS has your measure. Exact measure that is, meeting levels of tolerance set by the most precise industry standards. Radar, laser, ultrasonic, pressure, temperature and ow measuring devices from Germany, the UK and the United States can be accessed, calibrated and maintained by PRTS. Teaming up the appropriate ďŹ eld instrument with a process was what set the company apart, PRTS instrument engineer Marko Marttila said. “It’s common sense that an instrument’s capabilities need to be up to the job is it being asked to do,â€? Mr Marttila said. “But the devil is in the detail or in this case the speciďŹ cations. “Our point of dierence is product knowledge and having the right instrument for the application.â€? Buying such instruments o the shelf could prove a false economy, because they may not be appropriate to the planned application, he said. “An instrument can be too big. By that I mean it is not calibrated to measure the applications, like measuring dierential pressure in a clean room,â€? Mr Marttila said. “...In other cases, measuring the ow in hydrocarbons requires a speciďŹ c instrument - as they are non-conductive, a magnetic ow meter is unsuitable. The ow meter may also be too small for certain applications and need replacement in a short time, again adding to the cost. “Dierent meters may be
made of mild or stainless steel, or unable to handle high temperatures or corrosive conditions. “Some applications may be
vary according to demand, Mr Marttila said. “We are currently working with an underground mine in North Queensland in improving the damper operation on their ventilation system,� he said. “Up to this point they used a block and tackle to open and close the vents and we are
PRTS director Greg Fitzgerald checks a crate of goods bound for west Africa. Photo: Stewart McLean
Townsville ďŹ rm packs a punch in overseas market
Instrument engineer Marko Marttila with a magnetic flow meter. Photo: Stewart McLean
abrasive and we can ďŹ t soft rubber or even ceramic liners if need be. “Hastelloy electrodes are another good example. It is a very hard-surfaced material and extremely resistant to abrasion. “The point is we have the knowledge to be able to respond with cost-eective measures.â€? PRTS oered an advisory and support role which could
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installing an automated system. “We are going further and introducing a telemetric system to further reduce the manual element. This reduces costs and increases eďŹƒciency.â€? With the current economic climate, he said many clients were focusing on improving existing infrastructure to be more eďŹƒcient and cost eective with a higher-quality end product.
MAKING MODERN LIVING POSSIBLE
A solid reputation and good relationships with national professional service providers has put Townsville-based ďŹ eld instruments supplier PRTS into overseas markets. PRTS draws on a worldwide network of manufacturers to supply processing and mining operations. It meets demands for ow, pressure, density or acidity measurement and aids in the processes fundamental to automated systems. Since being established in Townsville in the late 80s by engineer John Jaksch, PRTS has extended its service around the southern hemisphere to the point where 40 per cent of its business is done overseas.
Many destinations were remote and the bottom line was that the goods arrived as ordered, PRTS director Greg Fitzgerald said. “Meeting tight time frames and deadlines is where we have been very strong in the past,� he said. “Apart from the accounting process, our quality control person cross checks the packing. “Each stage of the packaging is documented by digital photography so you can clearly see what each instrument is, the tag number and how it is packaged.� Consistency of supply added to reputation and helped build relationships with international suppliers, many based in Australia, Mr Fitzgerald said.
Tough tags to keep track of gear
A high-grade stainless steel instrument tag. Photo: Stewart McLean
PRTS describes its Queensland-made ďŹ eld instrument tags as indestructible. The high-grade stainless steel tags with deep engravings are wired to instruments with stainless steel. The engraving is ďŹ lled with powder coat and baked. It is then burnished. This makes for easy cleaning and reading, regardless of conditions.
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HEALTH AND SAFETY FEATURE
December 2008 - January 2009 |
In pursuit of wellness Laser therapy can help people break free of a range of physical and psychological problems, according to a Queensland practitioner. A Cairns business is using a combination of the latest laser technologies, nutrient support and cognitive behavioural therapies to help clients overcome conditions including addictions, stress, phobias and insomnia. Advanced Laser Therapy Clinics (ALTC) specialises in providing single multi-faceted treatments that effectively address both the physical and psychological aspects of such conditions, according to clinical director Christopher R. Hall. “Taking care of our physical and psychological wellbeing is an obvious necessity if we wish to live in a happy, healthy and productive way,” he said. “However coping with and balancing work responsibilities, family and the numerous other concerns we face in our daily lives can challenge and even threaten our physical and psychological health. “We can find ourselves addicted to things like nicotine, alcohol, narcotics or we may
find ourselves overweight, stressed, anxious, depressed or fatigued. “These conditions gradually rob us of our fitness and
wellbeing. They erode our health - leaving us lethargic, listless, unmotivated, uninspired, overweight and unable to get on with the happy, healthy and productive lives we desire.” Mr Hall said ALTC could offer treatment for nicotine, alcohol, narcotics and gambling
ALTC says its treatments can help clients crush nicotine addiction.
addictions, as well as stress, anxiety, insomnia, depression, chronic fatigue, obsessive compulsive disorder, phobias and more. “One single treatment is usually all that it takes break free of addiction and regain control of your life and wellbeing,” he said.
The Mining Advocate
Mine levy funds extra inspectors The new mining industry safety and health levy which recently came into effect would boost the services provided by the State’s mines inspectorate, Queensland Mines and Energy Minister Geoff Wilson said. Mr Wilson said the inspectorate provided vital safety and health services that helped save lives. “Nothing is more important than that; the Bligh Government is asking for $26 million from an industry worth more than $26 billion to Queensland in 2006/2007,” he said. “Taxpayers should not have to fit the bill for that.” He said Queensland had the best mine safety legislation in Australia and it had to continue to be enforced mine by mine, employer by employer, worker by worker. “This new levy will fund seven new specialist mines inspectors, two investigators, five scientific research staff, an occupational hygienist, a statistician and a manager of health surveillance,” Mr Wilson said. “I am confident that the industry will see the logic in a safety and health levy. ”
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HEALTH AND SAFETY FEATURE
The Mining Advocate | December 2008 - January 2009
27
Course draws strong demand Training organisation First Response Australia has seen a dramatic increase in enrolments for its Certificate IV, Emergency Medical Response program. Turning out more than 250 Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) a year, First Response Australia can be credited as one of the nation’s most specialised training organisations in the area of pre-hospital care and has the largest range of nationally recognised accredited emergency care programs in Australia, according to general manager Lisieux Afeaki. “First Response’s training is so sought after that 2009 scheduled Certificate III and IV public programs have now doubled, with students now able to access the course in Cairns and in Melbourne at Swinburne University,” Ms Afeaki said. As well as offering courses in Cairns and Melbourne, the organisation runs on-site training for mining operations and other industry groups. “The fully booked November programs of Certificate IV and refresher courses saw participants come from a
variety of industries - offshore petroleum and gas; coal and metalliferous mining; federal police; white water river guides and even the internationally renowned Cirque de Soleil,” Ms Afeaki said. “They took away valuable pre-hospital care skills such as triage, intravenous cannulation and fluid therapy, head and spinal injuries, advanced airway management and musculoskeletal injury management to name a few. “These skills sets are vital to ensure that on-site emergency response teams are as prepared in rescue and extraction of the casualties as they are in emergency medical preparedness.” She said the recent resource boom across Australia and Asia had highlighted an acute shortage of skilled and qualified emergency response co-ordinators, placing a strain on industry’s obligations to their occupational health and safety requirements. First Response Australia’s EMT program runs over 11 days.
Water service warning The Queensland Department of Mines and Energy has called for all mines and processing plants to review procedures for the installation, upgrade and maintenance of water reticulation services where there is an interface between processing and potable water. The notification follows an incident at a northern
region operation where water flowed back through a hose line and contaminated the potable water system with processing water and residual process chemicals. The department stated that recycled processing water pipes, conduits and ducts should be coloured black as per the relevant Australian standard.
Course participants gain valuable pre-hospital care skills.
Ms Afeaki said the training period was complemented by about 100 hours of pre-course study and was emotionally strenuous for students. She urged those people considering signing up for the course to allow themselves or their employees plenty of time. Course enrolments close six weeks prior to program commencement. For more details visit www. firstresponseaustralia.com.au.
Training for rescue team leaders The Australian Institute of Mine Rescue (AIMR) will launch a mine rescue instructors’ course in February 2009. Principal consultant Riki Tahau said the time had come for Townsville-based AIMR to raise the bar for team leaders, with mine rescue team members now commonly achieving Certificate III levels throughout Australia. He said each participant in the instructors’ course should already
have completed a Certificate III or higher in mine emergency response and rescue, or a Certificate III in public safety fire supervision. They should be working towards or already have a Certificate IV in Training Assessment. Mr Tahau said the course was not for beginners and a much higher standard of effort would be required to succeed than in more basic rescue courses. He said participants would
need to have a high level of physical fitness and would need to possess the will to continuously improve their level of capability. Mr Tahau said the course would teach participants to safely organise emergency rescue training for teams in areas including breathing apparatus, fire, rope rescue, industrial trauma management, team physical training, hazchem response and vehicle extrication.
AR E Y O U P R E PARE D FOR A M E D I CAL EMERGENC Y? First Response Australia have been educating First Responders and Emergency Medical Technicians since 1999. Our training is guaranteed to ensure that your response teams are ready for any medical trauma, from basic first aid to critical care casualty management and triage. Have peace of mind that these valuable pre-hospital care skills will make a difference to your ability to respond to a medical emergency. Contact us now for information on our upcoming courses for:
Certificate IV in Emergency Medical Response 30714QLD Certificate III in Occupational Emergency Care 30713QLD Courses held at: Cairns, QLD and Swinburne University, Melbourne, VIC or at your site...........
Tel: (07) 4032 2444
Email: admin@firstresponseaustralia.com.au
www.FirstResponseAustralia.com.au
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THE YEAR THAT WAS
December 2008 - January 2009 |
Season’s
Greetings
FROM ALL AT THE MINING ADVOCATE A reminder to Queensland engineers: Your subscription to The Mining Advocate through Engineers Australia ceases in 2009. To continue the service you will need to register directly. Send your name and contact details to info@industryadvocate.com.au by January 25, 2009.
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