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Remembering miners at war
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THIS MONTH • Respects paid on memorial day • INPEX rejuvenates NT boom
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NEWS
The Mining Advocate | October 2008
The
MINING October 2008
3 LNG plant to recharge Territory INPEX Browse has ended months of speculation by announcing it will build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant in Darwin to process gas piped from offshore Western Australia. The INPEX announcement was welcome news for the Northern Territory resources sector, which was starting to lose a little of its rosiness in the current global climate of financial uncertainty.
6 Tunnelling under enemy lines
(COVER STORY )
The Mining Advocate has produced a special commemorative feature in the lead-up to to Remembrance Day, on November 11. A little-known but compelling story of World War I is the contribution of Australian miners, whose activities reached a crescendo in the infamous Hill 60 explosion that marked the start of the Battle of Messines in Belgium. The commanding officer of the First Australian Tunnelling Company, Captain Oliver Woodward, wrote of his experiences and his words are now the basis of a planned movie (our front cover features actor Brendan Cowell as Capt Woodward). This edition of The Mining Advocate showcases excerpts from Capt Woodward’s memoirs about life beneath the trenches. The grave of an unknown Australian soldier at the Toronto Avenue cemetery near Ypres in Belgium. The cemetery is a burial ground for Australian troops who died in the Battle of Messines, June 1917.
8 Debt owed to dead miners The inaugural Miners Memorial Day was recently held in Brisbane on the anniversary of North Queensland’s Mount Mulligan disaster – the state’s first major mining tragedy - as a remembrance service for all workers killed in Queensland’s mines. The daughter of a widow from Mount Mulligan gave an emotional perspective on the impact of fatal mining accidents on families. Representatives from the government, unions and the Queensland Resources Council spoke about the importance of commemorating miners who had died at work and the need to build on the industry’s improved safety record of recent years.
FEATURES 13 People 14 Industry Update A comprehensive wrap of exploration and operations in North Queensland and the Northern Territory.
9 Let the games begin This month will see nine teams from mines in north-west Queensland take to the footy field in the annual Battle of the Mines rugby league competition. The Mining Advocate caught up with two players from the Cannington and Ernest Henry sides to find out what they expected from the big day.
18 Between Shifts 22 Lifestyle 24 Rec ‘n Tech 25 Bigger, Tougher, Better 26 OZ Minerals Century Mine
22 On the trail of the marlin The annual Gilbert Group North Queensland Mining Billfish Challenge is now one of the premier social events for the industry. Mining Advocate journalist Michael Stevens and photographer Stewie McLean witnessed the excitement of reeling in a couple of marlin onboard the Moana III.
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NEWS
October 2008 |
The Mining Advocate
Firm takes setback in its stride
H20 owners Melissa and Leon Merington.
A family business affected by the shut-down of GBS Gold Australia’s operations south of Darwin shares its story of survival and growth. There’s a group of entrepreneurs making the most of opportunities uncovered by the ramped up mining industry in the Northern Territory. The family behind H2O drilling and exploration contractors is one of them. Such is the strength of this
dynamic business it has been able to absorb the sudden loss of a multimillion-dollar drilling and dewatering contract for Canadian-listed miner GBS Gold’s operations just south of Darwin. “They made the decision to shut down everything and assess
the position,â€? H2O owner Leon Merington said. “We understood the diďŹƒculty and were happy to work with them as a partner. “We had a long-term contract with them and oered to limp through with them and assist them out of their diďŹƒculties. “They basically said we had to move o site immediately. “We had two rigs and 13 men working double shifts. The whole crew had to be relocated to a nearby roadhouse and had to come in each day (to demobilise). We re-organised last month and fortunately only had to lay o four people.â€? In the meantime, the company has secured more contracts with OM Manganese, Territory Iron and ERA for exploration and dewatering. H2O made the most out of the recent diďŹƒculty by investing in training time on the expanding range of equipment ďŹ lling its Coolalinga yard on Darwin’s outskirts. To complement their existing drilling rig eet, the ďŹ rm has purchased two Boart Longyear LF90D 2008 model rigs worth around $1.2 million each. The business has almost doubled its eet in the past
ďŹ ve years and has another two universal drill rigs on order, worth more than $1.5 million each. H2O has been operating for 18 years and was one of the ďŹ rst civilian companies in East Timor in the ďŹ rst Operation Stabilise deployment in 1999. The project involved
developing forward watering points on which to build secure areas and assist in the rebuilding of primary town water supply. The company maintains a presence in East Timor and regularly hosts locals for training. H2O employs 60 sta members in Darwin as well as six East Timorese sta in Dili.
Operations fail amid rising costs Keeping a tight rein on rising costs is essential to maintain the mining sector’s global competitiveness, says the Queensland Resources Council (QRC). The comments came after two operations were mothballed in the Northern Territory. Matilda Minerals recently announced it was suspending its mineral sands operations on the Tiwi Islands and GBS Gold Australia (a subsidiary of GBS Gold International) went into voluntary administration and ceased mining at its Union Reefs operations centre. Both listed fuel costs among
the factors that led to their operations winding down and GBS Gold additionally cited high labour costs. Other operation-speciďŹ c circumstances were also blamed. QRC acting chief executive Greg Lane said the Queensland resources sector likewise suered from cost pressures that created a ďŹ ne line between production costs and price considerations for new projects. Charges imposed by governmentowned infrastructure providers represented a substantial component of the burden.
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NEWS
The Mining Advocate | October 2008
3
Gas-fired boost for NT business INPEX Browse’s decision to establish a processing plant at Darwin is tipped to bring the region’s resource boom back to the boil. The decision to build a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant in Darwin has come at just the right time for the Northern Territory resources sector, which is bracing itself against the global financial crisis. In a major coup for the Territory, INPEX Browse operator of the $23 billion Ichthys joint venture with Total E&P Australia - has selected a designated industrial site on Darwin’s Blaydin Point on which to build a processing facility for gas piped from offshore Western Australia. Matthew Baker, the Darwinbased manager of investment advisory company iiZen Equities, said that prior to the INPEX decision the Northern Territory resources sector boom was strong but slowing. “It (the NT resources sector) had just started to come to the
boil but the gas had been turned down,” he said. He said the INPEX processing plant would be a valuable creator of opportunity over its predicted life of more than 40 years, with up to 2000 jobs on offer during its construction phase and about 300 when it was up and running. The project would build Darwin’s skill base, which would in turn help attract other major projects to the Territory, Mr Baker said. “Initially (during construction), a lot of workers will fly in and then disappear, but a lot of those workers might stick in Darwin - and then the skills will stick and we’ll have business development around that,” he said. He said a “wall of little industries” would emerge to support the project, including fabrication and labour hire.
In looking at the state of the Northern Territory resources sector as a whole, Mr Baker said that the global financial crisis would have a sobering effect and investors in the sector needed to be increasingly savvy. “I would expect to see fewer floats and fewer start-ups explorers will be gently walking their ground rather than running around like madmen,” he said. “Investors should be mindful of directors’ fees and should keep in mind where the money is going – they should be looking at how long companies could survive with the cash they have got and how much of that cash is actually going into the ground. “There is still plenty of heat and plenty of opportunities but you can’t jump on just anyone, you have to look at each company individually.” Mr Baker said small resources companies in particular faced a difficult period and predicted that many would have to sell shares at a discount to the market in order to raise cash for operating costs.
Mitchell Hooke addresses the Minerals Council of Australia conference in Darwin. Photo: Christopher Knight
Crucial balancing act Good public policy for the mining industry should recognise the interrelation between financial factors and social and environmental considerations, according to Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) chief executive Mitchell Hooke. In his opening address at the recent MCA Sustainable Development Conference in Darwin, Mr Hooke said the industry was increasingly recognised in Australia and globally as a leader
in the practical implementation of sustainable development. “While that is an obvious point of pride, indeed celebration, when you consider how far we have come in regaining our social licence to operate in just over half a decade, it also carries enormous responsibilities. There is always a risk of being lulled into complacency by selfgratification,” he said. Conference social photos Page 19.
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October 2008 |
The Mining Advocate
Childcare crunch for mining towns A recent forum for rural women has thrown the spotlight on a major snag confronting families drawn to resource-industry work . A lack of childcare services in remote Queensland mining communities has created a crisis for working families living at the coal face of the resources boom, says Julia Shadlow-Bath. Ms Shadlow-Bath - Incitec Pivot’s community relations adviser based in Mount Isaattended a recent Queensland Government rural women’s symposium in Roma in a personal capacity. She convened a session on childcare needs for families in rural and remote areas, and how to attract and retain workers to support childcare services. She told The Mining Advocate that a dearth of childcare workers in regional communities was making employment in the resources industry increasingly unsustainable for families other than those prepared to engage in fly in-fly out work.
“Invariably the workers who fit the bill (as community-based workers) beyond the usual two to three-year cycle have children, but unfortunately very large mining companies don’t see childcare as part of their ‘core business’ - housing maybe, but childcare is a no-go zone. “Is it too soft an issue? Is it unmeasurable? Is it unfashionable? Is it because at the end of the day - with enough pressure - there is always ‘the little missus’ who will pick up the pieces?” Although Ms Shadlow-Bath is frustrated by the slow progress, there is some evidence that companies are beginning to address the problem. At Xstrata Copper’s Ernest Henry mine at Cloncurry a “Newborn Production Support” program allows pregnant workers and new mothers to change
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their shifts from full time to permanent part time. In Weipa on Cape York, a community group including senior representatives from Rio Tinto Alcan has been established to plan for a new childcare centre in the town. However, Ms Shadlow-Bath said that attracting childcare workers to regional Australia became harder as the skills shortage grew, with workers in the underpaid and undervalued areas of home help, after-school care and babysitters especially drying up. She said the problem was exacerbated by a lack of extended family support for miners who had moved to remote mining centres, meaning women often had to forgo work opportunities. The women’s symposium was attended by delegates from Agforce, State Government agencies and 40 community members, with outcomes communicated directly to Queensland Premier Anna Bligh.
Renee Aplin, 10, and Sid Lavers, 12, from Dajarra primary school check out the IPL’s fertiliser storage shed at Townsville Port. Photo: Stewart McLean
Outback school kids receive lessons in life Incitec Pivot (IPL) is engaged in a primary school-based scheme to highlight potential employment opportunities for young children in remote communities. The scheme is focusing on schools near IPL’s Phosphate Hill mine and fertiliser plant in north-west Queensland. The “Respect and Grow” program is a partnership with the Outback Arts group, the Queensland Police Service and
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NEWS
The Mining Advocate | October 2008
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Top-notch training initiative Its entry-level programs for industry novices have proved a winning move for Cannington mine, writes Michael Stevens. was under way for a third such program. Also nominated in the same category was Xstrata’s McArthur River Mine in the Northern Territory. The operation was highly commended by the judges for its program to increase the recruitment and retention of local indigenous employees. The awards night, held at the Brisbane Convention Centre, comprised 10 categories and was compered by television personality Ben Dark. MISC chief executive officer Derek Hunter, in his opening address, said that in addition to Queensland nominees, award entries were received from the Northern Territory, Western Australia and New South Wales for the first time this year. “That’s a very major statement about the changes that are occurring within the MISC, because in effect the work we are doing is too important to simply contain it to Queensland,” he said.
Karen Cramb accepts the innovation in workforce development award for BHP Billiton Cannington Mine. Photo: Fiona Harding
IsaLink project under fire The IsaLink project – which would connect the Mount Isa electricity network to the national grid via Central Queensland - could set back development in electricity generation in North Queensland for many years, according to Townsville Enterprise (TEL). Speaking prior to the recent North Queensland Economic Development Conference in Townsville, TEL economic development general manager
Lisa McDonald re-affirmed the organisation’s opposition to the project, saying it would have diabolical consequences for North Queensland’s industrial future. “New base-load generation is required if we are to realise lower power prices,” she said. “As it stands the current IsaLink proposal could have serious impacts on our efforts to attract a (base-load) generator to the north-east.”
Dr McDonald said a North Queensland transmission connection would provide the load needed to attract a generator and connection to the national grid from North Queensland would cut power prices in the Mount Isa region, with about 200 megawatts of new load coming online. ”We are asking the State Government to consider our situation before making any decisions on the project,” she said.
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BHP Billiton’s Cannington operation has won a gong at this year’s Mining Industry Skills Centre (MISC) Training Awards for programs aimed at first-time miners. Mining industry novices from backgrounds as diverse as mechanics, grazing and grape growing - are recruited into the programs and put through a four-month course in the basics of operating underground, bringing them to Level One operator capability before they are dispersed to crews. Safety and health components are also emphasised including environmental awareness, health monitoring, dust and lead management, and risk and hazard identification. In accepting the award for innovation in workforce development, Cannington mining training co-ordinator Karen Cramb thanked the “amazing” team of trainers involved in the programs. She said the second round was up and running and recruitment
“This great industry of ours has no boundaries – it is not split by state or territory.” Among the other award nominees were Xstrata Copper and Zinc’s North Queensland Operations, Krause Health & Safety and HWE Mining. Social photos on Page 21.
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NEWS
October 2008 |
The Mining Advocate
“I trust that I will not give you children the idea that war was a glorious adventure. It was never that, but was at all times the greatest tragedy of modern civilisation. To every soldier in the trenches the very idea of war was repugnant. Yet, to many an individual soldier war was the melting pot from which came refined gold.” Captain Oliver Holmes Woodward, in a letter to his children that forms the preface to his memoirs.
A miner’s recollections of war Oliver Woodward’s story is one of courage and perseverance, on a journey that took him from Charters Towers in North Queensland to the infamous blast beneath Hill 60 in Belgium on June 17, 1917, that shook the German army to its core. Captain Woodward, commanding officer of the First Australian Tunnelling Company, provided a vivid description of World War I miners in his memoirs, written after the conflict. The Mining Advocate was given access to these writings by historian Ross Thomas and, in the lead-up to Remembrance Day on November 11, we use them to pay tribute to the littleknown contribution of the mining industry to Australia’s war effort.
Before Hill 60 Educated at the Charters Towers School of Mines, Captain Woodward was working at the Mount Morgan Gold Mining Company at its Laloki Mine in Papua at the outbreak of the war. Because the mine produced copper - necessary in the manufacture of munitions - the staff were largely exempt from enlistment. However, Capt Woodward felt uneasy about not being on the frontlines and anguished by the actions of correspondents to the company. “While there may have been a measure of fairness in these arguments (for exemption) they were never really comforting and when, in addition, practically each mail brought a white feather, symbolic of cowardice, I began to lose my self-respect,” he wrote. Capt Woodward enlisted for active service in September 1915 and was drafted into the fledgling Australian Mining Battalion because of his engineering experience. He served in the Armentieres sector in France and the Ploegsteert sector in Belgium, and in July 1916 became the first tunnellers officer to receive the Military Cross, awarded for his actions in blasting a sniper post. He was later awarded two bars for further brave actions.
Preparing for the blast On October 16, 1916, Capt Woodward’s First Australian Tunnelling Company relieved Canadian miners engaged in the work of tunnelling under the much-feared Hill 60, part of the Ypres Salient in Belgium. The Australians found that additional mining and charging was needed in some areas. They also drove long tunnels into Hill 60 to intercept workings dug by the Germans, to keep them from discovering important galleries packed with explosive charges for the impending Hill 60 blast. Capt Woodward wrote in his memoirs about one occasion when the Germans were discovered tunnelling too close for comfort to the Allies’ Hill 60 system. The Australian miners tunnelled beneath the enemy’s position and placed explosives, but were concerned that explosion would set off the main Hill 60 explosives and so detonation was delayed until the situation became critical. “Down went the handle of the exploder there was a dull boom a mild shock of an earthquake and to our joy the Hill 60 mine withstood the shock,” wrote Capt Woodward. “Observers of the surface reported that a huge tongue of flame leapt skyward from the enemy’s line, and then all was deadly quiet. While at the time we did not know this was the position, we were certain that we had struck at a vital point as for almost three months no sound of enemy activity could be heard at depth.”
“Zero day”: June 1917 Capt Woodward was detailed to take control of the firing of the mines for the Hill 60 blast a responsibility that lay heavily upon him. “Even in civil life one would approach the task of firing such a large quantity of high explosive with a feeling of responsibility; and yet a failure could, in such a case, be assessed in terms of £. s. d (pounds, shillings and pence),” he wrote. “On this occasion any slip on my part would endanger the success of the attack, and
Captain Oliver Holmes Woodward increase the loss of human lives.” Despite his fears, the detonation was successful and its effects overwhelming: 45,700 pounds of ammonal explosive and 7800 pounds of gun cotton explosive under Hill 60 blew a crater 198 feet (about 60m) in diameter and 33 feet (about 10m) deep, and 70,000 pounds of ammonal explosive underneath the associated “Caterpillar” dump blew a crater 273 feet (about 82m) in diameter and 51 feet (about 15m) deep. Capt Woodward was in a dugout when the mines exploded, but described what he saw during an inspection shortly after. “Trenches were squeezed together so quickly and thoroughly that enemy dead were seen in a standing position,” he wrote. “Relatively few prisoners were captured from Hill 60 proper, and those of the enemy who were alive were nervous wrecks, a great number of them actually crying with fear. “One can readily excuse the enemy breaking down under the strain of this hell on earth, as even to our own men, who anticipated the explosions, the sight was absolutely awe inspiring.”
Armistice Day Hill 60 was the last major tunnelling operation in World War I and with the task complete most Australian tunnellers served as infantry until the end of the war. In his memoirs, Capt Woodward describes the mixed
emotions he felt after the armistice was announced to his company on parade. “One would have expected that at this stage the field would have been filled with men carried away in a paroxysm of joy but it was not so,” he wrote. “Instead officers and men moved quietly about from one group to another giving and receiving a handshake among comrades. It was an occasion too great for words. “In our mind we called to memory those of our comrades who had made the supreme sacrifice and we were forced to offer a prayer of thanksgiving that we had been spared to witness the close of the Great War of 1914-1918. “Our individual reaction seemed to surprise us and we somehow felt disappointed that we had received this wonderful news in such a calm spirit. Yet it seemed that unconsciously
we had acted in the spirit of the occasion and personally I am glad that I have no story to tell of wild and uncontrolled exuberance.” Capt Woodward’s return home was delayed when he was attached to a corps responsible for removing delayed action mines on ground handed over by the Germans. He eventually arrived back in Sydney on May 17, 1919. Capt Woodward returned to the Mount Morgan Gold Mining Company and later joined the Broken Hill Associate Smelters at Port Pirie in South Australia. From 1926 to 1947 he was general manager of North Broken Hill. In 1940 he was president of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, and from 1951 to 1954 president of the Australian Mines and Metals Association. Capt Woodward died in Hobart on August 24, 1966.
Beneath Hill 60 producer Bill Leimbach, executive producer Ross Thomas and writer David Roach display a poster for the movie. Photo: Stewart McLean
Silver screen tribute Oliver Woodward’s story is being turned into a film which will be shot entirely in Townsville. Producer Bill Leimbach said he would like the movie to be financed in the same locality as well and he is calling for investors. “We have divided the film into 20 equal units of $275,000 each, making the total budget at $5.5 million,” he said.
“The units are available to sophisticated and professional investors from all over Australia but we want to try to finance it entirely from North Queensland.” Anyone interested in investing or knowing more about the financial package should speak to John Kerrisk at Maclean Partners Chartered Accountants in Townsville on (07) 4729 2222.
NEWS
The Mining Advocate | October 2008
Lie of the land Oliver Woodward describes the Hill 60 area in his memoirs as two sections divided by the cutting of the Ypres-Menin railway line. “In the construction of this cutting the spoil was dumped in two areas of strategical (sic) importance in war,” he wrote. “Both dumps were on the
right-hand side of the cutting, one in the German and the other in the British lines.” By reason of its winding shape, the spoil dump in the German lines was referred to as the “Caterpillar” , while that in the British lines was simply referred to as “The Dump”. The 60m contour enclosing the area of highest elevation in the vicinity (Hill 60) lay in the
German lines and in “No Man’s Land”. Tunnellers historian Ross Thomas said Hill 60 changed hands several times as the war progressed and in May 1915 the Germans regained the landmark. They began its fortification during the following year. The objective of tunnelling under Hill 60 and exploding mines was to capture the
Messines sector, an 8km ridge comprising the Ypres salient. The Battle of Messines – which began with the June 7 blast - was a preliminary to the third battle of Ypres, which aimed to be a diversion for a joint Anglo-French assault elsewhere on the front to win the war outright. Eventually this effort failed and the war again bogged down
on the Western Front until hostilities ceased on November 11, 1918. However, Mr Thomas believes the Hill 60 explosion weakened German morale for the rest of the war, citing a comment from General von Ludendorff of the 204th Division that the blast was “simply staggering” for the Germans.
The stench of death Tunnellers historian Ross Thomas describes the horrendous conditions experienced by all miners on the Western Front: “Many diggers contracted influenza and bronchitis by working in the damp atmosphere - made worse by throat-choking dust - and had to agonisingly restrain from coughing and sneezing for fear of alerting the enemy. To make shaft sinking conditions absolutely vile, there were occasions when digging in trenches exposed the putrefying remains of previously fallen soldiers. Both underground and in the trenches there was an everpresent stench of death, with the sickening smell from a combination of dead bodies, excrement and filthy soldiers, not to forget the gas-stained mud in which the tunnellers toiled. Lice and scavenging rats added to the appallingly unhygienic conditions. Sometimes uncharted latrines were encountered. Self-induced conditions of poor candlelight illumination, combined with poor ventilation, left many tunnellers with headaches, dizziness and permanent sight loss. Working under lowintensity lighting also caused an eye disorder called miners’ nystagmus (common amongst coal miners), resulting in unsteadiness on the feet. The tunnellers, as a result of their experiences, often trembled and were recognised by their pallid appearances. The greatest killer of tunnellers was carbon monoxide gas generated from firings. A close second was the horror of a cave-in, burial from a mud
Greater recognition due for tunnellers’ efforts
Australian tunnellers working underground during World War I.
rush (with the ground turned to a horrific jelly as a result of continual artillery firing and underground blasting) or being blown skyward by an enemy mine or one of your own. Tunnellers also had an abhorrent fear that their trench system would be captured by the enemy, only for the discovery to
be made by them on returning to the surface at the completion of their shift. Not only were there casualties, heavy mental strain also took its toll. If it was not for ample supplies of beef-tea and rum provided for the tunnellers, the toll most probably would be higher.”
Although Captain Oliver Woodward’s wartime achievements are beginning to receive wider recognition through the publicity surrounding an upcoming movie, the contributions of others associated with the Australian mining industry are equally deserving of commemoration. The Australian Mining Battalion (later split into individual tunnelling companies) was formed in 1916 after Professors Tannatt William Edgeworth David and E.W. Skeats - geological department heads at the universities of Sydney and Melbourne approached the Minister of Defence, acting on reports of underground warfare that had filtered back from Gallipoli. Meanwhile, professor of physics at the University of Sydney, J.A. Pollock, began work on a modified telephone or “geotelephone” for detecting faint sounds underground - one of Australia’s first scientific contributions to the war. By the end of 1916, three Australian companies and one New Zealand company were among a total of 32 Allied tunnelling companies. Some of the tunnellers were members, or later became members, of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy
7
The geotelephone - an Australian innovation.
(AusIMM). AusIMM’s heritage committee drew The Mining Advocate’s attention to Sergeant George Mason Hindmarsh, a member of the First Australian Tunnelling Company who distinguished himself at Hill 60 and was awarded the Military Medal. As well as the Ypres Salient, Australian tunnellers engaged in their difficult form of combat on battlefields including the La Bassee Canal, Loos, Vimy Ridge and the Somme. Historian Ross Thomas believes these brave men have not been properly recognised, at least partly because underground warfare was often considered “ungentlemanly” by the top military brass. He said it was time for them to receive the recognition they deserved.
8
NEWS
October 2008 |
The Mining Advocate
Fallen colleagues remembered A daughter mourns the day her mother lost her smile as Queensland stops to pay tribute to those killed in the state’s mining accidents. Although the mining tragedy at Mount Mulligan in North Queensland happened before she was born, Billie Pelling has felt its effects deeply. Ms Pelling’s mother was made a widow when a coal dust explosion killed 75 miners on September 19, 1921, and despite later remarrying (to Ms Pelling’s father) and having three more children, she never fully recovered from the disaster. “Our mother never smiled. I realised that on that day ... my mum not only lost her beloved husband, but also her smile,” Ms Pelling said. Ms Pelling spoke of her mother’s experiences at the inaugural Miners Memorial Day in Brisbane recently. “At 9.20am my mother was bathing her baby when she felt and heard the explosion - she looked towards the mine and saw the dust and debris in the air,” Ms Pelling said. “She left and joined people already gathered at the mine entrance, and there they stayed
until the mine’s general manager, Mr Watson, stepped up on to a slag heap and spoke the following words: ‘You had better all go home, I hold no hope for any man’.” Mount Mulligan became a town of widows and Ms Pelling said her mother had to call on hidden reserves of willpower and self-reliance. “She was 27 years old and was responsible for three children, all under five years,” she said. Miners Memorial Day was held on the anniversary of the Mount Mulligan disaster – Queensland’s first major mining tragedy – as a remembrance service for all workers killed in Queensland’s mines. Following the liturgy, led by Roman Catholic Archbishop of Brisbane John Bathersby, representatives from government, unions and the Queensland Resources Council (QRC) spoke about the importance of commemorating miners who had died at work and the need to build on the improved safety
The inaugural Miners Memorial Day service in Brisbane.
record in the industry in recent years. QRC acting chief executive Greg Lane emphasised the organisation’s commitment to the goal of “zero harm”, after it was criticised at the recent Mining Industry Health and Safety Conference in Townsville by safety consultant Corrie Pitzer. “Our goal is zero harm for our employees - strangely, in some quarters, this goal is being
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challenged,” Mr Lane said. “We are being told we are setting the bar too high. We are told that zero harm is unachievable. “Our response is to ask the critics what they regard as an acceptable level of harm - the discussion inevitably ends at this point.” Acting Queensland Premier Paul Lucas was among the speakers. “As they say, we stand on
the shoulder of giants … 1450 miners since 1877 have lost their lives,” Mr Lucas said. “Men who died in dust and darkness, sometimes with their mates, sometimes alone, but never with the peace of a death at old age surrounded by their loved ones, their kids and their grandkids.” Kagara’s copper operation at Charters Towers also held a minute’s silence to mark Miners Memorial Day.
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NEWS
The Mining Advocate | October 2008
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Teams are putting the ďŹ nal touches on their preparations for the Battle of the Mines rugby league competition, to be held at the Cloncurry Showgrounds on October 18. Nine sides will contest the title this year including last year’s winner, the Devils, from Xstrata’s Mount Isa copper operations. The Eloise Mine Bulls are new entrants and the Xstrata Copper Young Guns – mostly made up of apprentices – will back up from the battering they received in their debut last year. As part of this year’s coverage, the Mining Advocate spoke to players from the BHP Billiton Cannington and Xstrata Copper Ernest Henry teams about what they expect from the event. Look out for the November edition for their accounts of how the big day panned out.
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Rion Burgess Ernest Henry team
Jon Almond Cannington team
Rion Burgess – a mining technician at work and a forward on the team - is an old hand at the Battle of the Mines, with this year being his ďŹ fth in the competition. He said the teams seemed to get increasingly competitive and more serious every year. “Everyone there wants to enjoy themselves, but we do all really want to win,â€? Mr Burgess said. “The competition has been going for a good few years now so we all know what it’s about and the bragging rights have grown since it all began.â€? He said his main goal for the event this year was simply to stay ďŹ t enough to see all of the games through, but the Ernest Henry team would be fairly competitive. Mr Burgess believes the Battle of the Mines is great for the mining industry because it gives players the opportunity to represent the operations they work at. “There’s some great team rivalry on the day and we all get to know new people over a few beers once the games are over,â€? he said. “It also gets us all mingling with other people from our own workplaces – people who are in dierent roles and people we don’t see often because they’re on dierent shifts.â€?
Mining engineer Jon Almond ďŹ rst played rugby league when he was eight years old, but switched to rugby union while at boarding school. Last year’s Battle of the Mines saw Mr Almond play his ďŹ rst game of league for 15 years, but he said the skills were easily transferrable between union and league. Mr Almond said he looked forward to the social atmosphere of the early rounds in this year’s event, but the competition would become more intense as the day progressed. He said Cannington’s strength was its teamwork, despite the fact that dierent rosters meant many members of the squad did not know each other very well. “It requires a lot of communication between team members – we’ll pull together on the day like we did last year, but even better this time,â€? he said. Mr Almond said the Cannington side had played a lot of touch footy to train for the event, to allow players to get to know each other better. He believes the Battle of the Mines is important because the general community supports the event, meaning that members of the public have the opportunity to meet workers from often-remote mine sites.
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NEWS
October 2008 |
The Mining Advocate
Peak body launches marketing campaign
Professional pitch Improving public understanding of the industry is hoped to help steer more young people towards an engineering career. Engineers Australia will launch a $2.5 million marketing campaign next month in a bid to boost public awareness of the profession. The campaign is aimed at helping address the shortfall in those taking up engineering careers in Australia as well as generally raising the profession’s profile and increasing community understanding. “A major focus of the campaign is to assist children, and those helping them, to make better-informed career preference decisions earlier in their education cycles,” Engineers Australia chief executive Peter Taylor said. He said Engineers Australia had already spent $500,000 of the allocated funding on groundwork for the campaign, including research and talking with interest groups. “We won’t necessarily stop at $2.5 million. This program is so
important to us that if we have to fund it in future years we will do so,” Mr Taylor said. Increasing public understanding of engineering, particularly in schools, was among the key recommendations of research organisation the Carrick Institute (now the Australian Learning and Teaching Council) when it released a report on the nation’s supply of engineering graduates earlier this year. The report highlighted poor public perception as one of the reasons for low participation in engineering programs. Mr Taylor flagged Engineers Australia’s marketing initiative during a recent National Press Club address, alongside a plea for radical action to improve the science, engineering, technology and mathematical literacy of Australian students in order to increase the number of domestically trained engineers.
He stressed that growing international demand for engineers meant it was imperative for Australia to increase its pool of engineering professionals from within – through increased investment in education and training - rather than depending on buying skills “off the shelf ” from overseas. Peter Taylor addresses the National Press Club.
Engineering scholarships Charles Darwin University and the Northern Territory Government have invested in a new scholarship program to help build the Territory’s engineering workforce. Infrastructure Minister Delia Lawrie said the new program would provide 20 engineering scholarships. “Scholarship holders will undertake a Bachelor of Engineering Co-operative and paid employment within the Department of Planning and Infrastructure (DPI), making them work ready upon graduation,” she said.
Students will receive an allowance of $15,000 per full year for the four-and-a-halfyear degree course, with the remainder of the scholarship award – almost $50,000 for each student – taking the form of paid work-placement periods with the DPI. The scholarship program will also allow students to participate in relevant work placements in the private sector or other areas of the public sector. Eligibility for the co-operative degree and DPI scholarships will be assessed on academic
merit, with a minimum TER score of 85 for school leavers. Meanwhile, Engineers Australia has held its annual Engineering Excellence awards for the NT, with the Darwin Convention Centre proving to be much more than the host venue. The engineering team of Connell Wagner, Sitzler Laing O’Rourke Joint Venture and AE Smith & Son shared the evening’s top prize with Nilsen (NT) for their work during the recent construction of the centre. Awards night photos Page 21.
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12
NEWS
October 2008 |
The Mining Advocate
Dawsons scores key contract on Groote Eylandt North Queensland company Dawsons Engineering was recently awarded a contract for Stage 1 work on an expansion project at Groote Eylandt, off the Northern Territory coast. The $167 million expansion of the Groote Eylandt Mining Company’s (GEMCO’s) manganese processing plant is aimed at increasing processing capacity to four million tonnes per annum by removing bottlenecks from the layout. Dawsons Engineering is involved in demolition of the concentrator floor and construction of a new cyclone building as well as installation of a feed hopper, two 15-tonne overhead gantry cranes, a drum scrubber, screens and conveyors. Dawsons Enginering has been on site at Groote Eylandt for almost five years. It has about 70 workers on the expansion project and 40 involved in site maintenance. Project manager Bernie Dalton said the company’s expansion project workforce would peak around 100, with the bulk of the workers to be sourced from the Cairns district but also from as far away as south-east Queensland. “I believe it’s recognition of both our service to GEMCO
Bernie Dalton Dawsons Engineering project manager
to date as much as our proven ability on other projects that has gotten us over the line with this contract,” Mr Dalton said. He said the company would co-operate to share resources with other contractors on the project including Downer EDI, Hatch and Watpac JMS Civil and Mining.
DATE CLAIMERS Mining the Territory
IIR’s Mining the Territory conference – Darwin Convention Centre, October 14-15. For more information visit www.iir.com.au.
Workshop for managers
Queensland Government workshop on safety for managers in the metal fabrication industry - Workplace Health and Safety Queensland’s Townsville conference room, October 15. For more information call (07) 4760 7948.
Asbestos safety talk
Commerce Queensland’s Townsville Workplace Health and Safety Club meeting, featuring a discussion on asbestos safety - Rydges Southbank Convention Centre, October 22. For more information call (07) 4728 0600 or email townsville@commerceqld.com.au.
Chamber luncheon
Cairns Chamber of Commerce lunch featuring James Cook University vice-chancellor Sandra Harding - Sofitel Reef Hotel Casino, October 28. For more information visit www. cairnschamber.com.au.
Delegations to China
The Queensland Government’s special representative to China, Steve Bredhauer, will lead delegations to Beijing’s China Coal Expo 2008 (November 4-7) and China Mining 2008 Conference and Exhibition (November 11-13). For more information visit www.dtrdi.qld.gov.au.
James Cook University earth science lecturer Haidi Beard is seeking donations of minerals from mining companies.
Samples needed as teaching aids An earth science lecturer hopes mining companies will provide some rock-solid support to prepare students for the field. Haidi Beard is calling on mining companies to provide samples of minerals to help her teach upand-coming geologists. Dr Beard, an earth science lecturer at James Cook University ( JCU), said she needed companies to be involved in raising the skill level of graduates. “One of the best ways to do that is give students examples from mines, so that when they
go out in the field they can recognise minerals more readily and be aware of what can signify a deposit,” she said. She said JCU’s Townsville campus already had a minerals library but the ore section was not as well fitted out as it should be and not as tailored to Queensland-specific minerals as it could be. Dr Beard also envisages developing mineral packs that
could be provided to primary schools and high schools for teaching purposes and muchneeded promotion of earth sciences. “We are finding that when we teach some new students (at JCU), geology is something completely new – there are real concerns that not enough earth sciences are being taught at schools,” she said. She said teaching geology was about visuals, with students learning how minerals interrelate from viewing samples. Dr Beard can be contacted on 0401 589461 or at Haidi.Beard@ jcu.edu.au.
PEOPLE
The Mining Advocate | October 2008
13
New direction for geology Tropical Institute of Mining, Energy and Exploration manager Rowena Duckworth
Solomon Islands and Fiji. JCU is seeking industry and government support. It is also in discussion with Charles Darwin University in the Northern Territory and Central Queensland University in Rockhampton. English national Dr Rowena Duckworth accepted the challenge to generate some momentum behind the concept and she stated her case to The Mining Advocate.
Photo: Stewart McLean
James Cook University is thinking outside the box in its efforts to promote geology for a professionals-starved mining industry. It is trying to establish the Tropical Institute of Mining, Energy and Exploration (TIMEE)
with a wide brief to both better meet the demand for geologists and lift standards in the industry. That includes crossfertilisation with disciplines including mining, energy infrastructure and systems engineering, among others. Why? Because the shortage is chronic. James
Cook University ( JCU), for example, is likely to have 17 graduates this year at a time when 100 or so geology vacancies are advertised daily across the country. The institute’s proposed area of influence is across northern Australia, north to Malaysia and the Philippines and east to
Q: What are your aims for the TIMEE and how far have you come? RD: There are several mining centres in Australia. (But) we have nothing that services the tropical environment. JCU is ideally located in northern Australia and the tropics. We have a very strong economic geology department and a very strong engineering department. We thought if we could join forces, it would help with energy infrastructure and it would help international mining companies that are
focusing on our area with their problems. And maybe more importantly, it would help in capacity building. Q: Would it be a virtual institute or would it have a physical presence? RD: My preference is
“The idea is to run short courses as well as the traditional degrees...” for a “typical” centre so people could come and meet everyone who was working in that centre in the one place, like a onestop shop. The idea is to run short courses as well as the traditional degrees because not many people these days have the time to do a three or four-year degree. The idea of doing nationally accredited short courses to get you up to speed or re-skilling, I think that would be a really good thing to do. I think, in that respect, it would be better if we had a physical centre.
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Q: You mentioned reskilling. Does that apply to technicians as well? RD: Exactly. We talk to industry on a regular basis and there are all sorts of short courses. For example: geology for nongeologists who work inside
the industry; perhaps for those who say, “one day it would be nice if I could understand the jargon”. Q: Is it fair to say that you would like to keep students at university for a longer period of time? RD: It would be nice if third-year students wanting to become freshman geologists stayed on (for post-graduate studies) because that helps you develop better research skills. It helps you develop better analytical and problem-solving skills and you become a more wellrounded geologist.
14
INDUSTRY UPDATE
October 2008 |
The Mining Advocate
Double delight for Copper Strike
Credit where it’s due - TotalFab’s formula for business success Townsville engineering firm TotalFab is using reward and recognition tactics to encourage recruitment and retention. The company held its annual awards night in Townsville recently, with managing director Marcel McLeod saying it was an important part of developing the business. “The business is not all about making money but building something that is still going to be around in 20 years,” Mr McLeod said. “Everyone who works here has something to contribute. Our job, as business owners, is to give them the chance to be the best they can. We want the staff to think, ‘if we support this we may benefit’.” Awards were given in 10 categories including most improved team member and one recognising coaching and mentoring. The Employee of the Year award went to planning co-ordinator Kelvin Canty, who was also recognised as most valuable team member. Passion for the “what could be”, TotalFab’s vision, made Mr Canty a clear winner, Mr McLeod said. “Kelvin had only been out of his trade for four years when he applied for the position,” he said. “His enthusiasm was something we had to harness. This award is important because it came from his peers.” TotalFab now has 20 employees, after having only
Boost for Roseby throughput
Copper Strike recently announced that resources at its Chloe and Jackson tenements had doubled. The total resource inventory on the tenements now stands at 4.6 million tonnes containing 4.8 per cent zinc, 2 per cent lead, 0.2 per cent copper and 51g per tonne of silver. These figures also represent an 87 per cent increase in contained zinc and 53 per cent in contained lead. The tenements are part of the company’s Einasleigh project, 300km north-west of Townsville, which is currently the subject of a feasibility study.
Resource upgrade for Exco Infill drilling at Exco Resources’ E1 South copper and gold deposit has led to the conversion of 40 per cent of the resource from the inferred to indicated category. The company stated that total resources for the Cloncurry Copper Project are now about 39 million tonnes, with the indicated portion having more than doubled to 13.8 million tonnes. A definitive feasibility study on the Cloncurry Copper Project remains on track for completion during the first quarter of 2009. The E1 camp, which comprises three main deposits (E1 North, South and East), is located 40km northeast of Cloncurry and about 8km east of Xstrata’s Ernest Henry mine. TotalFab Employee of the Year Kelvin Canty (centre) with Rod Woods, of John Holland Group, and Marcel McLeod.
one seven years ago. Mr McLeod said his long-term goal was to help educate the industry to improve the skills base and ensure its sustainability.
Axiom confident in Nightflower
Universal Resources will upgrade its Roseby copper project to a throughput of five million tonnes per annum following a review by GR Engineering Services (GRES). Universal Resources executive chairman Peter Ingram said the project was now expected to generate an average operating surplus of about $112 million per annum, an increase of 34.8 per cent from the original definitive feasibility study. GRES concluded that, with minimal additional capital expenditure, the mill design could be modified to process a blend of 60 per cent soft native copper ores and 40 per cent harder sulphide ores, improving milling characteristics and significantly increasing copper production. The project is near Cloncurry in North Queensland.
Drilling at the Nightflower prospect - 50km north of Chillagoe in North Queensland - has confirmed the high-grade nature of silver and base metal mineralisation at its Digger Lode, according to Axiom Mining The company has announced an initial inferred resource for the project of 1.34 million ounces of silver, lead, zinc and copper. Geology director John McCarthy said drilling, mapping and other survey data supported continuity of mineralisation within the Nightflower fault away from the high-grade Digger Lode inferred resource. He said significant gold was present in and adjacent to the Digger Lode but had not been included in the resource estimate. Further drilling is expected to be conducted along the Nightflower fault in late 2008.
Green cement takes off Australian China Clays has successfully undertaken a bulk run of “green” cement concentrate at its Skardon River main plant in North Queensland. Managing director Vic Alexander said enough concentrate to make 600 tonnes of end product was being shipped to customers, ultimately to be used for commercial sales and bulk trials by larger target customers. He said regular bulk production at Skardon River would begin this month. Mr Alexander said a number of small production runs had been made at Skardon River’s pilot plant this year with successful results.
Napperby work winds up Toro Energy has completed drilling at its Napperby uranium project in the Northern Territory for 2008. Sonic holes were completed for 3300m of exploration drilling and 784 aircore holes for 9724m. The company stated that progress and core recovery were excellent, with samples from the sonic rig now being forwarded for assay. A further 30 reconnaissance aircore holes were drilled to the west of the Napperby deposit.
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INDUSTRY UPDATE
The Mining Advocate | October 2008
15
Energy Metals drilling in NT Drilling is under way on two of Energy Metals’ Northern Territory uranium projects. At the Bigrlyi project an initial 15,000m reverse circulation drilling program - designed to extend shallow resource positions - has begun. Aircore drilling is also under way to investigate a uranium channel anomaly at the Cappers prospect, which appears to be associated with calcareous alluvium similar to Toro Energy’s Napperby deposit, located 20km to the south-east. Executive director Lindsay Dudfield said field activities in Western Australia were also set to accelerate following statements by the recently elected Liberal-National Party Government that it supports the development of uranium mines in the state.
Dubai company invests in Citigold Citigold has announced a capital-raising deal with Dubai Group to underpin the expansion of its Charters Towers gold mining operations. Dubai Group, through its subsidiary Dubai Ventures Group, intends to acquire a stake of up to 18 per cent in Citigold for $35 million. “This transaction reflects our long-term view on gold and Citigold’s ability to enhance shareholder value by ramping up production to 250,000 ounces per annum by 2011,” Dubai Ventures Group chief executive officer Abdulhakeem Kamkar said. Citigold managing director and chief executive officer Mark Lynch said the company’s long-term strategy was centred on Dubai - the world’s largest physical gold trading centre. Citigold listed shares on the Dubai stock exchange in early 2007.
Surveys at Calvert River Territory Uranium has completed an airborne hyper spectral scanning survey at its Calvert River copper project in the Gulf of Carpentaria region of the Northern Territory. Managing director Ian Bamborough said that mineral alteration mapping had identified a number of discreet circular alteration features across the tenement holding. He said the area was known to be prospective for breccia pipe-hosted mineralisation such as the Redbank copper deposits and the Stanton nickel and copper prospect. The company also reported that results of a detailed radiometric survey at its Daly River uranium project had been returned and follow-up exploration was in progress.
SkyAirWorld business development manager John Davies, chief executive officer David Charlton, Cloncurry Shire Council Deputy Mayor Greg Campbell and SkyAirWorld technical development manager Peter Schott at the launch.
SkyAirWorld launches Cloncurry flight service SkyAirWorld celebrated the launch of its new Brisbane-Cloncurry-Cairns route recently with a function in Cloncurry. Regular scheduled services now operate three times weekly, using 48-seat Embraer ERJ-145 and 76-seat E-170 jets. SkyAirWorld chief executive officer David Charlton said the new route was an exciting accomplishment for the airline and the first scheduled domestic service for the company. The company has also announced its participation in the indigenous intake program, a scheme initiated by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations in conjunction with Aviation
Revised estimate for Redbank Redbank Mines has reported a revised mineral resource estimate for its Redbank copper project in the Northern Territory. The new estimate consists of 5.208 million tonnes of ore at a grade of 1.44 per cent copper, containing a metal inventory of 75,000 tonnes of copper. Managing director Jerome Vitale said recent in-fill drilling, mostly within the established mineralised envelopes of known high-grade deposits, had seen an excellent conversion of resources in the oxide zone from the inferred to indicated category. Mr Vitale said the new resource estimate represented a modest increase in overall tonnage and an overall 6 per cent increase in contained metal over the previous estimate.
MOVING FORWARD.
Australia, to offer opportunities for young indigenous Australians to train as flight attendants. SkyAirWorld has already recruited four young indigenous flight attendants, who will start work on the Brisbane-Cloncurry-Cairns route as well as the company’s Brisbane-Honiara-Solomon Islands route this month. Meanwhile, MacAir has taken delivery of two additional SAAB 340B aircraft, to be operational by the end of 2008. MacAir chief executive officer Kent Donaldson said the additional aircraft, which increase the company’s SAAB fleet to eight, were further evidence of the airline’s commitment to upgrading air services in regional Queensland.
New face at Conquest Conquest Mining has appointed Jeff Innes as the company’s inaugural chief operating officer. Mr Innes is a mining engineer of 28 years’ experience with Pilbara Iron, KCGM, Ravenswood Gold and OZ Minerals. His most recent role was as Century mine’s deputy general manager. Conquest Mining managing director John Terpu said Mr Innes’s appointment reflected the company’s focus on moving forward from an explorer and resource evaluator to a producer. Mr Innes will be based in Townsville and will oversee the current exploration program and metallurgy, mining and administration aspects of the Silver Hill silver prospect in North Queensland in order to move it forward into an operating entity.
Darwin
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16
INDUSTRY UPDATE
October 2008 |
The Mining Advocate
Drilling begins at Nolans Arafura Resources has begun drilling at its Nolans rare earths, phosphate and uranium project in the Northern Territory, 135km north-north-west of Alice Springs. Managing director Alistair Stephens said the drilling program comprised about 1000m of core drilling into the central portion of the north zone of the Nolans deposit. He said the company anticipated that this area would be the focus of initial mining operations when planned development began in 2009-10.
Go-ahead for Angela and Pamela
Outgoing MITEZ executive officer Barrie Lovett with Glen Graham, who has replaced him in the role. Photo: Stewart McLean
A fresh face behind the wheel at MITEZ Recently appointed Mount Isa Townsville Economic Zone (MITEZ) executive officer Glen Graham promoted the organisation at the recent North Queensland Economic Development Conference in Townsville. He displayed a new Toyota Prado that was provided to MITEZ as part of a sponsorship package from Mount Isa’s Bell and Moir Toyota dealership. Mr Graham has been busy taking the reins from Townsville-based MITEZ project officer Barrie Lovett. As head of the organisation for the past six years, Mr Lovett facilitated a number of important projects across the MITEZ corridor. Mr Lovett said it was an exciting time for Mr
High-grade results for Uramet Uramet Minerals has announced high-grade phosphate results from sampling at the company’s Barr Creek phosphate project, 120km north of Mount Isa. The Barr Creek project area comprises northern and eastern extensions of the third-party-owned Lady Jane phosphate deposit, discovered in the late 1960s. Uramet Minerals has mapped both previously known and newly discovered phosphate rock outcrops spanning about 20km within the tenement. “With the recently commenced 3000m drilling program at the Marqua phosphate project in the Northern Territory, together with these latest Barr Creek laboratory results, we are well placed to meet our short-term objective of proving up a joint ore reserve committee-compliant phosphate resource for rapid development,” managing director Bill Hewitt said.
Graham to be taking over because many major projects that MITEZ had long been advocating were taking shape. These included increased bulk capacity of the rail line and Townsville Port systems, the possibility of additional energy to Mount Isa and transport links providing access to new mines in the minerals province. Mr Graham - who was previously employed as Mount Isa City Council’s city development officer - said he looked forward to building a stronger network across the corridor and working on projects that would deliver measurable outcomes for the MITEZ region.
Mineralisation at Harts Range Mithril Resources has discovered nickel and copper mineralisation at the Harts Range joint venture area, part of the Huckkitta project in the Northern Territory. Additional geological mapping and prospecting and ground geophysical surveys are planned prior to drill testing. Under the Harts Range joint venture, Mithril Resources can earn up to 80 per cent interest in all minerals other than uranium from Oklo Uranium. Meanwhile, the company has also been awarded $100,000 as part of the NT Government’s Bringing Forward Discovery initiative to jointly fund a drilling program on the Indiana property. The proposed drillholes will test targets prospective for copper sulphide mineralisation which have been generated from recently completed geophysical, geochemical and geological surveys.
The Department of Regional Development, Primary Industry, Fisheries and Resources has granted Cameco Australia and Paladin Energy Minerals an exploration licence over the Angela and Pamela uranium prospects in central Australia. In December 2006 the “reservation from occupation” status over the sites was lifted and 37 exploration licence applications were lodged with the department. A joint venture of Cameco Australia and Paladin Energy Minerals was named as the preferred applicant for the licence. As part of the application process, comments and objections were received from members of public, landholders and native title claimants. A departmental spokesman said a large number of responses to the exploration licence were received and had been addressed.
Browns oxide plant producing A significant milestone was achieved at Compass Resources’ Browns oxide plant in the Northern Territory recently when the stripping of copper cathodes commenced. The company has signed a major sales contract for copper cathode product with Sempra Metals and Concentrates for 100 per cent of Compass’s share in the off-take for an initial period of three years, with an option to extend. First sales were anticipated to begin this month when adequate stocks of saleable product had accumulated.
Aragon acquires Territory Phosphate Aragon Resources has advised that it has completed its acquisition of Territory Phosphate. Aragon Resources – through Territory Phosphate - is now the sole owner of a portfolio of phosphate projects in the Georgina and Wiso basins of the Northern Territory. The key, and most advanced, projects are exploration titles and applications covering the Ammaroo and Lady Judith phosphate prospects.
INDUSTRY UPDATE
The Mining Advocate | October 2008
17
Nabarlek mine exploration Uranium Equities will begin exploration in the area of the historic Nabarlek uranium mine in the Northern Territory, following approval from government agencies and traditional owners. The company gained access to the site earlier this year when it acquired Queensland Mines. The move consolidated the company’s presence in the Alligator River uranium province in West Arnhem Land, where it has a 40 per cent interest in 1269ha of exploration tenements surrounding the Nabarlek mine lease in a joint venture with the world’s largest uranium producer, Cameco Corporation. Nabarlek mine operated between 1978 and 1988 and was Australia’s highest-grade uranium mine, producing more than 24 million pounds of uranium, which would be valued at almost $2 billion at today’s commodity prices. “The 1279ha Nabarlek mining lease is perhaps the most significant high-grade brownfields uranium exploration opportunity in Australia,” Uranium Equities executive director David Brunt said. “There has been no on-ground exploration in the current higher-uranium-price environment and no exploration drilling since 1994, yet it contains some readily identified targets.”
Emmerson revives a golden great Emmerson Resources has reported encouraging reverse circulation drilling results from the Golden 40 project area in the Tennant Creek mineral field in the Northern Territory. Managing director and chief executive officer Rob Bills said the results indicated the potential for extensions to the historic Golden 40 mine, which operated as a high-grade underground operation between 1969 and 1983. It produced 55,832 ounces of gold but was not fully exploited because of deteriorating ground conditions, he said.
Aileron shows promise NuPower Resources has discovered anomalous radioactivity on all four licence areas comprising its Aileron project in the Northern Territory. The project is a contiguous area of about 20,000sq km between 40 and 150km north of Alice Springs, with a mix of NuPower and joint venture tenements. NuPower Resources managing director Dennis O’Neill said Aileron now represented a significant project that would require several years of steady follow-up drilling.
Pat on the back for dedicated emergency response personnel BHP Billiton Cannington Mine recognised workers who dedicated themselves to the mine rescue service at a presentation night in Townsville recently. Cannington mine rescue trainer Keith Evans said the night highlighted the important role rescue team members played as emergency response personnel. “It was great to pat each one of them on the back and tell them how vital they are to the operation of the mine,” Mr Evans said. Mine rescue team captain and member for five years, Shayne Jenkins, said being recognised for his service meant a lot to him. “We put a lot of time and effort into the training and service and it’s great to be able to see the appreciation for it,” he said. Twenty-five of the 39-strong Emergency Response Team also received their Certificate III in Metalliferous Mining Emergency Response and Rescue, which they had achieved over the last 18 months. Mr Evans said the certification was the first part of a new and innovative structured training program for mine rescue personnel at Cannington. “The program was designed to provide a nationally accredited training package, so the guys can use it in future roles and even outside work,” he said. “Training this year is aimed towards gaining
Good result for CopperCo CopperCo has announced a net profit before tax of $11.52 million for the 12 months to June 30. Managing director Brian Rear said the results reflected the company’s transformation from developer to producer during the year. He said final work relating to the expansion of the Lady Annie copper project – north of Mount Isa – was complete and the project would raise production to 30,000 tonnes of copper cathode per annum. ”We are in the final stages of completing our merger with Mineral Securities, which has transformed CopperCo into a diversified global resource company and positioned the company well to navigate the turbulent financial markets of recent times,” Mr Rear said.
Cannington mine rescue trainer Mark Tomlinson presents a commemorative watch to emergency response team member Michelle Parker.
Certificate III in Public Safety (Firefighting) and Certificate IV Public Safety (Leadership) - it will be quite an achievement to gain all three certificates.” The BHP Billiton Cannington Mine presentation night was held at Rydges Southbank Convention Centre.
New skills centre manager The Mining Industry Skills Centre (MISC) has appointed Cameron Boyd as its new general manager for commercial operations. Mr Boyd is experienced in the fields of information technology solutions, automated broadband telecommunications, enterprise resource planning and aerospace systems. Meanwhile, the Queensland Government’s agreement with MISC to deliver training to mining employees has been renewed for a further three years. Education and Training Minister Rod Welford said MISC had acted as a broker for training since September 2005 and was cost effective and supported by industry. “A new $9 million Funds Management Agreement 2008-2011 will continue the highly successful industry leverage arrangements,” he said.
18
BETWEEN SHIFTS
October 2008 |
Gilbert Group North Queensland Mining Billfish Challenge
The Mining Advocate
PHOTOS: Stewart McLean
Townsville
Mick Clark and Mark Sibly (BHP Billiton Cannington).
Terry Gilbert (Rio Tinto) with Ryan McKenzie and Greg Gilbert (Gilbert Group) and Craig Singleton (BHP Billiton Cannington).
Nikki Gilbert and Narelle Ayres (Gilbert Group).
David Frame and Scott Marshall (Breakwater Marina).
Rob Hatrick (Ryan Drilling), Andy Grigg (Prestige Universal Mining Pumps) and Tom Hatrick (TD Hatrick & Co).
Rob Fretwell (Gilbert Group) and Anthony Ruddell (Xstrata Tech).
Cairns Amateurs Race Day
PHOTOS: Romy Siegmann
Cannon Park Racecourse, Cairns
Lloyd Everist (Dawsons) and Kevin White (Global Welding Supplies).
Bronwyn Goe (Osborne mine) and Melissa Whitehead (Incitec Pivot).
Jeremy Blockey (Cairns Chamber of Commerce) and Marc Ryan (Dawsons).
Erica Peebles (Cairns Chamber of Commerce) and Toni Whyte (Canegrowers Mulgrave).
Scott Whitehead (Incitec Pivot) and Bruce Watson (Xstrata).
Candy Fagg (Skybury Coffee) and Merran Blockey (Blockey Consulting).
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BETWEEN SHIFTS
The Mining Advocate | October 2008
Minerals Council of Australia Sustainable Development Conference
19
PHOTOS: Christopher Knight
Darwin Convention Centre, Darwin
Donna Meyer and Alum Cheedy (Marndamia).
Graham Cobby (DPI), Kathryn Friday (DPI), Christine Plavina (BHP Billiton) and Peter Plavina (OZ Minerals).
Dave Frith (New South Wales Minerals Council) and Scott Maloney (Worsley Alumina).
Kelvyn Eglinton (Newmont Waihi Gold), Darryl Pearce (Lhere Artepe) and Lloyd Jones (OZ Minerals).
Michael Russel (Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs) and Sid Morris (Minerals Council of Australia).
Eleanor Kippen and Julieann Stoll (Central Land Council, Alice Springs).
Sally Martin, Shane Langford (BP), Melanie Statsel (Minerals Council of Australia), Christine Choles (Newmont) and Vanda Power (BP).
Lisa Jane Thomas (Hat Trick Events) and Sarah Leavitt (Minerals Council of Australia).
John Hanson (GEMCO), Alison Hamilton (Newcrest), Wayne O’Neill (GEMCO), Nedra Burnes and Greg Morris (both from Newcrest).
TotalFab awards
PHOTOS: Kristie Sugg
Newmarket Hotel, Townsville.
Donna Sugg, Barbra Bellinger, Ann-Marie Kehres and Lee-Ann McLeod.
Paul Sugg, Marcel McLeod, Kelvin Canty and Greg Bellinger.
Adam Archer, Dan Orvis and Daniel Skaleki.
Queensland’s leading Regional Airline Townsville 4 Mount Isa -17 returns weekly Cairns 4 Mount Isa - 6 returns weekly Book online w w w. m a c a i r. c o m . a u
Taking care of Queensland
20
BETWEEN SHIFTS
October 2008 |
Casa Grande Charity Ball
The Mining Advocate
PHOTOS: Patrick McDonnell
Casa Grande, Mount Isa
Louise Campbell and Blake Fethers.
Bob and Felicity Engwicht.
Charlton Kennedy and Toni Rose Kuhn.
Sarah Samson and Donna Kuskopf.
Terene Madden, Kim Skennerton and Nicolle Van Heerden.
Liz and Rick Bailey.
SkyAirWorld jet service launch Gidgee Inn, Cloncurry
John Davies (SkyAirWorld) with Shane and Lesley Laffey (Cloncurry Hospital).
Rebecca Miller, Danielle Cragen, Chelsea Cleary, Selena White and Alex Strange (all SkyAirWorld staff ).
Deseray Cowell, Richard Cowell (Combined Resource Engineering) and David Charlton (SkyAirWorld).
Kirsten Westerman (Cloncurry Hospital) and Jeremy Grim (Western Diesel).
Lynda Barnes, Karen Elphick and Gail Wilpaki (Cloncurry Shire Council).
Kylee Ferguson, Anna MacDonald and Lisa Picket (Cloncurry Travel).
BETWEEN SHIFTS
The Mining Advocate | October 2008
2008 Mining Industry Skills Centre Training Awards
21
PHOTOS: Fiona Harding
Brisbane Convention Centre, Southbank
Ian Watson with Sheena and Jeff Milburn (Rio Tinto Alcan).
Rhonda Casey with Dave and Wynita Anderson (Krause Health & Safety).
Athena Cain, Dave Thomas, Anne-Marie Bountempi and Sue Dubois (Xstrata Copper and Zinc).
Amanda Owen and Tamara Bell (Xstrata Copper and Zinc).
Judy Porter, Brett Rowe, Megan Petit and Scott Lawley (Reserve Consultancy).
Dave Turner and Len Turvey (G&S Engineering).
Trevor and Leslie Wilson (Reserve Consultancy).
Derek Hunter with Anna Chemello (HWE Mining).
Mark Panagis, Karen Cramb and Andy Milburn (BHP Billiton Cannington Mine).
Engineers Australia Northern Division Engineering Excellence Awards Darwin Convention Centre, Darwin
Daniel Brown (Julia Ross) presents Kevan Blake with the Professional Engineer of the Year Award.
Danny Jansen (Nilsen NT) presents Trevor Davey (Power and Water Corporation) with the Reports, Procedures and System Award.
Greg Sinclair (ERA) presents Bob Calaby (NT Airports) with the Highly Commended Award.
Brisbane - Cloncurry - Cairns return every Tuesday, Friday and Sunday
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22
LIFESTYLE
October 2008 |
The Mining Advocate
The thrill of the chase, with a When a host of keen anglers hit the waterss off Townsville for the recent Gilbert Group North Queensland Mining Billfish Challenge, reporter eporter Michael Stevens was there for the ride - queasy stomach and all. We knew it would be a good day when we spied a bloke in red footy shorts with eyes lit up like a child at a Christmass tree, aiting marching along the Townsville breakwater at dawn to a waiting boat for a full day of marlin fishing – and beer drinking. The annual Gilbert Group North Queensland Mining Billfish ial Challenge has built a reputation as one of the premier social ining events for the industry and, in the name of journalism, Mining Advocate photographer Stewie McLean and I weaseled ourr way on to one of the boats to find out what the fuss was about.. es. In the end, it really was a fishing experience of two halves. We set out in choppy conditions with six fellow anglers oat’s aboard the Moana III and were nicely tenderised on the boat’s marine seats during a two-hour trip to the waters beyond Cape Cleveland. Captain Daniel McCarthy explained that the area was a nursery for baby marlin, which were born a little bit oast north of Townsville and would move south to the Gold Coast by late December. ited With lines thrown out the back we kicked back and waited hey for the fish to start breakfasting, but it soon seemed that they had dined elsewhere. By lunch time, the situation was grim – the only catch we na, had from about three hours of trolling were two mack tuna, which had all the fight of inebriated goldfish. Moana III deckhand Ross Howson stuck the gutless wonders in the freezer, saying that they were excellent bait for full-grown marlin (at least they were useful for something). Meanwhile, two blokes succumbed to the waves inside their heads and were forced to hang their green faces over the side of the boat to provide “a bit of burley”, as the common taunt of seasick fishermen goes. Regrettably, one of those blokes was me and after gingerly downing a chicken sandwich from the buffet, I was out of action for an hour or so as I had a kip. Fortunately, a nap is a great tonic for seasickness and I was able to leap up from my seat when the fishing action finally came through for the Moana III. Anthony Ruddell from Xstrata Technology grabbed a bent rod and initially thought he had a Spanish mackerel, because of a relative lack of pull. But as he started to reel in, the fish struck back with a vengeance
Anthony Ruddell of Xstrata Technology shows off his black marlin catch with the help of Moana III crewman Ross Howson. Photo by: Stewart McLean
Living with cancer can be a little rough. Especially when the recommended treatment is football! This is just one of the treatments children can experience at Camp Quality. Camp Quality is a national charity that is committed to bringing hope and happiness to every child living with cancer, their families and communities through ongoing quality recreational, educational and financial support programs. At Camp Quality, children can participate in activities like canoeing, horse riding, skiing, abseiling, crafts, face painting, tug of war, archery, field trips, in fact anything that can make a child forget about their illness for a few days. Each child on camp is also assigned a companion - an adult who then becomes the camper’s friend and most importantly, makes sure they have a great time together. At the end of the camp, children leave feeling rewarded and much more positive. In the words of one camper, Michael; “Camp Quality has been unreal in helping me see that there is hope. I don’t think I would have gotten so far without them. I think of all my friends there as my second family. Especially my companion ‘Simmo’ who’s supported me through the last twelve years.” But to continue the fun and laughter for children living with cancer, we need your help. If you’d like to make a donation, or help with our programs, please contact us at www.campquality.org.au or call us on 1300 662 267. You’ll be helping us show that laughter is the best medicine.
LIFESTYLE
The Mining Advocate | October 2008
23
couple of coldies on the side and it was clear he had latched on to a black marlin. After about 10 minutes of hauling with gritted teeth, he landed the billed baby black. “That was a rush. My arms are rooted,” he said, after it was tagged and released. The deckhand had a running joke with the captain – he now yelled out “when do you want the next one?”. Standing with beers on the lower deck, everyone chuckled – there was a sense that the boat had received its luck for the day and we should be thankful with one marlin. But about an hour later, success struck again. This time, Greg Pearson of Jetcrete took on the job and the deckhand strapped a rod-holding belt across his waist to make the task easier. For the first 10 minutes of the retrieval the other anglers looked on in intense anticipation, but by the 15-minute mark it looked like we’d have to settle in for the long haul and one of thee blokes near the Esky asked if anyone wanted a beer. “I’d love one,” said Greg, as he dropped his exhausted arms to his side and let the fish run with line for a few seconds. After about half an hour he managed to bring a 25kg marlin close ater enough to the side of the boat for the deckhand to tag it. Greg later oppy explained that the fish seemed to drop with the waves in the choppy conditions, which prolonged the struggle. The number of bill fish tagged by a boat duringg competition is usually shown by attaching red triangular flags to the rigging, but the Moana III showed its tally by displaying red lacey G-strings instead. Two new pairs of panties were taken out of the packet on the way back to shore, as the boys looked forward to a big night of beer and fishing yarns.
A black marlin is released after being reeled in by Greg Pearson. Photo: Stewart McLean
Challenge goes from strength to strength More than 40 boats and 142 anglers participated in the 2008 Gilbert Group North Queensland Mining Billfish Challenge. During the five-day event, 408 billfish were spotted, 318 were hooked and 183 were tagged. Townsville boat Mojo took out the 8m and Under Category with a total of nine billfish and Gold Coast boat Gametime took out the 8m and Over Category with a total of 16 billfish. The Moana III tagged five black marlin and three sailfish, with Trevor Brebner from Xstrata, Bob Crumb from Major Drilling and Neil McNickle from the Gilbert Group among the successful anglers. Organisers said this year’s competition was the biggest in its 26-year history.
Craig Cameron and Greg Pearson of Jetcrete. Photo: Stewart McLean
Anthony Ruddell of Xstrata Technology fighting the swell and a black marlin. Photo: Stewart McLean
24
REC ‘N TECH
October 2008 |
The Mining Advocate
Nokia N96 It would be hard to find a handset with more features than the Nokia N96. It features a five-megapixel camera, turn-by-turn voice navigation, up to 24GB of memory, built-in 3D stereo speakers, preloaded N-Gage gaming access and a 2.8-inch display. It’s also able to store up to 40 hours of video content, which means you’ve got space to download numerous movies or an entire TV series. RRP $1349
Canon EOS 5D Mark II digital SLR This is the first camera of its kind to be able to shoot both video and stills in high definition. It also offers the widest ISO speed range of any EOS digital camera, with a standard range of 100-6400, which can be extended to 50-25600 with ISO expansion, giving photographers the freedom to capture images in extremely bright or low-light conditions.
Philips has released a range of docking entertainment systems this month, designed to help you enjoy your iPod tunes at home. The DC910 and the DC570 can both play and charge iPods and they’ve been equipped to produce a powerful sound. The DC 910 has dual wOOx loudspeakers while the DC570 stands just over 1m tall and has a built-in subwoofer. RRP DC910 $249.98 DC570 $349.95
Courtesy of Apple
Philips 2008 range of docking entertainment systems
Apple fourth-generation iPod nano This is Apple’s thinnest iPod nano yet. It features a refined user interface, a high resolution portrait display and built-in accelerometer which automatically switches to cover flow when rotated and changes to shuffle mode when lightly shaken. RRP 8GB $199 16GB $279
Creative Vado pocket video cam This lightweight video camera is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. It has a built-in 2GB memory and a removable rechargeable battery that allows you to record up to two hours of video without having to worry about tapes or discs. Its two-inch LCD screen and video resolution up to 640 x480 pixels make it possible to capture video in dimly lit environments. RRP $149.95
Mimoco Mimobot designer USB flashdrives These funky Star Wars themed flashdrives designed by American-based company Mimoco are sure to inject personality into any workplace. Each one is pre-loaded with a variety of character-related content such as games, music and wallpaper. C3PO, the Red Guards, Darth Sidious and Wicket are the most recent additions to Mimoco’s growing collection. RRP A$51.38 for a 1GB flashdrive.
BIGGER, TOUGHER, BETTER
The Mining Advocate | October 2008
25
Hastings Deering M-series motor graders After travelling to Darwin and more than 12,000km around Queensland to showcase its new M-series motor graders - launched earlier this year - Hastings Deering says it’s convinced the machines will become a popular choice for mines and heavy construction customers. The new models feature some dramatic changes to the way such machines have traditionally operated. The major developments have taken place in the cab, with the usual steering wheel and 10-lever system replaced by two electrohydraulic control levers. Hastings Deering says there are huge safety benefits and the new system of operation is much easier to learn.
Advantech AIMB-252 The AIMB-252 features Intel Core 2 Duo mobile processor support, as well as a built-in Intel GMA 900 graphics controller to support 3D performance and DirectX 9.0. Advantech says with the use of an ultra-low voltage Celeron M processor, the board is ideal for fanless applications. It says it is also the perfect application for limited space or dual displays.
Baldor Dodge CST This patented two-in-one drive combines a planetary gear reducer and hydro-viscous clutch specifically engineered to deliver and synchronise power and control the acceleration of high inertia loads such as long-haul conveyors. About 180 CSTs are already in operation at coal, gold, iron ore and copper mines around Australia. Baldor says its clutch-only versions are highly effective for braking in decline application.
Norman G. Clark cooling fans Modern aerospace technology and high performance plastics have been used to produce this new generation of polymer cooling fans. They’ve been designed with heavy trucks and mining vehicles in mind and have the advantage of being significantly lighter than the more traditional metal fans and therefore less wearing on fan clutch linings and bearings.
Norman G. Clark Oblan externally mounted dynamic air pre-cleaners Atlas Copco LMS 67 GIR25 impact wrench The LMS 67 is the first wrench to be designed using a closed lubrication system. Atlas Copco says sealing the grease inside the tool has reduced the amount of maintenance required and extended its service life. Although the LMS 67 GIR25 weighs just 9.4kg, it still manages to deliver a powerful 2800 Nm.
These pre-cleaners are designed to be mounted on or connected to the air filter intake of a gasoline, diesel or compressed natural gas engine air cleaner. Norman G. Clark says they have the ability to remove up to 90 per cent of impurities from intake air before it enters the filter element, extending the filter life by up to 10 times and reducing down time by up to 50 per cent.
26
OZ Minerals Century Mine
October 2008 |
The Mining Advocate
Oz Minerals Century Mine
• The Century zinc, lead and silver opencut mine is located in the lower Gulf of Carpentaria in north-west Queensland. • It is Australia’s largest mined zinc deposit and is owned by OZ Minerals, a new company born out of the merger between Oxiana and Zinifex. • The operation comprises two sites; the mine and concentrator at Lawn Hill
North West Crane Hire has the following equipment and cranes on offer: 18-220t Cranes 34ft – 85ft EWP’s 3 x 10m Tippers Semi’s, Flat top and Step Deck Trailers IT Loader 3t-7t Forklifts Tilt Trays Crane Operators, Riggers, Labourers, Tradespeople and Supervisors available The company, directed by Mark and Leanne Bellamy, commenced in 2004 with one 50t Crane and now the fleet has expanded to 78 various units with more cranes, semi’s and equipment on order and due to arrive in 2008. Mark Bellamy: 0407 620 868 Kelvin Ryan: 0422 124 083
and concentrate dewatering and shiploading facilities at Karumba. • In the year ending June 30, 2008, a record 521,471 tonnes of zinc in concentrate was produced at the operation. • Scheduled mine closure is 2015, but it is hoped that regional exploration will extend the mine life.
OZ Minerals Century Mine
The Mining Advocate | October 2008
27
Alliance arrangement draws to a close
Turning point This month marks the start of a new era for the Century operation as it moves into owneroperator mining, writes Michael Stevens. The transition from Zinifex to OZ Minerals at Century mine has co-incided with a change to owner-operator mining. General manager John Lamb said the transition from alliance mining with Downer EDI to owner-operator mining was an obvious task when he began in his role about 10 months ago. He said Century mine was about halfway through its life and now had the confidence to make the change. “When Pasminco (Zinifex’s predecessor) came out of administration and Zinifex was born, it was a company that struggled to get good people to come and work for it,” he said. “Zinifex struggled to get good deals and equipment, and at that point in time Roche Elton (now Downer EDI) offered all of those things – they offered a readymade workforce, equipment and a proven relationship with suppliers. “So it made sense to manage
the risk to the operation by putting in place that alliance - it served us well for four years, but down the track Zinifex matured. “OZ Minerals has now bought or taken over the leases of all the equipment on site, we have no trouble at all in negotiating good prices when we do business deals with our contract suppliers and people are happy to come and work for us.” Mr Lamb said the transition would end the current duplication of management, human resources and payroll systems, which was slowing down decision-making processes. He said the existence of two separate safety systems on site – one for contract miners and one for company employees - had also been a concern. “There is the potential for confusion – we’ve dealt with it along the way by good communication and lots of it - but it’s a duality of systems
that really we can’t afford going forward,” Mr Lamb said. “It needs to be very clear that if you work on site at Century you wear the one shirt, you work under the one set of values and follow the one set of rules.” He said all of the Downer EDI employees on site (about 600 workers) had been offered contracts with OZ Minerals and almost all were expected to accept them before October 1, the first day of owner-operator mining at Century. OZ Minerals has given an undertaking that Downer EDI employees will not be worse off under the new contracts. Mr Lamb praised Downer EDI’s collaborative approach to the transition. “The process we’ve gone through has had very measured and easy agreement, and our transition team is made up of both OZ Minerals and Downer EDI people,” he said. Mr Lamb said Century would maintain its relationships with other on-site contractors including ESS, Dawsons and P&O.
Frances Escott from Mornington Island sews a new OZ Minerals badge on to an employee’s vest.
Game plan remains It’s business as usual at Century mine despite the change of company name, according to general manager John Lamb. The mine is now owned by OZ Minerals, which was created when former owner Zinifex merged with fellow resources company Oxiana. Mr Lamb said Century mine was the biggest asset in the OZ Minerals group and had already formed a highly successful modus operandi. “We’ve just come off a year where we’ve produced record high zinc metal tonnages and where we’ve had the best environmental performance on
record. Things are working pretty well for us and I wouldn’t like to change the formula,” he said. “Why change the game plan when you’re already winning?” However, Mr Lamb said workers would feel some subtle differences, with the new company aiming to be quicker at making decisions and acting decisively. Signage on site is being relabelled with the new OZ Minerals logo and four workers from the Mornington Island Community Development Employment Projects group have sewed new badges on to old Zinifex-branded work clothing.
28
OZ Minerals Century Mine
October 2008 |
The Mining Advocate
Venturing into new territory The hunt is on for suitable deposits to keep north-west Queensland’s Century operation running beyond its current life expectancy. OZ Minerals is exploring for zinc, lead and phosphate around Century mine to potentially extend the operation’s life beyond 2015. General manager John Lamb conďŹ rmed that there were known phosphate deposits in the region but said little exploration work had been done to date. He said OZ Minerals was also still exploring at great speed around Century mine for similar zinc deposits. “My hope and aim is that beyond the existing mine life of Century mine, we will have other deposits and we’ll continue to be able to use the infrastructure here,â€? Mr Lamb said. “We may need to change the processing facility, but the mining would probably be similar. “For any satellite deposits, regardless of what they were, we would have to set up a transport system to get the ore in from the remote deposits and
hopefully we could still use our existing pipeline to Karumba (for transporting product to ship loading facilities).â€? Senior mine geologist Glenn Patterson-Kane said the limits of the Century deposit were well deďŹ ned by a series of faults, but some regional lodes existed in the form of vein deposits, which contained the same mineral assemblage but in a coarsergrained form. Two kilometres to the southwest of the main Century pit is the Silver King mine, which was periodically worked between 1887 and 1980 to produce 2653 tonnes of lead. OZ Minerals is drilling to conďŹ rm the existing resource and evaluate the potential for extensions, with a view to mining the resource and treating the ore through the Century mill. The Dugald River zinc and copper prospect, 65km northwest of Cloncurry, was previously
touted by Zinifex as the project that would take up the slack from Century mine as the operation wound down. However, Mr Lamb said that while work was continuing to develop this project into a major mine, OZ Minerals was not as heavily reliant upon the project because the merged company had other operations, including the Prominent Hill coppergold mine in South Australia (a former Oxiana asset), to potentially take on some of Century’s workers upon mine completion. “This is why the merger is so valuable, because from the Century side there’s an opportunity to move our people through and develop them and from the Prominent Hill side there’s the opportunity to bring in the expertise from a similar mine site,â€? he said. However, he said exploration drilling was continuing at Dugald River to complete a feasibility study by December, and ďŹ rst production was still scheduled for 2010.
Senior mine geologist Glenn Patterson-Kane examines an ore sample.
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OZ Minerals Century Mine
The Mining Advocate | October 2008
29
‘Project Percent’ upgrade yields results
Recovery rates up Recovery is being increased at OZ Minerals Century Mine’s processing plant under “Project
Percent”, which has seen the installation of a surge tank and second ball mill into the circuit.
Century mine general manager John Lamb said the ball mill, which was the major part of the project, was installed late last year and had now been commissioned. He said the plant now had a SAG (semi-autogenous grinding) mill and two ball mills, and the extra capacity would bring down grind size. Project Percent is expected to add between 1 and 2 per cent to Century’s current recovery rate of about 80 per cent. “That’s the benefit of enhancing recovery, you don’t have to put more ore through to produce more metal, it’s just more efficient processing,” Mr Lamb said.
A carbon pre-float cell at the Century processing plant.
Murdoch University students tour the Century processing plant.
Career tips for students Eleven metallurgy students from Murdoch University in Perth were given valuable advice recently on a two-day tour of the Century mine and port operations. Addressing the group at the Century processing plant, former mining operations deputy general manager Jeff Innes advised the students to look beyond money when choosing operations to work for after graduation.
He said graduates should place a high value on the opportunities being offered by companies for further learning and professional development. Mr Innes graduated in the early 1980s and spent five years working at the Broken Hill polymetallic deposit. He said working in metallurgy on base metals deposits was far more interesting than working on coal and iron ore deposits.
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30
OZ Minerals Century Mine
October 2008 |
The Mining Advocate
Breaking down the barriers A supportive environment is hoped to see more of Century’s indigenous workers rise to supervisory roles, writes Michael Stevens. Special training programs at OZ Minerals Century Mine aim to give indigenous workers the skills to rise through the company and return benefits to their communities. Employment and training committee chairman Bull Yanner said OZ Minerals had made a commitment to employ 100 indigenous people per year over the next five years and there was a need for more indigenous people in supervisory positions. “At the moment I’m the only indigenous superintendent on site, but there are plenty of leading hands,” he said. “Hopefully in the next 10 to 12 months we’ll see a few indigenous people supervising in the pit, hopefully another couple of superintendents and maybe even an indigenous manager.” The employment and training committee delivers communityspecific training packages for employees from lower Gulf communities including Burketown, Normanton, Mornington Island, Doomadgee and Karumba.
over these positions,” Mr Yanner said. About 230 indigenous workers from the Lower Gulf are currently employed at OZ Minerals Century Mine. Mr Yanner said a day-to-day mentoring program was in place and indigenous people were encouraged to help each other out on the job. He said the growing confidence of indigenous workers on site was shown through their increasing representation on Century’s Battle of the Mines rugby league team, which is now
Employment and training committee chairman
As well as focusing on life skills, the programs train indigenous workers in areas that are useful to their communities, such as trades skills, surveying and engineering. “These highly paid jobs are usually given to outside people, but hopefully in the next five years we can start going home to our communities and taking
An indigenous business formed at Century mine, Northern Project Contracting, recently expanded to set up a mobile mining training school. The business has undertaken a profitable mining and labour hire operation at the mine for the
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of the Gulf Communities Agreement, which is a tripartite agreement between OZ Minerals, the Queensland Government and native title groups to deliver social and economic benefits to the region. The committee is made up of traditional owners and community group representatives, OZ Minerals representatives, federal and State Government representatives. It meets quarterly and advises OZ Minerals on employment requirements in the communities.
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mostly made up of indigenous players. The accommodation village also served as a cultural exchange after work shifts, he said. “Of a night, we share languages, songs, stories and dances among the community groups,” Mr Yanner said. “A lot of the white boys come along because they don’t see a lot of that, they either have to pay for it, or it’s on TV, or they just see the negative side (of indigenous communities).” The employment and training committee was created out
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past three and a half years, and director Bradley Foster said the idea for the mining school grew from its success in training and employment for local indigenous people. “We found that our programs on site for indigenous people were producing higher retention
rates than the industry generally so we wanted to be able to pass that model on,” Mr Foster said. OZ Minerals has committed to fostering and supporting the creation of indigenous-owned and run businesses under the Gulf Communities Agreement.
OZ Minerals Century Mine
The Mining Advocate | October 2008
All aboard for lifestyle central Glen Ware is taking advantage of Century mine’s bus services to live a dream lifestyle. A pick-up service runs from Tully to Cairns (including the Atherton Tableland) and from Cardwell to Townsville, meaning employees can choose to live outside the main y in-y out centres. Mr Ware and his partner live in Mission Beach, where they enjoy taking their boat out ďŹ shing around Dunk Island. “It’s a bit of a contrasting environment to the mine, where it’s semi arid,â€? Mr Ware said. “It’s good to go home to a tropical rainforest environment.â€? He said that the long blocks of time o on an 8-6 roster meant that the extra travel between Mission Beach and Cairns airport was reasonable.
Winning formula A 12-week diet and exercise regime with a focus on health monitoring has produced good results for a host of mine workers. A pack of “losersâ€? now works at Century mine, following a successful health program. ESS sports and recreation oďŹƒcer Jared Naughton said the 12-week program was based on a similar concept to the television show The Biggest Loser, with participants weighing in every fortnight to gauge their progress. He said great results were evident among the 115 participants as early as halfway through the program. “Some blokes dropped in excess of 8kg in six weeks,â€? Mr Naughton said. However, weight reduction was only one aspect of the program, which was devised in conjunction with a Brisbanebased dietician. Blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol and resting heart rate were also monitored and participants were given special
exercise regimes and diet information. Mr Naughton said some workers at mine sites did see their weight crawl above healthy levels, mostly because they did not feel like coming back to the village and exercising after working 12-hour shifts. Social sports were often good motivators for exercise. “Social sports tend to attract the people in the problem categories, whereas if it’s a bit too competitive and serious we only get the ďŹ t people who are exercising anyway,â€? Mr Naughton said. Century mine has this year staged social volleyball, indoor cricket and lawn bowls competitions. Tennis and golf coaches y to the site weekly and the village has two gyms, a swimming pool and walking tracks.
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32
OZ Minerals Century Mine
October 2008 |
The Mining Advocate
Benchmark for indigenous sta OZ Minerals Century Mine recently set a workforce benchmark, when all the leading hands on the mine operations supervisory team - which was running the bulk waste for crews four, ďŹ ve and six - were indigenous employees from the surrounding Gulf communities. “This is a big achievement for Clayton Snow, Brenton Murray and Troy Logan. Safety and performance on their shifts were outstanding,â€? mining operations superintendent David Cook said. The mine has actively recruited, trained and retained
local indigenous people since the Gulf Communities Agreement (GCA) was signed in 1997. “The people who signed the original Gulf Communities Agreement had big hopes that local people would have career paths at Century,� Mr Cook said. “Our GCA people are really moving up into the supervisory positions now.� GCA manager Lloyd Jones said up to 20 per cent of the mine’s workforce were indigenous Australians - a greater proportion than at any other mine. The natural landscape provided the basis for Century mine’s tailings dam.
Golf day aids community Management, sta and suppliers at OZ Minerals Century Mine recently played in a nine-hole, fourperson ambrose golf day at Rowes Bay Golf Club in Townsville. The annual Supplier’s Golf Day is designed to help the mine’s business partners make a valuable contribution to the lives of
young people in Doomadgee and Mornington Island. Proceeds from the major fundraising event for the day - a monster rae donated by suppliers - were donated to Mornington Island Police Citizens Youth Club and Doomadgee Junior Sports. Prizes were awarded for outstanding achievements during the golf day.
Ready-made wastewater control Mother Nature made the “Lead and zinc are recovered tailings dam at Century mine. from the processing circuit and Environmental engineer Glen the wastewater comes out here,� Ware said fortunate geological he said. conditions allowed the dam “The idea is that the heavier to lay in the natural basin of a waste particles beach themselves valley without the need for a and settle down, meaning the concrete lining and with no risk water is clearer and cleaner KOMATSU?-AR PDF !to the environment in the form towards the decant wall. groundwater contamination. “From the decant wall, the
water is processed and sent to an evaporation dam.� Century mine’s single tailings dam has been in use since the start of 2000 and will take the operation through until its current scheduled closure in 2015.
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