Volume 7 November 2016
Headlines
Chair’s Column
Henry Muller-Local Innovation Hero
42nd Essington Lewis Memorial Lecture
Student Chapter Honours Presentation Night
AusIMM Metallurgical Society G D Delprat
Distinguished Lecture
WIMNetSA News
Auxiliary News
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2
3
7
9
11
12
Australian Defence Reserves
Adelaide Branch Survey Results
Upcoming Events
Calendar
Social media
Sponsorship & Advertising Opportunities
Contributions
2017 Photo Competition
12
13
13
15
16
17
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The AusIMM Adelaide Branch Newsletter for 2016
is proudly sponsored by Heathgate Resources
Heathgate is the owner and operator of the Beverley and Beverley North Uranium Mines and the operator of the Four
Mile Uranium Mine in the Frome Basin, South Australia. For more information, please visit www.heathgate.com.au
Chair’s Column
It seems not all that long ago that
I wished you all the best for
2016. Now there are less than 50
days left to Christmas.
It has been another challenging
year in the minerals industry, but
thanks to your support our
branch
remained
resilient
throughout this period. Our paidup membership numbers for the Adelaide branch increased
from 515 in 2014 to 550 in 2015, and stands at 561 in 2016 –
a steady increase over the past few years.
The Institute exists to serve the interests of our members,
and the branch aligns with that objective. To gauge whether
we are meeting this objective, we recently asked you to fill
out a survey. Thank you to all those who responded to the
survey. A summary of what you said is included in this
edition.
The branch hosted a very successful GD Delprat
Distinguished lecture in September, and thanks again to Dr
Tim Napier-Munn for delivering an excellent lecture.
The University of Adelaide’s Honours students presented
their Honours projects during the Adelaide Students Chapter
Honours Presentation Night, held at the university during
October. It was inspiring to listen to these students and see
the results of their dedication to their studies. Well done to all
of you!
The Annual Essington Lewis Memorial Lecture was delivered
by Dr Megan Clark AC. Although I was unable to attend the
lecture, I received very positive feedback from a number of
our members on Megan’s lecture and I would like to thank
Megan for taking time out of her busy schedule to visit us in
Adelaide, and to deliver the lecture in honour of the late
Essington Lewis CH.
As you are probably well aware, our State was hit hard by
severe storms over the past month. This led to significant
disruptions across the State, including disruptions to our
mining operations. Unfortunately, the events aligned with our
field trip that has been in the making for several months. As
a direct result of the disruptions we had to postpone the field
trip until next year. We apologise for the disappointment and
inconvenience this may have caused to those who were
looking forward to the trip, but trust that we will be able to
make up early next year.
I met with the Defence Reserve Support Council to discuss
how the AusIMM Adelaide branch and the Defence
Reserves Support Council may be able to collaborate to the
benefit of members of both organisations. I found the
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Volume 7 November 2016
meeting very informative, and I was certainly not aware of all
the interesting opportunities that are on offer with the
Defence Reserves. This may be a great way to get involved
in interesting projects and developing new skills, while
serving our country and earning extra cash at the same time!
More on this in the newsletter.
This unique and novel application of metallurgical
technologies in the flowsheet confirmed that the mining and
processing of this massive mineral deposit was technically
and economically viable - it contributes significantly to the
South Australian, and Australian economy through royalties,
taxes, direct and indirect employment.
A special technical event and our Annual General Meeting
will be held on 17 November at the Adelaide Rowing Club.
This promises to be a great evening, with a presentation by
Professor Richard Hillis on his 1200 km journey along the
Heysen Trail. This will be followed by a gourmet BBQ not to
be missed!
Without the innovative development of the Olympic Dam
processing flow sheet by Henry Muller and his team, it is
unlikely that the operations at Olympic Dam would exist
today.
I would like to wish you well for the last bit of this year and
wish you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas.
Kind regards,
Johann van Wijk – Chair, AusIMM Adelaide Branch
Henry Muller – Local Innovation Hero
On behalf of the Adelaide Branch, I would like to
congratulate Henry Muller who was awarded the BHP Billiton
inaugural Technology and Innovation Award on the 19th
September.
At the Awards ceremony in Melbourne, BHP Billiton’s CEO,
Andrew Mackenzie, described the award as a ‘world first’
and that “BHP Billiton and our entire industry owe Henry a
debt of gratitude for his innovation”.
The Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Diane Jurgens, who
was instrumental in arranging this award’s ceremony, said
that “this is an example of how technology can create value
by unlocking resources and lowering costs and this work has
opened up opportunities for the mining of other similar ore
bodies”.
Henry is well known to many of us in South Australia, now
retired, he and his wife Marina remain very active, attending
most Branch technical meetings, Distinguished lectures,
annual dinners, field trips and Auxiliary functions.
A very modest man, Henry has inspired and mentored many
professionals over the course of his career.
The first of its kind, BHP Billiton awarded Henry this
Technology and Innovation Award for the work he carried out
in the 1980s to ensure that Olympic Dam was commercially
viable.
The Olympic Dam flowsheet is complex and unique, largely
owing to the requirement to extract four marketable products
– high purity Copper cathode, uranium oxide concentrate
(UOC), and gold and silver bullion – from a single orebody.
Today, Olympic Dam is a complex, polymetallic orebody
consisting of more than 100, finely intergrown minerals.
Other specific areas of innovation in the process are the
Direct to Blister Flash Furnace, the slimes treatment and
precious metals treatment process which has to deal with the
presence of radionuclides, the concentrate leach for uranium
removal and recovery and the multiple recycle streams
which are directed to, and re-used in, other parts of the
flowsheet.
The Technology and Innovation Award
Henry joined the AusIMM as a Student in 1954 and
upgraded to a Fellow in 1968. He currently has 63 years of
Membership, receiving his 60-year certificate at the Adelaide
Branch Annual Dinner in 2013.
He received the prestigious AusIMM President’s Award in
1999, “for his contribution and leadership in mineral
processing including the development and implementation of
the process flowsheet at Olympic Dam and his ongoing
commitment to the development of younger metallurgists.”
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Volume 7 November 2016
Henry is also a Fellow of ATSE (The Australian Academy of
Technology and Engineering) and continues to mentor and
inspire professionals to this day.
Well done Henry!
Janine Herzig
Adelaide Branch Committee
privilege to operate is not only harder to gain but is easily
lost.
The lecture prompted some insightful audience questions
regarding education, energy alternatives and infrastructure
which were ably answered by Megan. Having known Megan
for many years, Dr Kathy Ehrig, Principal Geometallurgist
with BHP Billiton, delivered a most fitting and personal Vote
of Thanks on behalf of the AusIMM and all those gathered,
and presented Megan with a unique trophy locally sourced
from the Whyalla steelworks, yet another operation that
Essington was instrumental in founding.
Henry Muller and his wife Marina Muller at the award
presentation with CEO Andrew Mackenzie (left) and CTO
Diane Jurgens (right)
The Adelaide Branch 42nd ESSINGTON
LEWIS MEMORIAL LECTURE:
RIO TINTO DIRECTOR, DR MEGAN CLARK AC
Every year for the past 42 years, the Adelaide Branch of the
AusIMM has organised this prestigious lecture to
commemorate the memory and achievements of Essington
Lewis, former Chairman of the BHP Board. In honour of
Essington Lewis’s South Australian roots, the Adelaide
Branch of the AusIMM commemorates his life’s work by
inviting influential speakers to present lectures with
perspectives on matters of mining, industry, social, national
and international significance.
This rich history of respected and celebrated Distinguished
Lecturers continued on Friday 28th October with Dr Megan
Clark, AC presenting to an audience of 70 Members and
guests at the University of South Australia in the Allan Scott
Auditorium.
Megan provided her professional and personal insights
regarding what those of us in the science and engineering
disciplines should reflect and act on amidst an ever-changing
world of social expectations, technological advances, energy
demands and increased environmental awareness, where
markets are increasingly less predictable, and where social
Specially mounted rail track slice from Arrium, Whyalla
Megan did put out the challenge, however, that in the future
we may be able to use Jadarite for the speaker gift! (for the
uninitiated, Rio Tinto’s Jadar discovery in Serbia shows
promise with its lithium borate mineral – jadarite. Jadarite’s
chemical formula is very close to the formula (“sodium
lithium boron silicate hydroxide with fluorine”) invented for
the fictional substance “kryptonite” in Superman Returns.
The new mineral, unlike its fictional material in the movie,
does not contain fluorine, does not emit electromagnetic
radiation and is white not green! Who knows, maybe it will be
a low-cost source of lithium to power those new electric
vehicles.)
In her speech titled “Science and the mining and
resources industry – partners and helpers in building an
exciting, equal and sustainable world”, Dr Megan Clark
said global energy sectors were poised for a revolution
driven by the strong strategic forces of supply/demand,
technological development, social expectations and
geopolitics.
Megan paid homage to her first employer at WMC, Dr Roy
Woodall AO, who was at the lecture with his wife Barbara.
She relayed a story of her first “failed” interview with Roy
whereby he quizzed her on “why do you want to work for
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Volume 7 November 2016
WMC?” Megan responded “because I’m interested in R&D”.
Wrong answer! She was quickly whipped into shape and
reminded that she wanted to be a geologist and work for
WMC “To find orebodies”!
We were once again delighted to welcome special guests
from the family of Essington Lewis - Diana and John Todd,
David Lewis and Tom Richardson as well as Professor
Simon Beecham, Pro Vice Chancellor of UniSA.
Following the lecture, some lovely canapes and
refreshments were served in the Kerry Packer Civic Gallery,
a lovely setting of unusual and ever-changing artwork. This
year we were again also pleased to enjoy - and acknowledge
- the support and the venue generously provided by the
University of South Australia, a move initiated 7 years ago by
past Chancellor Ian Gould. For the past 42 years this event
has been very generously supported by BHP Billiton and we
thank them wholeheartedly for their contributions to date and
into the future.
We thank Megan wholeheartedly for accepting our invitation
to
speak
this
year.
I suspect that if he were he alive today he would be getting
his hands dirty building submarines!
A few weeks ago, I was in Mongolia visiting the underground
development of the Oyu Tolgoi copper- gold mine that will
help build the nation of Mongolia for generations. It was
fascinating to use virtual reality to take me into an
underground setting to complete my induction training. It
was exciting to learn of the mine operating system, which
rivals the best in the manufacturing industry, and guides
decisions on how people and equipment are deployed to
maximise cash flow. It is indeed a privilege to operate in
this young democracy. I was reminded by government
leaders of the importance of training and support of the
community to maintain that privilege. I had a special reason
to be pleased to go underground. Mongolia had just changed
the law to allow women underground; a change supported by
Rio Tinto. I was so proud to stand underground alongside my
fellow women directors and executives and with the young
women of the Oyu Tolgoi mine, and reflect that Western
Mining Corporation had supported similar changes to the WA
Mines Act some 35 years ago, that allowed me to legally
work underground.
Refreshments in the Kerry Packer Civic Gallery
The following is an excerpt from Megan’s Lecture - the
complete transcript can be found on
http://www.ausimm.com.au/content/default.aspx?
ID=221
It is a privilege to be honouring Essington Lewis today.
Essington Lewis was a nation builder. He joined BHP 102
years ago, rising to managing director in 1926 and Chairman
between 1950 and 1961. He laid the foundations for the BHP
Billiton we see today - the largest minerals resources
company in the world. Outside BHP, he coordinated
Australian industry’s response to the demands of World War
II, establishing aircraft and munitions support to the nation.
He supported the start of the car industry in Australia. He
was a remarkable man and a legend in the mining industry.
Dr Roy Woodall AO (right), with Dr Megan Clark
IT IS A FASCINATING, EXCITING AND CONNECTED
WORLD. MINING IS PLAYING AN IMPORTANT PART IN
BRINGING US THAT FUTURE.
Ever since I started as a geologist I got hooked on the thrill
of discovery. I love translating that discovery into real wealth
for this nation; into things that can shift billions of lives or
maybe just a few. Most of my career I have had the job of
predicting where technology is heading and investing in that
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Volume 7 November 2016
future. Mining is playing its part in bringing us that
future.
I was recently in the Pilbara. All the control rooms for every
part of the operation - from the rail to the processing, to the
port are controlled out of the Rio Tinto Operations Centre in
Perth. It is extraordinary. To see the driver-less trucks in
action was like a dream come true. The team is now
working on the world’s first autonomous trains which
could be the largest robots on earth.
ENERGY SECTOR IN FLUX
Technology is also playing a part in changing the energy
sector but it is not just technology that is bringing change.
The energy sector is poised for a revolution driven by the
strong strategic forces of demand, technology development,
social expectations and geopolitics.
If we look at demand, we see a strong picture. Primary
energy demand accounts for 7% of global GDP. The world
energy demand till 2035 is set to grow 40% and needs
around $50 trillion in energy investments to meet this
demand. How this investment is made will write the script of
our energy future. Emerging markets will continue to show
growth in demand for oil and coal driven by rising incomes,
urbanisation and more cars. A low oil price generally boosts
car sales because it makes personal driving more affordable.
The technology is progressing. The cost of renewables is
now competitive, without subsidies, for the first time.
Battery storage costs improved 20% last year but we
still need a major breakthrough in large-scale storage.
The attention that the Tesla Model S battery received when
you consider it is 7,000 Panasonic lithium ion computer
batteries put together, tells us that if we can get a functional
large-scale battery for renewable energy storage, there is
pent-up demand. We are decades behind on this. Why? It
takes a decade to prove a battery is safe before it can be
commercialised. Just ask Samsung.
Capital investment has shifted quite fast in the last 2 years.
Last year investment in renewables was an all-time high of
US$329bn. Interestingly this new investment in renewables
was roughly equal to the reduction in capital we have seen
investing in oil. Capital investment in oil has dropped from
US$700bn in 2014 to US$510bn in 2015 and US$410bn is
estimated for 2016.
Renewables now account for around 50% of all new power
generation and last year saw a record of 121 GW of
combined solar and wind power capacity installed. There is
no doubt the geopolitics of oil is complex and deserves a
whole evening. We are seeing record production from
countries like Saudi Arabia and Iran. New sources of oil such
as oil sands and oil shale have contributed to a new level of
self-sufficiency in the US.
There is considerable debate on whether we will see an
uptick in oil prices or a long run of low prices. What I am
watching is whether the costs of oil production continue to
fall, particularly the impact of new drilling technology on
costs. Lower production costs could mean supply could be
maintained even with lower prices. There is consensus that
gas prices will remain lower for longer.
What China does will make a difference? China recently
unveiled some of its 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) which is
targeting a 40-45 percent reduction in carbon-based
energy by 2020. In this plan, there are aggressive new
electric vehicle targets and a delay of China’s emergency oil
reserve plan. These plans could temper China’s oil demand
and create a meaningful downside risk to any long-term oil
price recovery.
Transport matters in all this. 28% of energy used in the US
is to move things – people and goods and 60% of this is
personal vehicles. One of the key signposts to watch will be
whether electric vehicles remain niche, or whether they will
have real impact. All eyes will be on electric vehicle
penetration in China.
The other significant consequence of this shift is that
investment will be required to ensure stability of the
electricity system. The electricity system hasn’t changed
much since Edison’s first power station in 1882. The system
largely uses fossil fuels and generates power centrally when
the customer needs it.
PARTNERS AND HELPERS IN BUILDING AN EXCITING,
MORE EQUAL AND SUSTAINABLE WORLD
Well the fascinating and exciting bit - we have well covered.
The mining and energy industries will be very much a part of
this. But this is not enough. To build a safer, more equal
world, the way we think of each other must change. Nelson
Mandela showed us how to put our common humanity ahead
of our differences. He said – We are all “joined in an
inescapable web of mutuality”. We must see our common
humanity is more important than our differences. I look at
Australia and despair when I hear people talk about
indigenous history and Australian history as separate things.
Until we see all our 40-60,000 years of human history in
Australia as our own joined history how are we going grow
up as a nation and move forward into a common future?
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To build a more equal and sustainable world we need to
work on the big problems that require global collaboration
like climate, water and supply chains. Water is an intensely
local problem but also a global issue. In places like Australia
and the Gobi Desert in Mongolia we know water is precious.
The Bureau of Meteorology and CSIRO worked together to
relook at the structure of the Great Artesian Basin for the first
time in 30 years. These basin-scale projects provide an
important context for local water use. The mining industry is
also tackling water recycling. Oyo Tolgoi has reached a
benchmark of 84% recycled water at the mine.
Society also demands a new level of transparency. Rio
Tinto’s taxes paid report is a good example of a new level of
transparency. The mining industry is a major contributor
locally and nationally for employment, royalties and taxes
paid. The transparency of such reports allows the community
to see the taxes paid in each country but also allows the
community to hold the government leaders accountable for
wise use of this funding.
I believe we have the capacity to eliminate fatalities from our
industry. All of us in the industry have grappled with the fact
that despite lost time injury rates decreasing, fatalities have
been hard to eliminate. I am very encouraged by the
programs to identify critical risks which could result in a
fatality in the workplace and for all levels to go into the
workplace to verify that these controls are in place.
This approach, started at Escondida in Chile by BHP
Billiton has been emulated by Rio Tinto. The essence of
these programs is that the risks are identified for each work
place, appropriate controls are put in place to manage these
risks and importantly these controls are verified in the
workplace by all levels of staff. Rio Tinto teams have now
done some 1 million verifications in the workplace to ensure
that critical controls are in place in their workplace. These
efforts have found and fixed thousands of instances where
the controls could be improved. Each of you has a sphere of
influence. No matter how big or small your sphere of
influence – we can all do something to make the world a
safer place.
ESSINGTON LEWIS LEGACY –
RELEVANCE IN A CHANGING WORLD
MAINTAINING
Tonight, I have highlighted some of the areas of science that
are changing fast and where science is improving and
changing how the mining and resources industry works. I
have no doubt that the future will be a roller coaster of
fascination and excitement. We have reflected on how the
energy industry is changing because of the confluence of
changes in supply and demand, geopolitics, technology and
societies’ demand to build a more sustainable world? A
more equal world will be an extraordinary challenge. We will
not be able to build a more equal world until we see our
common humanity is more important than our differences. I
have reflected on a country like Mongolia where working with
the local communities and training a new set of leaders is
vital to the privilege to operate in that country. All of this is
about ensuring our industry is relevant for the times in which
we live. Essington Lewis understood that the heart of good
business is simply to keep business relevant for the times in
which we live. I thank you for the chance to honour this
important legacy which still resonates today. Thank you.
Dr Megan Clark with Janine Herzig and the Honour Board
About Essington Lewis
The Essington Lewis Lecture is named in honour of one of
the founding fathers of the Australian resources sector, and
a former Chief Executive and Chairman of BHP, who worked
for the company for 48 years. Born in Burra, South
Australia, in 1881, Essington Lewis was instrumental in the
development of BHP. His role in co-ordinating Australian
industry’s response to the demands of the Second World
War effort is less recognised, but no less important. The
contribution of this unsung South Australian to Australia’s
national development is commemorated by the annual
presentation of the lecture named in his honour. The annual
Essington Lewis Memorial Lecture provides a forum for
informed and constructive debate on wide-ranging and
topical issues. Previous speakers include Australian Nuclear
Science and Technology Organisation former Chairman, Dr
Ziggy Switkowski; prominent Australian geologist and
lecturer, Professor Ian Plimer; former Foreign Affairs
Minister, Alexander Downer, AC, and former Normandy
Mining and Rio Tinto Australia boss and industry stalwart, Dr
Ian Gould AM. The Branch acknowledges the generous
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Volume 7 November 2016
ongoing support of BHP Billiton who has sponsored this
lecture since its inception 42 years ago.
About Dr Megan Clark
Dr Clark was the first female Chief Executive of the CSIRO
from 2009 until 2014. Prior to that appointment, she held
various mineral exploration, mine geology and strategic
positions with the former Western Mining Corporation, was a
director at NM Rothschild & Sons (Australia) and was Vice
President with BHP Billiton from 2003 to 2008.
was observed. It was determined that much more strain is
found in the shear zone than outside it. The 3D DIC method
showed advantages compared to the LVDT and
extensometer by capturing large damage strains within
localised zones without the influence of bedding error, the
contour pattern of strain field generated by DIC allows better
understanding of rock damage evolution, and strain
development of areas both inside and outside the failure
zone can be analysed independently.
She holds a PhD in economic geology from Queen’s
University, Canada, is a Fellow of the AusIMM and was
awarded the Highest Honours Institute Medal in 2013. In
2014, she was appointed a Companion of the Order of
Australia - the same year she joined Rio Tinto as a NonExecutive Director
The full cast of presenters at Honours Night
Next up was Alex Schemeczko with her “AUTOMATED
MINERALOGY FOR MINERAL PROCESSING: A
CRITICAL REVIEW OF METHODOLOGIES AND
COMPARISON WITH MANUAL INSPECTION METHODS”
Megan with the Family of Essington Lewis
Janine Herzig FAusIMM (CP)
Student Chapter Honours Presentation
Night
Now in its fourth year, the Student Chapter Honours
Presentation Night was held on Thursday 20th October at the
University of Adelaide. Close to 50 Members, University staff
and Students gathered to watch 6 excellent presentations by
final year Mining Engineering and Chemical Engineering
Students.
She addressed the issue of characterisation of radio nuclei in
Prominent Hill copper concentrates using automated
microscopes (Mineral Liberation Analysis (MLA) and
QEMSEM and the manual Environmental Scanning Electron
Microscope. The MLA was found to be a useful tool for
overall characterisation and for future general mining
studies; however it is paramount that the MLA is setup,
calibrated and customised correctly. The ESEM is useful in
tandem as it has higher magnification capabilities.
The first presentation was by Muneeb Naeem on his
“STUDY ON MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF ROCKS
SUBJECTED TO DIFFERENT LOADING HISTORIES”
The aim of this study was to observe the post-peak rock
behaviour of different samples when subjected to cyclic
loading using different methods. Elastic deformation was
commonly found in the early stages of cyclic loading and as
the rock neared complete failure, more plastic deformation
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Volume 7 November 2016
The findings may have relevance to the proposal to store
nuclear waste in South Australia and the selection of
appropriate sites.
In the first of the group presentations, Harry Kadis, Juan
Giraldo
&
Yuanchao
Li
delivered
“ROCK
FRAGMENTATION MODELLING USING SMOOTH
PARTICLE HYDRODYNAMICS”
Branch Chair Johann presenting the first prize to Lachlan
Next up – First Prize of $250 was awarded to Lachlan
Mackenzie for presentation of “TRIBO-CORROSION OF
GRINDING MEDIA IN MINERAL PROCESS SLURRIES”
Lachlan had a very well designed, practical project with great
industry support. His purpose, objectives, results and
conclusions were very clearly articulated and understood.
He was investigating one of the major operational costs of
industrial grinding systems, which is the consumption of
grinding media due to the chemical and abrasive wear
synergism known as tribo-corrosion. If a standard procedure
can be developed in a lab and applied in the plant to quantify
and characterise the tribo- corrosion using a pin-on-disk
tribometer results, this could provide an additional technique
for grinding media evaluation that could in turn drive cost
savings and improve efficiencies.
They investigated the behaviour of rock fragmentation using
Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) modelling. They
found that further work should be done using the validated
SPH model to analyse fragmentation and deformation of the
rock in the Sublevel Caving Mining method and this could be
used to quantify the extent of possible subsidence
occurrences at OZ Minerals sites and other underground
mines.
Ernest and Rhys receiving 2nd prize
“THE OPTIMISATION OF CEMENTED PASTE BACKFILL
(CPB) USING FLY ASH” presented by Ernest Luna and
Rhys Matthews was awarded the second prize of $150
The objective of the research was to design an optimal
cemented paste backfill mixture using fly ash that contained
the prerequisite strength and rheology characteristics
required for OZ Minerals. to minimise the economic costs
associated with the implementation of a cement agent.
Johann awarding 2nd prize to Maddy
“REALISTIC FRACTURE MODELLING OF THE STRIPA
MINE” was then presented by Madeline Cool and she
was awarded 3rd prize of $100
Madeline developed a framework for the generation of a
realistic three-dimensional discreet fracture network model
based on multiple two-dimensional fracture mapping
surfaces, using the Stripa mine in Sweden as a case study.
This result illustrates that fly ash displays inferior
cementitious properties to a regular cement agent, but still
remains viable as an alternative as it can achieve an
acceptable strength.
This is now my fourth year in the judging seat and it
continues to be a wonderful experience, albeit difficult task.
I have seen the demographics of speakers change over the
years, starting out with a high proportion of geologists and no
chemical/minproc engineering students.
This year,
unfortunately we did not have any geology/geoscience
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entries, but we had 2 out of 6 papers in mineral processing,
including our first prize winner.
This year I was ably assisted by Johann van Wijk and Keith
Yates on the judging panel.
The prizes and food this year was provided by the
Adelaide AusIMM Branch and greatly appreciated by the
Student Chapter.
The Adelaide lecture on 22 September was attended by
about 70 people, and was one of nine presentations around
Australia.
Tim’s lecture examined the drivers of innovation, the need to
encourage ongoing invention and innovation and the barriers
to innovation and commercial application. As ore grades
decline, the need for improved extraction and processing at
lower cost becomes increasingly important. Factors which
discourage innovation, application and development include
the loss of skills and experience, reduction in staff numbers
on-site and the ability of those staff to run projects due to
FIFO, the reduction of corporate support for R&D activities,
and the failure to develop industry – innovation links, short –
termism, unnecessary protection of intellectual property, and
the silo mentality.
All the winners (front) and judges (back)
We were very impressed with all of the presentations – their
confidence and enthusiasm, excellent subject knowledge
and preparation. This year’s topics sparked a healthy
volume of very relevant questions from attendees and these
were, without exception, handled with great poise.
The main area for future improvement which was identified
was to ensure that you’re not over-ambitious with the
number of slides and amount of information on each slide.
With only 10 minutes to present, you need to ensure the key
messages are conveyed adequately in the allotted
timeframe.
Tim Napier-Munn (centre), with Janine Herzig (left) and
Stuart Emery (right)
I would like to strongly encourage all Members, guests,
students and lecturers to come along to this event next year.
It is truly refreshing to see the calibre of the up and coming
professionals in our industry and they need our support more
and more in these challenging times.
The average tenure of CEOs in the world top-40 mining
companies is 5.3 years, for Australian mining companies it is
2.7 years. Short term thinking prevails.
Janine Herzig
Adelaide Branch Committee.
AusIMM Metallurgical Society G D Delprat
Distinguished Lecture
The 2016 G D Delprat Lecture series was presented by
Emeritus Professor Tim Napier-Munn, with the title
INNOVATION IN MINERAL PROCESSING:
DISTINGUISHED PAST AND UNCERTAIN FUTURE
The average innovation time constant is 15 years. HPGR
technology took 25 years to reach maturity, the Jameson
Cell over 20 years. IsaMill was a 10-year story,
QEMSCAN/MLA development took 20 years.
Sources of innovation include lone inventors, public
research, vendors and engineering companies, production
staff and other industries. The trigger is often a crisis – falling
head grades, changing mineralogy, changing costs or
returns, changing compliance requirements.
Tim sees the solutions to these, and many other problems
covered in his lecture, as largely within the control of mining
companies.
We need to:
 Preserve the corporate memory,
 Manage the FIFO roster to preserve continuity
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


Strengthen the innovation links
Take a longer-term view
Rational long term management strategies for
dealing with technology
Be more relaxed about some IP
Tear down the silos
Battling gale force winds and torrential rain for much of the
600 kilometre drive, the group made the journey to Roxby
Downs still very much keen to host a successful event. The
panel was going to consist of four great speakers talking on
their differing views of what career success meant to them:
-
David Pollard
-
Door Prize winner Faye Xu (donated by Patrick Mutz)
Aimee Allen, General Manager Surface Operations,
BHP Billiton Olympic Dam
Jasmine Richards, Senior Environmental Engineer,
OZ Minerals
Kristy Hastings, Truck and Grader Operator, OZ
Minerals
Jeffrey Griffin, Manager Mine Maintenance, BHP
Billiton Olympic Dam
In addition, attendees were going to hear from Jasmine in
detail about her career so far which recently resulted in her
being awarded the 2016 Exceptional Young Woman in
Australian Resources award. All in all, the event that night
was going to provide an informative, varied and inspirational
view on what it meant to have a career in the mining and
resources industry.
WIMnet SA News
WIMnetSA’s Annual Roxby Downs Regional Event
“Making the best out of a bad situation – overcoming
adversity through resilience, innovation and perseverance.”
On Wednesday September 28th, WIMnetSA and the AusIMM
Roxby Downs branch were set to co-host their annual
professional development and networking event at the Oasis
Restaurant in Roxby Downs. A strong contingent of
experienced professionals from across the state and all
levels of the industry had been locked in to speak. The
WIMnetSA committee was in town and excited to host the
night. The Roxby branch had secured a large group of
attendees keen to come along to hear about the career
journeys of the panellists. That morning, everything was
looking great for the event to go off without a hitch.….. or so
we thought.
After leaving Adelaide a little late due to some delays with
incoming flights from Melbourne and Prominent Hill
(apparently it was a little windy in the air), a group of
WIMnetSA committee members and guest speakers hit the
road to Roxby Downs. It wasn’t long before the weather
turned and we wondered what we were getting ourselves
into when a quick check of Facebook and the Bureau of
Meteorology website indicated that we were driving towards
the eye of the storm of the century.
WIMnetSA committee members Tristan Gunn, Jasmine
Richards, Ashleigh Walsh, and Kate Hobbs with Prominent
Hill operator Kristy Hastings.
Upon arriving in Roxby Downs, just minutes after joking
about the havoc the storm may be causing on Adelaide, the
team learned that power to the entire state had failed
including the town they were now in. Not only was there no
power at the event location, but it was soon realised that the
panel members and most of the event attendees were
caught up dealing with the outage which had also severely
impacted the Olympic Dam mine site. The storm and
resulting power debacle had all but destroyed the chances of
the event running in its original format, if at all.
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Volume 7 November 2016
After some swift reorganisation, a bulk candle purchase, and
a lengthy negotiation with the Roxby Tavern to provide an
impromptu wood oven pizza order before they shut their
doors, it was decided to run a downscaled informal
networking event. The word went out that people were
welcome to join the WIMnetSA and Roxby Downs AusIMM
Branch committees for a drink and a bite to eat in the dark if
they wanted to come along. There wasn’t a lot else that
could be done!
in particularly trying driving conditions. The safety focus and
ability to think on your feet when faced with adversity that is
drilled into those who study and work in the minerals industry
proved invaluable in helping the group refocus and come up
with a plan to reach their final destination safely and with
very limited fuel between two cars for much of the drive.
In the end, a small number of mainly young professionals
braved the conditions to join the out-of-towners for intimate
candlelight drinks and networking. The relaxed atmosphere
provided a great opportunity for people to get to know each
other with the comment made by a number of attendees that
WIMnet and the AusIMM should consider doing something
similar in Adelaide as it really broke down barriers normally
associated with traditional networking events.
WIMnetSA committee member Tristan Gunn helps during
the power outage by serving drinks to event attendees in a
rather dark but candle-lit bar.
Although difficult and quite unbelievable at times, the
experiences had by the WIMnetSA team and others involved
definitely made this event unique and a trip to remember.
Special thanks to the staff at Oasis Restaurant and Roxby
Downs Tavern for providing support in the trying
circumstances and allowing the event to go ahead.
Tristan Gunn, WIMnetSA committee member and Kate
Hobbs, WIMnetSA Chair
WIMnetSA Deputy Chair and 2016 Exceptional Young
Woman in Australian Resources award winner, Jasmine
Richards (left), chats with some of the local attendees
As a great way to top off the two-day adventure, the
WIMnetSA contingent had a drive home the following day
that demanded some resilience and quick but strategic
thinking. With most of the state still without power, the team
found that every service station along the first 500km of the
drive had no ability to provide fuel. This, combined with very
wet and windy weather as well as drivers on the road who
were in a hurry to find fuel and get back to Adelaide, resulted
Student Chapter
The team from University of Adelaide atteded the New
Leaders Conference and Mining Games, held in Brisbane.
The team did extremely well at the games – two first places
(muck cart and blast face tie-in) and one second (air leg
drilling). All students had a fantastic time and are already
planning next year’s event (in Melbourne)
-Ashleigh Walsh
The Adelaide Branch Committee extends its thanks to
Ashleigh for her energy and commitment to the Student
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Volume 7 November 2016
Chapter this year. We welcome Matt Degannaro as the
incoming President of the Student Chapter.
Auxiliary News
Our 58th Annual General Meeting, on Thursday, 22nd
September, was another successful event, attended by
twenty six members, partners and guests. Shirley & Ron
Wilmshurst were our generous hosts once again, at the Pine
Springs Community Club in NETLEY. Chris Lake has kindly
taken on the helm as President for 2016-2017 with seven
other Committee members reelected back for the next twelve
months. After the formal proceedings, Auxiliary's Treasurer,
Carol Ireland, gave an excellent talk on a recent holiday to
the Spice Islands of Indonesia, following in the footsteps of
Alfred Russell Wallace, a British Naturalist, Biologist and
Evolutionist. Her husband, Trevor, complemented her talk
with his stunning photography. A tasty Indonesian lunch was
served.
Sixteen members and a few guests had an interesting day at
the October function, testing out their artistic skills. Mary
Pearce, a multi-talented craft lady demonstrated the art of
card making and together with the help of her assistant,
Wendy Napper, helped all present to make their own cards.
Taylor & Holmes Caterers supplied delicious gourmet
sandwiches for lunch, followed by a beautifully presented
and scrumptious butterfly cake for dessert, from Hyde Park
Bakery. All went home, satisfied and proud of their hand
made cards - one birthday and two Christmas cards.
Our Annual Christmas Lunch, on Wednesday, 23rd
November, will be our last function of the year. This popular
event will be held at the Kensington Hotel, 23 Regent Street,
Kensington, SA 5068, commencing with a glass of bubbly
wine on arrival at 12 Noon and a delicious two course lunch
with drinks. We will be continuing with the tradition of
acknowledging our wonderful members in the 'Over 90s
Club' by presenting to each one of them, with a bottle of
bubbly wine. Enquiries/RSVP to Carolyn Ireland, 13
Woodland Close, Aldgate, SA 5154. Mobile 0400 309 207.
All Branch, WIMNet & student members are most welcome
to join us. Please see the “Upcoming Events” on page 14
for the invitation and RSVP details.
An early announcement. Please make a note in your diaries
- the Annual AusIMM Adelaide Branch/Auxiliary Luncheon,
kindly subsidised by the Adelaide Branch, will be on Sunday,
4th March, 2017. Carolyn & Trevor Ireland will be hosting it
again, on their lovely leafy deck up in ALDGATE. Further
details will be available in the New Year.
The Committee and all members in the Auxiliary send
Christmas greetings and best wishes to everyone for a great
2017.
Aggie Bampton
Australian Defence Reserves
The Defence Reserves supplement the full-time forces of the
Australian Defence Force. The Defence industry is strong in
South Australia and forms an important part of our State’s
economy. I recently met with Dr Andrew Cannon, Chair of
the Defence Reserves Support Council, to learn more about
the role of the Defence Reserves and to discuss how our
members may benefit from a relationship with the Defence
Reserves.
You may ask why I would want to evaluate what the Defence
Reserves are about. What does this have to do with the
members of the Adelaide branch of the AusIMM?
Members & guests displaying their handmade cards –
L-R, Barbara Thomas, Barbara Brown, Chris Lake, Carol
Ireland, Shirley Wilmshurst, Pat Kearns, Shirley Mills & Susie
Yates.
It is exciting times for the Defence-related industries. State of
the art patrol boats, frigates and submarines are being built
in South Australia. The army is purchasing new armoured
vehicles built in Australia and helicopters with high technical
specifications. A large number of different aircraft, including
the F35 strike fighters, are being procured.
These multibillion-dollar high tech projects have a high level
of engineering, computing, management and other skilled
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Volume 7 November 2016
employment needs to deliver and maintain them. The
Defence Reserves need high level professionals, especially
professionals with technology and management skills.
A large number of our members are currently underemployed or unemployed. The Defence Reserves offer
flexible employment arrangements to create opportunities for
professionals to expand and supplement their careers and
support our country.
After our meeting I spent some time looking at their
websites, and I would like to suggest that you do the same.
You can even complete an on-line aptitude test for free and
get the results straight away. I would like to encourage you
to take a few minutes and have a look for yourself at the
following link: http://www.defencejobs.gov.au/army/aboutthe-army/army-reserve/. More information is also available at
http://www.defencereservessupport.gov.au/.
Adelaide Branch Survey Results
To help the committee stay on track and serve the interests
of our members, we do a membership survey from time to
time to hear your opinions. We recently completed our latest
survey and below is a summary of the survey results. There
were 68 responses to the most recent membership survey,
and thank you to those who took the time to respond.

62% of respondents are Members

About 70% of the respondents are over 40 years of
age

60% of the respondents rarely or never attend
technical events

The most common reason for not attending is “work
commitment”, i.e. they are not able to attend the
lunch-time sessions due to work commitments

Technical events typically score about 4 out of 5 for
venue, speakers, catering, topics, advertising,
duration, and timing

64% of respondents prefer lunch-time events, and
most prefer one to two hours’ duration

The CBD is by far the preferred location

Two thirds of respondents are willing to pay $20 to
$30 for a meal at technical events, with only 7%
willing to pay more

About three quarters of respondents did not attend
the Essington Lewis lecture or the Annual Dinner,
mostly because of the timing of the events

Similarly, about half of the respondents did not
attend the AGM because of timing of the event

Those who attended the AGM, Annual Dinner, and
Essington Lewis lecture generally gave very
positive responses to the venue, speakers, and
catering

Very few respondents responded on the speaker for
the annual dinner, but those who did preferred to
have a speaker, mostly in favour of economic/social
commentators and industry speakers

Most members are not interested in receiving
information on other associated organisations (e.g.
NPN, students, WIMnet, Auxiliary)

Most respondents always or often read the branch
newsletter, and there were no suggestions for
improvement

Over 90% of respondents are confident that they
are able to contact the committee

Effectiveness of branch communication is generally
rated between 3 and 4, out of 5

Almost 60% of respondents are aware of the
branch Facebook page (up from 24% in the 2013
survey)
Johann van Wijk – Chair, AusIMM Adelaide Branch
Upcoming Events
2016 South Australian Exploration and Mining
Conference (SAEMC)
Australia’s best value mining conference is on again!
When: Friday 2 December 2016.
Where: Adelaide Convention Centre
Cost: Registration prices unchanged from 2015!
Register at :http://www.saexplorers.com.au
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Volume 7 November 2016
Adelaide Branch 2016 Annual General Meeting
The AusIMM Adelaide Branch Committee invites
you to attend the Tales of the Heysen Trail,
Gourmet BBQ and Annual General Meeting with
guest speaker Professor Richard Hillis FAusIMM,
presenting “Hillis Hiking the Heysen Trail”
Date:
Time:
Venue:
Cost:
Thursday 17 November 2016
5:30pm for 6:00pm
The Adelaide Rowing Club
Torrens River Foreshore
Adelaide
AusIMM
Member/Partner
$30.00
MAP Member**
$20.00
Students
$20.00
Non-Member
$45.00
** MAP - Financial hardship
approved via Member Assistance
Program
Registration: For further information and to
register for this event, please click
here
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Volume 7 November 2016
Adelaide Branch Technical and Social Calendar 2016
FUNCTION DATE
Thurs 18 Feb
VENUE
EVENT
Pavilion
Intercontinental
Adelaide
Technical Lunch
Project Evaluation
Conference
Thurs 17 March
TOPIC
SPEAKER/s
TBA
Dr Kathy Ehrig
various
various
Uni Adelaide
"Students' Night" Joint
GSA/AusIMM and
Women’s Auxiliary
function
BBQ follows at 7pm
Stories from recent
graduates
TBA
Wed 30 Mar
Uni Adelaide
Students Meet Industry
Night
TBA
TBA
Thurs 21 Apr
Historian
Technical Lunch
Thurs 12 May
Historian
Tech Lunch Joint with
GSA
19 May – 22 May
Cairns
AusIMM Congress
7-8 June
Convention Centre
Uranium Conference
8-9 March
Thurs 16 June
Historian
Sat 18 June
RACV Club Melbourne
Technical Lunch joint
with WIMNet
AusIMM Awards
Dinner
Project Update –
Campoona Graphite and
Leigh Creek Magnesite
Expanded Horizons in
Bulong, WA
Gerard Anderson
Justin Gum
AusIMM – Beyond
2020
Various
Various
TBA
Nanette Anderson
Various
Various
Prof. John Long
Katie Hulmes
Various
Fri 29 July
Pavilion 6.30pm
Annual Dinner
“Insights into our early
evolution from
spectacular fossils and
cutting edge
technologies”
Thurs 18 Aug
Historian
Technical Lunch
TBA
Thurs 22 Sept
Pavilion
Technical Lunch
Tues 18 Oct
Uni of Adelaide
Student Honour’s
presentations
Fri 28 Oct
Alan Scott Theatre Uni
SA
Essington Lewis
Memorial Lecture
Science and industry –
Working in Partnership to
build an exciting, safe,
fair and sustainable world
Dr Megan Clark
Thurs 17 Nov
Adelaide Rowing Club
Special Lecture & BBQ,
AGM
Tales of the Heysen Trail
Richard Hillis
Fri 2 Dec
Convention Centre
13th SAEMC
Conference
Delprat Lecture:
Innovation in Mineral
Processing
TBA
Various
Dr Tim Napier-Munn
TBA
Various
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Volume 7 November 2016
AusIMM Conference and Functions 2016
FUNCTION DATE
VENUE
EVENT
8-9 March
Adelaide SA
Project Evaluation
9-11 May
Sydney NSW
Seventh International Conference & Exhibition on Mass Mining
MassMin 2016
7-8 June
Adelaide SA
International Uranium Conference
15-17 June
Perth WA
International Geometallurgy Conference
22-24 August
Brisbane QLD
International Mine Management 2016
19-20 September
Brisbane QLD
New Leaders Conference 2016
28-30 September
Brisbane QLD
Life of Mine 2016
10-12 October
Perth WA
Mill Operators’ Conference
Adelaide Branch - AusIMM Committee Meetings 2016
All meetings to be held at Terramin office, 202-208 Glen Osmond Rd at 4pm
COMMITTEE MEETINGS 2016
Monday 8 February
Monday 11 July
Monday 15 March
Monday 8 August
Monday 11 April
Monday 12 September
Monday 9 May
October meeting TBA
Monday 6 June
Monday 7 November
Social Media
Remember to follow the Adelaide Branch on Facebook for all the latest local events:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/AusIMM-Adelaide-Branch/129195160487270?ref=hl
Connect with The AusIMM across our various social media pages:
www.twitter.com/theausimm | www.facebook.com/ausimm | www.youtube.com/theausimm | www.ausimm.com.au/rss/rss/xml |
LinkedIn Group: AusIMM
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Volume 7 November 2016
Sponsorship & Advertising Opportunities
The AusIMM is not responsible for statements made or
opinions advanced by authors in this publication and accept
no liability (including liability in negligence) for and give no
undertaking concerning the accuracy, completeness or
fitness for purpose of the information provided.
Adelaide Branch is looking to partner with industry in 2016 to
sponsor our Technical & Social events.
We have a range of various sponsorship packages available
to suit your needs: from our hugely popular Annual Dinner
at the Pavilion, to our regular Monthly Technical Lunches
and sponsoring the Adelaide Student Chapter.
For a sponsorship pack with further details please contact us
at [email protected].
Contributions
Contribute to the Adelaide Branch Newsletter
If you have any feedback, would like to make a suggestion or
contribute with an article or comment piece, please email the
Branch via: [email protected].
Contributions for the 2016 Newsletters are required by:
 1 February 2016
 1 August 2016
 15 March 2016
 15 September 2016
 7 May 2016
 1 November 2016
 15 June 2016
Technical Lunch Events
Please note that our Technical Lunch Events may be
attended at no cost if you do not wish to eat a meal at
the Event. You must still register for the Event however.
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