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PRESIDENT’S FOREWORD
Welcome to the 2011 Edition of
Minesite
It has been my pleasure to serve as President of the WA Mining
Club for 2011.
As I remarked at the Gala Ball in September, I have been
delighted with the overwhelming level of enthusiasm and
support for the Club, as conveyed to me through the numerous
conversations with members that I have enjoyed during the year.
Reflecting back through its fascinating history, the WA Mining
Club has been in existence since 1972. In that time, the fortunes of
the Club have certainly followed the cyclical nature of the mining
industry, but today the Club is probably in its strongest position
ever to fulfil its objectives. These include assisting the advancement
of the mining industry, particularly in WA, by providing a forum
for the dissemination of general and technical information among
people employed in the industry, and to encourage individuals
into the mining and minerals industry. What an exciting remit
we have, and in 2011 we fulfilled our responsibilities very ably
through a varied program of events.
Each year the Club seems to report record attendances for our
lunches, and this year is no different. In fact, a move to the larger
capacity Grand Ballroom at the Hyatt Hotel was necessitated
to accommodate our growing membership and interest in our
lunches, which provide members and guests plenty of opportunity
for both networking and updating knowledge from informative
industry speakers.
We kicked off our lunch program in February with Nathan
McMahon, Managing Director of Cazaly Resources who provided
an update on the company’s innovative Parker Range project.
This was followed in March by our largest lunch event ever with
nearly 600 guests including the Afghanistan Minister for Mines,
gaining much from an address by the Premier Colin Barnett on the
importance of the resources sector to WA and Australia.
Other speakers during the year provided a diverse array of
presentations, with Karl Simich delivering an interesting overview
of Sandfire Resources’ DeGrussa copper-gold project, and Peter
Harold of Panoramic Resources addressing the importance of the
right culture and people, which are particularly important issues
in a time of a recognised skill shortage.
It isn’t all work at the WA Mining Club – we do manage to
have some fun as well! Our Annual Golf Day was held in April
and again a full field took to the immaculate Joondalup course and
relished the perfect weather. The theme for this year’s Gala Ball
was “Hooray for Hollywood” and the 450 guests on the night were
treated to an evening of great food, fine wine and entertainment.
The Club’s committee are all volunteers who have worked
tirelessly through the year to organise speakers, sponsors,
scholarships and student prizes, and I sincerely thank each of
them for their strong commitment to the industry, and for making
my job that much easier due to their efforts.
This is the 7th edition of
Minesite
and each year the quality
grows and grows. This is a result of countless hours of hard work
by Craig and Amanda Franklin of Unity Publications and I am sure
that you will agree that this year’s edition is the best yet. This
publication goes to all WA Mining Club members, plus resource
company executives and government officials, and is a showcase
for the Club, and for the mining and minerals industry in WA.
I am excited about the opportunities that are available for
the Club in 2012 and beyond, and I encourage each member to
continue to do everything possible to ensure the ongoing success
of the Club.
Best regards
Neil Watson
WA Mining Club President
MINESITE 2011
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