May 2009

May 2009 $2.75 inc GST where sold Bimonthly

Supporting mining and industry in Queensland and the NTSupporting mining and industry in Queensland and the NT

ISSN 1833-3125

TV’s take on miningTV’s take on mining- industry responds- industry responds

THIS EDITION

• Gladiator joins bauxite battle

• IPL shutdown ready to roll

• UCG – coal’s new wave

• Promising discoveries in NT

1The Mining Advocate | May 2009 NEWS

All material is copyright and cannot be reproduced in part or in full by any means without written permission of the managing editor. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher.

CONTACTS

p. (07) 4755 0336 f. (07) 4755 0338

Email: ...........................................................info@industryadvocate.com.au

Address: .........................................U3/11 Carlton St, Kirwan, Q, 4817

Postal: ...................................................... PO Box 945, Townsville, Q, 4810

3 Rocket-powered boost Th e rhenium-rich Merlin project is expected to provide extra kick to Ivanhoe Australia’s plans to re-open

the Selwyn mining fi eld outside Cloncurry. Chief executive offi cer Peter Reeve envisages an operation

requiring a work camp of at least 600 to 800 people as the company starts to bring its massive copper-gold

interests in the area online, hopefully within the next fi ve years.

7 Shutdown lowdownIncitec Pivot shutdown manager Dan Miller outlines the works scheduled during an October outage at the

company’s Mount Isa and Phosphate Hill operations. Th e company has installed a new 200-person camp at

the remote Phosphate Hill site in preparation for the extra manpower required.

8 Paladin empire grows Paladin Energy is continuing to strengthen its presence in north-west Queensland in keen anticipation of a

change in State policy to allow its uranium mining plans for the area to proceed. Company chief executive

offi cer and managing director John Borshoff says Paladin’s story of growth refl ects a worldwide uranium

revival.

22 Unearthing NT’s potential Th e Annual Geoscience Exploration Seminar (AGES) in Alice Springs this year heard of a number of

mineral discoveries highlighting the under-explored nature of huge tracts of the Territory. Th e event also

acted as a forum for NT companies to meet with potential investors, including a strong Chinese contingent.

23 Deep impactWhile operations like Tom Browne Drilling Services are dealing with the harsh eff ects of the mining

downturn on their business, industry fi gures have highlighted bright spots in exploration spending.

May 2009

FEATURES11 Coal and Gas Update

News in brief across the coal and gas industries.

12 Industry UpdateA comprehensive wrap of exploration and operations in Queensland and the Northern Territory.

16 Tropical Fabrications

18 Between Shifts

22 AGES 2009

23 Drilling and Exploration

24 Kagara

25 Safety

26 Bigger, Tougher, Better

27 Sports and Leisure

28 NRL

Managing editor: .........................Robert Dark m. 0417 623 156

Journalist: .........................Belinda Humphries m. 0439 726 074

Sales manager: ................................Ross Thomas m. 0405 504 332

Advertising booking deadlineJuly edition: June 24

Lil Howarth, Vicki Wilson and Mike Westerman were among the

competitors from Ernest Henry Mining who hit the road for Julia

Creek’s 2009 Dirt and Dust Triathlon. (More pictures - Page 27)

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2 May 2009 | The Mining AdvocateNEWS

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A Queensland company believes it is leading the charge into an exciting new energy future for Australia with its plans to produce diesel and jet fuel from “stranded” coal resources.

Linc Energy chief operating offi cer Stephen Dumble said that company’s plan to combine underground coal gasifi cation (UCG) technology with a gas-to-liquids (GTL) plant to produce high-value fuels was a world fi rst.

And he believes Linc deserves more recognition for the eff ort it is putting into this groundbreaking project.

“We are a young Queensland company who have invested nearly $60 million in a demonstration facility in Chinchilla to attempt to do something that nobody else in the world has done,” Mr Dumble said

“We’re the only people at this stage with not only a clear vision about how to take that energy to market but with money invested

in a pilot facility that can demonstrate that concept.

“...While there are other options for power generation, when it comes to people driving vehicles around and fl ying airplanes we’re going to need to continue to fi nd ways - as we move beyond peak oil - to fi nd sources of cleaner, eff ective liquid fuels. What we’re doing in Chinchilla, we believe, is part of that solution.”

Mr Dumble said Linc had been gasifying coal underground at Chinchilla, in south-east Queensland, for a decade and commissioned its groundbreaking GTL plant there in October last year.

It aims to establish a 20,000-barrel per day facility producing high-quality diesel and jet fuels from synthesis gas derived from the Chinchilla UCG fi elds.

Th e company recently upgraded its coal resource estimate for the Chinchilla project to 775 million tonnes – a

quantity it says would assure a project life of at least 60 years.

Mr Dumble said underground gasifi cation allowed proponents to recover the energy

contained in coal deposits deep underground that could not be mined economically.

While the UCG process is new to Australia, Mr Dumble said it had been used in the former Soviet Union for many years.

And he said Linc Energy was able to tap directly into some of that established technical expertise through its 74 per cent interest in Yerostigaz – a company which has been producing UCG syngas for a power station in Uzbekistan since 1961.

Although the Chinchilla project is the centrepiece of the company’s Australian developments, Linc plans to start its fi rst commercial UCG to GTL facility in South Australia.

Th e timeline for starting commercial operations in Queensland has been aff ected by the State Government’s Underground Coal Gasifi cation

policy, announced earlier this year in a bid to help resolve potential confl ict regarding overlapping tenure between UCG proponents and the burgeoning coal seam gas (CSG) industry.

Mr Dumble said that policy gave priority to CSG interests where tenure overlapped, except in the case of three UCG pilot projects – Linc’s project, Carbon Energy’s Bloodwood Creek project west of Dalby and Cougar Energy’s Kingaroy project.

“Before any commercial licences are progressed it requires a decision by government on the commercial, environmental and technological viability of UCG,” Mr Dumble said.

“Th at decision will be based on a recommendation from an industry committee, which will assess the performance of the three trial projects by the end of 2011.”

Linc Energy is pressing ahead with an

innovative project that taps into deep coal

deposits to produce high-value liquid fuels.

Pioneers of the underground

Queensland was host to a number of serious players in underground coal gasifi cation (UCG) with a depth of expertise unmatched in the southern hemisphere, a resources industry spokesman said.

Queensland Resources Council chief executive Michael Roche said the emerging industry may provide a new source of gas for domestic users such as power stations as CSG (coal seam gas) proponents concentrated their focus on LNG plants exporting out of Gladstone.

“We have a number of serious players now with pilot projects at diff erent stages - Linc Energy at Chinchilla, Cougar Energy and Carbon Energy,” he said.

“We have some other companies coming through as well, such as Metrocoal, who are not yet with a technology ready to trial but do have a resource that they view as being suitable for UCG.”

Mr Roche said Australia was blessed with some of the leading experts in the technology including Cougar Energy managing director Dr Len Walker and Carbon Energy technical director Dr Cliff Mallett.

“You have a depth of expertise probably not matched anywhere else in the southern hemisphere and they are all convinced there is a large economic opportunity,” he said

Mr Roche said the energy produced through UCG, by heating coal in seams deep underground, was being proposed for a wide range of uses.

“Th ey’re looking at power stations, gas to liquid, fertiliser plants and a whole range of spin-off industries that could emerge in south and south-central Queensland,” he said.

Cougar Energy recently raised $4.2 million through a share placement and said the funds would predominantly be used to construct a UCG pilot facility near Kingaroy which is due to commence operations later this year.

Carbon Energy has completed a 100-day trial at its Bloodwood Creek UCG project, demonstrating the company’s capability to convert in-situ coal into signifi cant quantities of UCG syngas.

Meanwhile Metrocoal, a subsidiary of Metallica Minerals, has started drilling at its Wandoan UCG project in the Surat Basin.

The Linc Energy

GTL plant at

Chinchilla.

Stephen DumbleLinc Energy chief operating offi cer

Queensland a hub for UCG expertise


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Ivanhoe Australia’s plans to re-open the entire Selwyn mining fi eld outside Cloncurry have received a rocket-powered boost from the newly discovered Merlin molybdenum and rhenium deposit.

Th e company in April announced a 13 million-tonne resource at Merlin with an in-ground metal value around $6.4 billion.

Th e deposit – which Ivanhoe describes as the highest grade of its kind in the world - is estimated to contain 110,000 tonnes of molybdenum, 180,000kg (6 million ounces) of rhenium, 30,000 tonnes of copper and 2 million ounces of silver.

Rhenium is a particularly rare metal – selling for about $500 per ounce - and has industrial applications including use in rocket thrusters, aircraft engine turbine blades and nuclear power plant components.

Ivanhoe Australia chief executive offi cer Peter Reeve said a scoping study was under way for the Merlin project, with production expected to start within two years.

Th at project was likely to create 200-250 jobs in construction and involve an operating workforce of 70 to 100 people, in addition to the fl ow-on eff ect from goods and services required, he said.

But Mr Reeve said Ivanhoe’s broader outlook held far greater ramifi cations for the Cloncurry and Mount Isa region.

“It’s not just the Merlin

Grand vision gains impetusIvanhoe Australia believes the high-

grade Merlin project will aid ‘lift-off ’

for a broader mineral development.

Exploration work at Ivanhoe Australia’s tenements outside Cloncurry.

project – we’re reopening the whole fi eld,” Mr Reeve said.

“Th e Merlin project has given us a great fast forward in the impetus to get the fi eld open.”

Th e company’s tenements in the area, which cover the majority of the historic Selwyn mining district, have also yielded copper and gold fi nds which Mr Reeve has described as the biggest mineral discoveries in Australia in the past 20 years.

Resource estimates for the Mt Elliott, Mt Dore and Starra Line projects total about 585 million tonnes, containing 3.1 million tonnes of copper and 5.1 million ounces of gold.

“If we get the Mt Elliott project up and running we would need a camp up there to accommodate 600 to 800 people at a minimum,” Mr Reeve said.

“Th at’s a few years away

yet, but if that all happens

– and I think Merlin will

help us get there quicker –

it’s very signifi cant for the

region.”

He believed Ivanhoe

would start to bring its

copper-gold interests

online within fi ve years

and said they were likely

to still be mining there

after 30 years.

“We are talking about

multiple operations and

operations that are some

of the largest in the

Cloncurry district and I

think we will have a key

role to play (in securing

the region’s economic

future),” he said.

Mr Reeve said the

company had already

invested about $70 million

in exploration in the

Cloncurry area over the

past two years and had

about 50 people based

there.

He expected Ivanhoe

Australia to be in a

position to start work on

a decline for the Merlin

resource within months.

As the deposit was

high-grade, shallow and

showing good response to

metallurgical test work, he

said the project could be

developed with a relatively

low level of capital

expenditure – possibly

around $100 million to

$150 million.

Th e resource estimate

released for Merlin in

April was based on 500m

of strike length and did

not include high-grade

mineralisation identifi ed

by further drilling for

400m north of the mineral

resource envelope, opening

the way for a future

resource upgrade.

Peter ReeveIvanhoe Australia

chief executive offi cer


BHP Billiton’s Groote Eylandt manganese operation has introduced weekly 100-seat fl ights out of Cairns for work crews in what an industry spokeswoman has described as a major coup for the city.

“We’re really over the moon that GEMCO (Groote Eylandt Mining Company) has announced regular charter fl ights in and out of Cairns,” Cairns Chamber of Commerce Resources and Industry Taskforce chair Sharon Dawson said.

“Putting on a FIFO (fl y in-fl y out) plane for the workforce really is a big commitment for Cairns.”

Ms Dawson said the move was an extension of a commitment BHP Billiton had made to the city during a recent construction project at the Northern Territory island site, when it had chartered fl ights out of Cairns and Darwin for contractors.

Her own company, Dawsons Engineering, provided about 60 people for that work and she said the company also had about 40

people on the GEMCO site as part of an ongoing maintenance contract.

Th e GEMCO expansion project, increasing production capacity by about 1 million tonnes per annum, was 93 per cent complete by the start of May, according to a BHP Billiton spokeswoman.

Th e spokeswoman said the weekly service out of Cairns consolidated fl ights the company had previously been running for FIFO workers from that centre, simplifying operations and improving effi ciency.

Alliance Airlines general manager for business development Ken Crawford said the carrier was running a Fokker 100 aircraft to Groote Eylandt and back each Tuesday.

It also ran weekly fl ights out of Cairns to the Ernest Henry site outside Cloncurry and provided two fl ights out of Cairns each Th ursday to BHP Billiton Cannington Mine, also in north-west Queensland.

“We would be fl ying about

450 people in and out of Cairns each week for the three mining organisations that we service,” Mr Crawford said.

“Cairns has really started to come of age as a fl y in–fl y out centre over about the last two years.

“It has grown into a jet operation, whereas before (the demand level) was suitable for smaller propeller airplanes.”

While he could not foresee a signifi cant rise in demand for such services in the short term, Mr Crawford said the airline

hoped such business would rise as the recession faded and resource activities increased.

Th e city suff ered a blow earlier this year when Oz Minerals ceased direct FIFO fl ights out of Cairns to Century Mine.

An Oz Century spokeswoman said the company had established direct fl ights between Cairns and its Lawn Hill site in 2007 on a temporary basis to provide for employees involved in the mine’s pre-strip program.

“Early this year, we decreased the number of weekly direct

fl ights from Cairns to our mine site from three to one in response to economic conditions and personnel requirements,” she said.

“Our remaining direct fl ight between Cairns and the mine site ceased in January when our service provider (MacAir) was placed in receivership and ceased operations.

“Since January, we have been providing a bus service from Cairns to Townsville to cater for employees aff ected by the fl ight changes.”

Northern exposure welcomedA new 100-seat Alliance Airlines service out of

Cairns helps cement the city’s credentials as a

FIFO hub, a local business group says.

Sharon Dawson prepares to board the new 100-seat Alliance Airlines service between Cairns and GEMCO’s manganese

operation on the Northern Territory’s Groote Eylandt. Photo: Romy Siegmann

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The requirement for health assessments is for the benefi t of the coal mine worker to monitor their health whilst employed as a coal mine worker and the health hazards that are present in our industry. The health assessment are not for mine management to use to better their fi ling systems, but an insurance for coal mine workers health.

There is a growing amount of increased medical surveillance being forced upon coal mine workers of late, and you as coal mine workers need to know your legislative rights in these matters.

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The miners union have Industry specifi c Health and Safety representatives and also offer numerous other benefi ts for our members. When it comes to your well being at work, don’t compromise either industrially or in safety, when in doubt seek information from your industry union.

Jim ValerynQueensland District Secretary of the CFMEU (Mining & Energy) Division.

The Myth of Compulsory Medicals Exposed

It’s a David and Goliath battle, according to Cape Alumina - or perhaps more like the geologist versus “Gladiator”.

Actor Russell Crowe used a recent appearance on David Letterman’s Late Show to raise concerns about the company’s planned bauxite mining activities on Bertiehaugh Station, north of Weipa.

Cape Alumina chief executive Paul Messenger said the on-air attack was part of a media campaign by Terri Irwin, wife of the late “Crocodile Hunter” Steve, against the Pisolite Hills project and he anticipates more to come.

“We are dealing with

professional actors and entertainers and they have a powerful media network and formidable media skills,” Mr Messenger said.

“We’re just geologists and engineers trying to do a job.”

Terri and Bob Irwin’s private company, Silverback Properties, bought the 135,000ha Bertiehaugh cattle property for about $6 million – an amount reimbursed by the Howard Government – after Steve Irwin’s death in 2006. Th eir aim was to protect the area as a wildlife reserve in his honour.

A spokeswoman for Mrs Irwin said she would like to make it clear that “we are not against

mining as an industry”.

“Any kind of development

on this fragile reserve, from

building a resort to strip mining

the bauxite, will damage the

head waters of irreplaceable

waterways and unique

biodiversity which will not

recover after mining operations

are fi nished,” she said.

In the two weeks after Crowe

appeared on Letterman, she

said the “Save Steve’s Place”

campaign had received huge

public support, boosting an

online petition beyond 150,000

signatures.

Crowe said in his interview:

“He’s (Irwin) not here to stand

up for himself and I just feel,

as his friend, that we can’t do

nothing.”

While Mrs Irwin may have

celebrity friends and many

members of the public in her

corner, Mr Messenger said Cape

Alumina had put a lot of eff ort

into its environmental impact

study (EIS) and was confi dent

in the legal process involved in

getting mining approval.

Mr Messenger said some of

Irwin and Crowe’s comments

in the media about the planned

mining activities had been

inaccurate, including on the size

and nature of the portion of

Bertiehaugh Station potentially

involved.

“Th ey’ve also raised this issue

Movie star Russell Crowe has added his voice

to a campaign against Cape Alumina’s bauxite

mining plans in far north Queensland.

of bauxite acting as a water

fi lter or sponge essential for

preserving springs in the area

and the Wenlock River – that is

also inaccurate,” he said.

“We started our EIS on July

2007 and have done a lot of

work. We have a lot of experts

in their fi elds – botanists,

ecologists, hydrologists - looking

at every aspect.

“Based on that hydrology

work, we now know that the

bauxite sits on top of a thick clay

barrier.

“Underneath that clay barrier

is a sand and gravel aquifer that

holds the water that is the source

of springs in the district that

fl ow into the Wenlock.”

Mr Messenger said the

Pisolite Hills project – hoped to

go into production in 2012/13

- would generate hundreds of

well-paid jobs in an area of

high unemployment and create

long-lasting outcomes for

Aboriginal people on Cape York,

including education and training,

employment, business and

community development.

Mrs Irwin has argued that the

conservation and humanitarian

benefi ts of preserving the area’s

ecological riches will far exceed

the opportunity presented by the

proposed mining operation.

“Th is wetland conservation

property is a tribute to Steve. I

will do whatever I can to protect

it,” she said.

Battle of Bertiehaughblazes on

Paul MessengerCape Alumina chief executive

Russell CroweOscar-winning actor

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7The Mining Advocate | May 2009 NQ REGIONAL CAPACITY

A raft of work contracts for a multimillion-dollar shutdown at Incitec Pivot’s (IPL’s) north-west Queensland sites are expected to be issued in June/July.

IPL shutdown manager Dan Miller said the company’s Mount Isa acid plant and Phosphate Hill fertiliser manufacturing facility would go offl ine in October for a month-long staggered schedule of works.

Th e installation of a new 200-man camp at the Phosphate Hill site for use during the shutdown was almost complete, he said.

Mr Miller estimated the shutdown would involve about 350 outside contractors at Mount Isa and 400 at Phosphate Hill, in addition to IPL manpower.

Th e company conducts such

twin outages every three years and Mr Miller said they were usually scheduled to co-incide with major rebricking shutdowns at Xstrata’s copper smelter, which feeds sulphur dioxide gas to IPL’s Mount Isa plant to produce sulphuric acid.

“But due to internal reasons they (Xstrata) have chosen to defer their rebricking shutdown until post 2009,” he said.

Planned works at IPL’s Mount Isa plant include a catalyst change, vessel repairs, replacement of a cooling tower and general running repairs.

Th e Phosphate Hill stoppage will allow work to meet statutory requirements such as vessel inspections.

“We will also take the opportunity to overhaul primary

A month-long staggered schedule of works is

planned at Phosphate Hill and the Mount Isa

acid plant, writes Belinda Humphries.

IPL outageready to roll

isolation and pressure safety valves, conveyor systems and high-speed equipment such as compressors and turbines as well as making vessel repairs to tanks and rotating drums and overhauling instrument and electrical control systems and motors,” Mr Miller said.

He said the ratio of contractors from the local region compared to those from further afi eld in IPL’s last major shutdown in the north-west had been about 50-50.

“Th e last shut was in 2006

when the market was very buoyant and a lot of local companies either didn’t have the expertise or didn’t have the manpower to support us,” he said.

Mr Miller said IPL did not put contracts for shutdown work out to open public tender.

“With each of our tenders, we will go out to a varying number of contractors, depending on the size and complexity of each tender,” he said.

“We tend to utilise companies we have used in the past or who

have a good reputation.”While it may be diffi cult for

fi rms not already on IPL’s books to break through, Mr Miller said the company was willing to try new contractors and he urged interested parties to supply capability statements for IPL’s consideration.

Th ose interested in submitting a capability statement should send it to: Shutdown procurement manager Ian Smith, PO Box 140, Morningside, Brisbane, 4170 or e-mail [email protected].

Incitec Pivot’s Phosphate Hill operation in north-west Queensland.

Osborne Mine in north-west Queensland will conduct a rolling four-day shutdown on fi xed plant in late May as part of its regular maintenance schedule.

Th e major factor determining the timing of the work was the need to reline the operation’s ball mill, which would see the milling and fl otation circuit down for about 72 hours, general manager Neal Valk said.

Some structural upgrades would also be undertaken at this time, Mr Valk said.

“Mill relines occur every 18 months, with Pacifi c Relines having completed all work over the past 15 years,” he said.

“Other business partners will

be repairing the fl oat cells while a service is completed on the ceramic disc fi lters. As with all shuts of this nature, scheduling, planning and safe work procedures make up a major component of the pre-work.

“With the mills turning again, work will progress to the shaft area, with the major work including a swing jaw reline on the primary crusher underground, fl ask gate replacement and a skip change-out. Th is is coupled with a routine rope crop.”

Mr Valk said most of this work would undertaken by Osborne’s fi xed plant area, with the help of Townsville-based fi rm TotalFab.

Tough economic times have

set back BHP Billiton’s push

towards a potential open-cut

operation to expand and extend

production at the Cannington

Mine in north-west Queensland.

Cannington asset leader Shane

Hansen said the decision on

whether to go to a full feasibility

study on the open-cut project

would be made in mid-2010.

Th e operation launched a

pre-feasibility study early last

year for the Cannington Life

Extension Project.

“While the long-term

economics of the project look

good, we also have to take into

account the harsh realities of the

current economic environment,”

Mr Hansen said. “However,

we can still say that the open-

cut option is viable and we

will continue to increase our

knowledge of the ore body and

continue developing a mine

design to go forward.”

Th e move to open-cut mining

would increase production

capacity at Cannington Mine

by about half a million tonnes

to 3.6 million tonnes of ore per

annum and extend its life about

10 years beyond 2020.

Mr Hansen said the site

was going ahead with a

small expansion to improve

concentrator recovery rates.

It has a Vertimill grinding mill

due to come online in June 2010.

Osborne shutdown

Cannington delays decision on shift to open-cut mining

North Queensland Metals

(NQM) hopes to take advantage

of the market downturn to renew

underground equipment at

Pajingo at reduced rates.

NQM chief executive offi cer

John McKinstry said the

Charters Towers district gold

mine had recently taken delivery

of two jumbo underground

development drills and was

considering options for replacing

its loader fl eet and 45-tonne

articulated dump trucks within

the next two to three years.

“When we acquired Pajingo

(from Newmont in December

2007), we acquired all the

underground equipment as well,

so we have been able to get in

straight away,” he said.

“But the underground

equipment has already clocked

up a lot of operating hours.

“It is good gear and has been

well maintained. We’ll get more

life out of it, but the production

drills were holding us back from

achieving some of our targets and

we’ve got to be thinking seriously

about the replacement strategy

for our loader fl eet and our truck

fl eet over the coming year.”

Mr McKinstry said 12 months

ago equipment was expensive to

replace and there was a long lead

time due to high demand.

“But now circumstances have

changed. Instead of overhauling

the older equipment, we’d

consider replacing it with newer

stuff ,” he said.

Mr McKinstry said NQM was

particularly interested in leasing

arrangements.

Pajingo seeks new wheels

Hospital progressEarly works are under way for the $94

million Townsville Hospital expansion, with

construction starting on the new North Block.

Deputy Premier Paul Lucas said Hutchinson

Builders would deliver the early works package,

which included diversion of underground

services, construction of new parking areas and

temporary bus bays. Work on the North Block

is expected to be completed by November next

year and refurbishment of the existing hospital

is due for completion by August 2011.

Waterworks Construction has started on Townsville’s

Douglas Water Treatment Plant upgrade,

the fi rst stage of a $330 million capital works

program aimed at improving and expanding

the city’s water and wastewater network.

Th e $18 million upgrade of the Douglas

plant forms part of the $80 million Water

Supply Upgrade Project to be carried out by

United Utilities Australia.

Th e next major step will be the construction

of the Northern Water Treatment Plant near

Rollingstone.

Software contract Global software service provider Mincom

has signed a multimillion-dollar outsourcing

contract with Xstrata Queensland.

Following a competitive tender process,

Mincom announced it had won the contract

to provide managed services to Xstrata’s

operational sites in North Queensland and the

Northern Territory from May.

Th e contract covers IT applications,

including Mincom Ellipse, and IT operations.

It also gives Xstrata the option to engage

Mincom to perform additional IT project

services.

Wharf upgradeAn extension of Berth 10 at the Port of

Townsville is among the works to be funded

in the region under the 2009 Defence White

Paper package.

Th e Federal Government said it would

invest more than $30 million in Townsville

over the next four years to improve logistics

infrastructure to better support Defence Force

operations.


Paladin Energy is riding high on the crest of a nuclear renaissance, according to chief executive offi cer and managing director John Borshoff .

Th e company is continuing to strengthen its cornerstone uranium development in the Mount Isa district, recently completing a takeover of smaller rival Fusion Resources.

And it is confi dent the commodity has a strong future in Queensland, with Mr Borshoff predicting the state would adopt a pro-nuclear/pro-uranium policy by the end of next year.

“We’re hopeful of starting a feasibility study (for the Mount Isa project) in 2010,” he said.

“It’s an exciting project and the region needs it, it needs diversity of minerals for mining.

“At the moment zinc and copper are economically diffi cult projects, people are being made redundant, but uranium is very strong.

“...We’re talking about $100 million into the local economy every year with operating costs, electricity, trucks delivering reagent, labour and services – an enormous positive contribution.”

Paladin was currently spending $8 million to $10 million a year on exploration in the region, Mr Borshoff said.

Th e Fusion Resources takeover adds the Valhalla North, Andersons South and Mary Kathleen South deposits to an already bulging Paladin portfolio of north-west Queensland uranium tenements.

Th e tenements in which it holds both direct and indirect interest cover 2300sq km, making Paladin the dominant

player in the region’s uranium development.

Th e company has 91 per cent attributable ownership of the Valhalla and Skal deposits – which together hold an inferred resource of about 20 million tonnes of ore containing more than 28 million pounds of uranium.

It holds an 81.9 per cent interest in Summit Resources and a 19.3 per cent stake in uranium explorer Deep Yellow

Mr Borshoff said Paladin’s planned operation in north-west Queensland would be centred on the main deposits at Valhalla and Skal, with satellite mines in surrounding tenements being brought on line in a “coherent” manner to give a total project life of 20 to 30 years.

To be successful, such projects required long-term operation and geographic diversity to spread the risk, he said.

Mr Borshoff said the proposed operation would employ 250 to 300 people directly.

Product would be trucked into the Northern Territory and railed to Darwin.

Paladin Energy also has uranium projects in Western Australia and the Northern Territory - including the Bigryli and Angela/Pamela deposits, and owns operating uranium mines in Namibia and Malawi (Africa).

Th e African mines were the fi rst greenfi eld conventional mining uranium projects to be built globally in the last two decades, Mr Borshoff said.

He said there was potential to develop other Australian sites before the Mount Isa project as a fallback option if the

Queensland Government did not approve uranium mining within the timeframe Paladin envisaged.

“We’re hoping for a 2012-13 start in Mount Isa and these things will be staged in Western Australia and the Northern Territory to come online after that – but it will depend on the Queensland policy position,” Mr Borshoff said.

He said the story of Paladin Energy, which was fl oated publicly in 1994, was the story of

the worldwide uranium revival.Paladin had been acquiring

projects at a time when no-one wanted uranium.

Mr Borhsoff said it had gone from a $2 million company to a $2 billion company through its belief in the commodity’s future - a belief that was completely vindicated as nuclear power had been accepted as a vital part of the world’ strategic fuel mix.

And Paladin was well-placed to take advantage of

opportunities presented during the current fi nancial crisis, as other companies were forced to drop their plans due to an inability to raise funds.

“I see great opportunity for Paladin in having achieved a cash fl ow position we can capitalise on through our existing pipeline of projects and the opportunity to acquire more projects and expand and diversify the geography even more,” Mr Borshoff said.

North Queensland Metals (NQM) believes the Dotswood gold project, formerly known as Far Fanning, may hold the potential for a new 100,000-ounce-per-year operation.

Th e company, which runs the Pajingo gold mine south of Charters Towers, has entered a $220,000 six-month option agreement to purchase the Dotswood project from a local private company for $1.9 million in cash plus shares and a 1 per cent royalty deal.

NQM hopes to start

mining as soon as late next year if planned drilling, scoping and feasibility studies prove the project’s viability.

“We see the potential for a 500,000 ounces-plus deposit and that’s what we’re out to prove,” NQM chief executive offi cer John McKinstry said.

Th e Dotswood site, 60km south-west of Townsville, has a history of gold mining stretching back to the 1890s.

It was most recently mined in 2000-2004 by SMC Gold, which later became Tamaya Resources.

Mr McKinstry said NQM

believed much of the previous work on site had been “off the mark”.

Th e drill program now under way will seek extensions at depth and to the west of existing pits as well as evaluating pit walls to better quantify potential mineralisation.

Mr McKinstry said also the company would rerun existing modelling work conducted when gold was selling at $500 an ounce to see how the fi gures stacked at up current prices (above $1200 an ounce at time of printing).

A major uranium player continues to build its

tenement portfolio in north-west Queensland,

with hopes of starting mining in 2012-13.

Exploration work at a Paladin Energy site outside Mount Isa.

Far Fanning may rise again

Paladinrides high

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Surprisingly, even experienced generator users are unaware that over 90% of the

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and generator systems to Australia’s most recognised mining companies in all states

and territories of Australia and in South East Asia.

ABC Mining are building a new mine in a remote area. They

require 3 x 350kva generators to provide power to the project.

ABC Mining is looking at the cost of hire vs purchase for these

units over the course of their 12 month project.

They release a tender to 4 suppliers, two rental companies and

four sales companies. The resultant offers come in like this.

SALES COMPANY A $367,000.00 TOTAL PURCHASE PRICE

SALES COMPANY B $358,000.00 TOTAL PURCHASE PRICE

HIRE COMPANY C $21,397.00 PER MONTH RENTAL

HIRE COMPANY D $18,978.00 PER MONTH RENTAL

Sales company A and Hire Company C are eliminated from the

tender process on price and the project manager decides hire

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tender process has been a success.

Case Study

Taking a new approach to the Project

ABC Mining then invites WASP to submit a

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the project.

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the WP625* engine is currently the most fuel

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in fact provides a 7.2 litre per hour saving over the

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original tender process.

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to 3628.8 litres per week, 15,724.8 litres per month

and a whopping 188,697.6 litres of diesel per year

in savings to the project.

Even a fuel saving of 1 litre per hour, per machine

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As you can see, the WASP approach is all

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regardless of the size or term of a project.

* The WPD625 is based on an actual engine and this case study is based on an

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In most cases, whether you’re looking for a new installationor replacing an existing generator or generator system, theextra capital or rental cost of implementing the new systemis paid back in fuel savings in a matter of months.

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Scenes of mining drama and corporate intrigue have been beamed into the nation’s lounge rooms recently as the ABC screens its six-part series Dirt Game.

Th e show was sparked by the desire of producers David Taft and Michael Harvey (who wrote the series) to fi nd a project that off ered something diff erent from “the normal run of police and hospital and lawyer” dramas, according to Mr Taft.

“(Th e mining industry) struck us as being a terrifi c vehicle for stories and stories that are iconically Australian,” he said.

Th e storyline goes from the boardroom through to mine and plant sites, taking in issues including business ethics, the environment, safety and native title.

But what sort of impression is the show giving people of the mining industry and how do insiders view its approach?

Th ere’s certainly no groundswell of indignation, according to Queensland

Resources Council chief executive Michael Roche, who said he had been intrigued to see the show’s treatment of the mining industry.

“I’m certainly pleased to see that they have characterised the industry as being one that employs both males and females in responsible roles - because that is increasingly the reality of the mining industry,” he said.

“But the downside for me is their portrayal of industry safety and accidents. I thought that was unfair treatment of the sector.

“It seems to be necessary to have a heavy vehicle or light vehicle accident in every episode unfortunately.”

Mr Roche believed industry reaction was generally one of bemusement and occasional amusement.

It was good to see the sector’s role in society getting recognition, although he hoped viewers would accept that “there’s a little bit of licence taken”.

North Queensland Metals

Mining game hits small screen

chief executive offi cer John

McKinstry – a mining engineer

with decades of industry

experience – said it would be

impossible to convey all the

complexities of mining life in

such a drama.

“I don’t think they do a bad

job,” he said.

“Th ey’re trying to make a story

of it and I think most people

who work in the industry will

probably have a chuckle from

time to time.

“In some ways there’s an

element of portraying the

mining industry on the whole as

not a particularly ethical mob,

which I guess could upset a few

in the mining community, but I

don’t take it too seriously.”

Mr Taft said while the creators

had tried to present a realistic

and fair representation of mining

life, their priority had been

to tell a good story through

interesting characters.

“I can understand that some

people will say ‘it doesn’t happen

like that’,” he said.

“It’s not a documentary.

“I hope there is more than

a grain of truth in what we’ve

done - we’ve worked closely with

advisers in the industry and had

a lot of help on location from

the people whose sites we used

- but we make terrifi c shortcuts

which are necessary in a drama.”

Th e series was shot in Victoria,

New South Wales and Western

Australia – including on actual

mine sites.

The producers of a new ABC series drew on the

resources industry for “iconically Australian”

stories, but how does TV refl ect reality?

Dirt Game television series stars Shane Connor (Max), Gerald Lepkowski

(Brian) and Joel Edgerton (Shane).


urine samples for drugs. We had anything from racehorses through to hospitals sending us the stomach contents of people who had overdosed. We even did blood lead tests for a young dog that had swallowed a sinker. It was an interesting start in chemistry.

I joined Nufarm in 1987, working in a laboratory at Laverton – it was more analytical chemistry, quality assurance for the herbicides and pesticides they produced. After that I became lab manager, technical services manager. I was looking for more challenges and Nufarm was looking to expand in the United States, so I made the move to St Josephs, Missouri, to manage a little chemical plant in 1999. (Th is was followed by a stint as plant manager in Chicago, implementing a business strategy that increased turnover from $40 million to $250 million). After fi ve years in the US I got a role in Brisbane, consolidating operations after Nufarm picked up Crop Care

From testing horse urine to running a Chicago manufacturing plant with a $250 million turnover, Sam Constas’s career has taken some colourful turns since he gained his chemistry degree in

1986.

Th e latest is his appointment as operations manager at Incitec Pivot’s (IPL’s) Phosphate Hill mine and fertiliser manufacturing site, 160km south of Mount Isa.

It is a fl y in-fl y out role that sees Mr Constas working on site Monday to Th ursday before returning to Townsville to wife Fiona and baby Ella.

Mr Constas spoke to Th e

Mining Advocate recently.

Tell us a bit about your

background

SC: I grew up in

Melbourne in Brunswick

and went to uni at RMIT,

where I managed to fi nd

myself with a chemistry

degree.

I went to work for

Analytical Reference

Laboratories, where I had

the pleasure of analysing

Chemistry is right at IPL IPL Phosphate Hill

operations manager

Sam Constas

“We even did blood lead tests for a young

dog that had swallowed a sinker.”

graders, water trucks and

dump trucks and am also

a crew truck trainer.

Regardless of what

type of equipment I am

allocated, as part of my

role I am responsible for

checking the safety and

integrity of the equipment

prior to operating it and

conducting any refuelling

or basic maintenance it

may require - for example,

oil top-ups.

Q: What do you enjoy

about this job and what are

its challenges or diffi culties?

SG: What I enjoy most

about my job is being part

of a team environment,

it brings a lot of

satisfaction. I also enjoy

the challenge of learning

new things and striving

to consistently do them

well. It has been a bit of

a challenge adapting to

nightshift, but Clermont

Mine is very supportive

and provides us with

guidelines for us to follow

should nightshift become

an issue.

Q: How long have you

been at the Clermont Mine

and what were you doing

previously?

Heavy equipment

operator Sharon

Glover is one of about

60 women who work

at Rio Tinto Coal ’s

Clermont Mine,

where construction

activities are under

way in preparation

for an expected start

to mining next year.

Th e company, winner

of the 2009 Resources

Award for Women - Best

Company Initiative

category, targeted

women in its recruitment

campaign for the new

operation. Th ey now

account for more than 27

per cent of the Clermont

Mine workforce,

compared to an industry

average of 11.3 percent.

Ms Glover, who is

based on the Sunshine

Coast, spoke with Th e

Mining Advocate recently

about her job at the

“female friendly” central

Queensland operation

(where her partner

Bradley Nagel is also

employed).

Q: What does your role

at Clermont Mine involve?

SG: I work as a heavy

equipment operator of

Driver’s seat suits SharonClermont Mine

operator

Sharon Glover

“What I enjoy most about my job is being part

of a team environment...”

How did the move to

Incitec Pivot come about?

SC: I got to a mid-

life crisis point. Nufarm

said ‘we need you to

come to Melbourne for

an Australia-wide role

managing packaging’.

I said ‘I would prefer

managing plant and

people’. All my experience was in rapidly growing chemical plants. It was a case, after working for a company for 20 years, of fi nding yourself and understanding what you enjoy.

Th e key for me with Incitec Pivot is the company values - things like treating the business as your own, valuing people, respect, recognition and reward, caring for a community and the environment, improving on the status quo and delivering on our promises.

Phosphate Hill had the

added challenge of being

remote – that’s something

I enjoy. Th e other thing

that appealed to me is that

on my fi rst visit out here

I met some really great

people who were very

positive about what they

do. It really fi ts in with my

thinking.

What are your interests

outside work?

SC: I have a few bad

habits – motorcycles and

cars are about my worst.

As my wife says – ‘at least

I know where he is, in the

garage’. I bought a little

kit car in 1995, an AC

Cobra. My other midlife

crisis is a motorbike (a

Yamaha V-Max). Th ese

things keep me busy on

the weekend. A few guys

here (at Phosphate Hill)

go motorcycle riding

together – that’s one of the

best things about the job,

the camaraderie.

SG: I have been

working at Clermont

Mine for just under a year.

I was previously working

in Western Australia in

the mining sector.

Prior to that, I was

working in the retail

industry (managing a

clothing store).

Q: What prompted you

to get into a mining role?

SG: I was living in a

small town (Pannawonica,

WA) where most people’s

work was connected in

some way to the nearby

mine. I had always

enjoyed driving, so with

the encouragement of

friends I decided to give

truck driving a go. It has

ended up being a very

good choice on my part

because I now love my job.

Q: What is it like to have

a greater female presence

around you in the mining

environment?

SG: It’s great having

other women around at

work. Women make up

about 30 to 40 per cent of

the crew that I work in at

Clermont Mine.

Many of them operate

dump trucks but several

others have branched out

to dozers, loaders and

blast crew.

Q: What would your

advice be to other women

regarding a potential career

in the resources industry?

SG: If other women

were looking at a career

in the operating area of

the resources industry, I

would suggest that they

be prepared to work long

hours and nightshifts.

I think it is also

important to have a good

attitude and be willing to

learn.

• More details on

Queensland’s 2009

Resources Award for

Women winners – Page 11.

11The Mining Advocate | May 2009 INDUSTRY UPDATE - COAL AND GAS

for one of the world’s largest longwalls.

Industrea managing director and chief

executive offi cer Robin Levison said the

company would provide six 80-tonne

chock carriers and a 130-tonne shearer

carrier for the Shendong Mine. Th e

company also recently announced a $2

million contract to supply equipment to

Shanxi Asian American Daning Energy.

New WestSide campaign

WestSide Corporation has started its

2009 coal seam gas (CSG) drilling

campaign, with the spudding of the

Tilbrook 8A exploratory well in the

Bowen Basin. It is the fi rst hole to be

drilled as part of an $8 million work

program targeting reserve certifi cation

at Tilbrook and new CSG prospects in

an area south of Collinsville.

Mining leases granted

Macarthur Coal says the Queensland

Government has granted two mining

leases for the Olive Downs North

project in the Bowen Basin.

“Current capital costs for development

of this project are modest at

approximately $20 million, as it will

be operated as a satellite pit to the

Moorvale operations and coal will be

processed at the Moorvale CHPP (Coal

Handling and Preparation Plant),” the

company said in its quarterly report.

“Th e area will extend the life of the

existing open-cut Moorvale Mine and

provide product and pit diversifi cation.

Th ere is also the potential to expand the

project further to the north and south of

the current lease area in the future.”

Tenements change hands

Beach Petroleum has sold its 40 per cent

stake in coal seam assets at the Tipton

West Field and associated tenements in

the Surat Basin, 20km south of Dalby,

to its joint venture partner Arrow

Energy. Th e company said it was set to

receive up to $400 million from the sale

under a tiered payment structure, with

a mix of cash, shares and contingent

payments.

Gladstone LNG milestone

Santos has submitted the draft

environmental impact statement (EIS)

for its multi-billion dollar Gladstone

LNG (GLNG) project. GLNG

president Rick Wilkinson said the EIS

was the largest and most comprehensive

document of its kind submitted for

assessment in Queensland, with almost

13,500 pages of general and technical

information.

Lydia drill results

Icon Energy has reported good results

from drilling at its Lydia coal seam gas

pilot project, north of Goondiwindi in

the Surat Basin. Th e company said its

Lydia Pilot LP4 well had passed 800m

and showed excellent gas saturations

over the Walloon Coal Measures.

CSG growing fast

Coal seam gas (CSG) production has

swelled from 1.4 to 142.9 billion cubic

feet per annum in Australia in the past

10 years, fi gures from the Australian

Petroleum Production and Exploration

Association show. Th at commodity now

represents more than 13 per cent of

domestic gas supply in Australia.

APPEA fi gures showed CSG

production had increased about 40 per

cent from 2007 to 2008 alone, while

production of crude oil and liquid

petroleum gas fell by 2 per cent and 1.5

per cent respectively in that time.

Liquefi ed natural gas was also a

growth area, with 15.7 million tonnes

produced in 2008 – up 3.7 per cent on

the previous year and up 109.3 per cent

compared to 1998 fi gures.

June completion date

Th e feasibility study for a proposed

seven-million-tonnes-per-annum

coal mine at Eagle Downs in the

Bowen Basin remains on schedule for

completion by the end of June, project

proponents say.

Aquila Resources, which has a joint

venture interest in the project with

Vale, recently announced a signifi cant

increase in total coal resources in the

area to 878 million tonnes.

Th e Eagle Downs hard coking coal

project is located 25km south-east of

Moranbah.

“Virtual” designers deliver

Sinclair Knight Merz (SKM) has

completed the design of the coal

processing plant for the new Clermont

Mine, managed by Rio Tinto Coal

Australia. SKM said the design process

for the project - the fi rst new coal plant

in Australia to use paste thickening

technology – had involved a “virtual

team”, with technology used to link

members from SKM offi ces in Australia

and Asia.

SKM said it was anticipated that the

plant would be built by the end of 2009,

with commissioning in early 2010.

Dingo joint venture deal

Cockatoo Coal has entered a joint

venture agreement with Aston

Resources to explore and assess the

feasibility of developing the Dingo

project, in the Bowen Basin. Wholly

owned by Cockatoo subsidiary

Independent Coal, the project comprises

three tenements covering 35,420ha.

Minyango shows promise

Caledon Resources says a detailed study

by SMG Consultants has confi rmed

the Minyango project in the Blackwater

region is “suffi ciently attractive to move

to the next stage of evaluation”.

Caledon said a number of production

scenarios had been considered, with

the most effi cient incorporating two

mini walls (a short-form version of a

longwall).

Red Hill resource upgrade

Aquila Resources has announced an

upgrade in resources at its Red Hill coal

project, 45km north of Moranbah, to

83.4 million tonnes. Th e company said

the latest results indicated the potential

for an operation of 3 to 4 million tonnes

per annum, generating coking and

thermal coal products.

Sienna projects progress

Norton Gold Fields has announced an

inferred resource of 57 million tonnes

of coal at its Sienna North and Sienna

South projects near Middlemount.

Th e Sienna area was a signifi cant

coal resource with potential to be

developed into a medium-sized open-

cut low-volatile PCI coal operation, the

company said. Norton is preparing a

detailed feasibility study for the project.

Billion-tonne boost at Blackall

Exploration company East Energy

Resources has confi rmed a maiden

JORC inferred resource of 1.2 billion

tonnes of raw thermal coal at its

Blackall coal project.Th is is double its

previously announced resource target of

500-550 million tonnes.

Th e company said further infi ll drilling

was likely to upgrade the coal resources

from inferred to indicated category.

Expansion on track

New Hope hopes to boost production at

its New Acland operation to 10 million

tonnes per annum, with a third mining

lease at the site expected to be granted

next year.

Meanwhile the company is pushing

ahead with its $36 million expansion at

the mine, outside Oakey in south-east

Queensland.

Th e opening of a second pit has taken

production to 4.2 million tonnes per

annum and further work, including a

washplant upgrade, is expected to see

production lift to 4.8 million tonnes by

December.

RAW honours

Central Queensland dominated this

year’s Resources Award for Women

(RAW) presentations.

Mine manager of Cement Australia’s

East End Mine, outside Gladstone,

Sandra Collins, was named overall

winner, while Rio Tinto Clermont Mine

won the category for best company

initiative.

Th e head trainer/assessor for heavy

equipment at Macarthur Coal’s

Coppabella Mine, Michelle Osborne,

was the operator winner and electrical

maintenance planner for BMA’s Crinum

Mine, Julie Griffi n, was trade winner.

Moranbah State High School student

Elizabeth Bridgeman won the junior

category.

Th e awards are presented annually by

the Queensland Resources Council.

Macmahon redundancies

Macmahon Holdings has announced

redundancies for 360 employees as a

result of two BHP Billiton Mitsubishi

Alliance (BMA) contracts coming to

an end.

BMA had advised the company that its

work at Goonyella coal mine would not

be extended past April due to changes

to the mine plan, Macmahon said in a

revised profi t guidance statement.

It had also decided to terminate the

Saraji coal contract – which had been

due to run until February 2010 – at the

end of May.

Another contractor aff ected by BMA

contract cuts - HMP Constructions –

has gone into voluntary administration.

Administrator Nicholas Harwood of

Deloitte said there were about 500

employees with the business.

”Th e voluntary administrators will be

closely investigating ways to preserve

the jobs of employees, however, staff

at the Goonyella mine site have been

informed that they will be aff ected due

to the termination of the contract,” he

said.

Industrea’s Chinese windfall

Queensland-based mining products and

services fi rm Industrea has signed a $20

million contract to supply longwall roof

support and shearer carriers to China’s

Shenhua Group company, Shendong,

Anglo Coal Australia employees and families had the chance to inspect new

longwall roof supports at Moranbah North Mine during two recent open days.

An installation of the Joy roof supports has been established above ground to

allow compatibility testing to be carried out before the equipment is transported

underground by purpose-built machinery.

“Moranbah North uses the longwall mining method to extract hard coking

coal from the Goonyella Middle Seam,” general manager David Sykes said.

“Th e mine will utilise 150 2m-wide hydraulically-powered roof supports to

provide a safe and productive work environment while mining at depths of up

to 400m.”

Visitors get a close look at the new longwall roof supports at Moranbah North Mine.

Uplifting sight

12 May 2009 | The Mining AdvocateINDUSTRY UPDATE

Rio Tinto slashes jobs

Rio Tinto Alcan has slowed

construction of the Yarwun alumina

refi nery expansion in Gladstone and

reduced bauxite production at Weipa

mine to 15 million tonnes per annum

due to the sharp fall in alumina and

aluminium demand and prices.

Th e decisions have resulted in the loss

of about 100 permanent roles at Weipa,

570 contractor roles in Gladstone,

15 permanent roles from the Yarwun

refi nery and 20 permanent roles at

Boyne Smelters.

Rio Tinto said a recent change to the

maintenance arrangement at the Yarwun

refi nery had also resulted in a reduction

of about 70 operational maintenance

contract roles.

Th e change to the construction schedule

at the Yarwun refi nery will result in a

revised completion date in the second

half of 2012.

Conquest confi dent

Conquest Mining expects to start

production at its Silver Hill gold/silver/

copper deposit in North Queensland

within two years.

Th e company has commissioned a

defi nitive feasibility study following

recent completion of pre-feasibility

work.

High-grade intersection

Citigold says its expansion plans at

Warrior Mine in North Queensland

have received a boost with the best drill

intersection in the ore body to date – a

result of 1.5m true width at 161g of

gold per tonne (5 ounces per tonne).

Th e result stemmed from mine plan

drilling in a high-grade zone off the

Charters Towers mine’s western decline

in the next planned production area for

the operation.

Citigold said drilling was continuing

on two other ore bodies adjacent to

Warrior, the Sons of Freedom and

Imperial ore bodies.

Administrator appointed

Axiom Mining says its subsidiary

Ozmin Resources has appointed a

voluntary administrator.

Th e appointment was made to

protect the assets of Axiom while it

implemented additional funding, the

company said.

Ozmin Resources holds tenements at

the OK mining camp, north-north-west

of Chillagoe.

Aragon keen on Watershed

Aragon Resources has taken a 15 per

cent stake in Vital Metals with the

aim of advancing its tungsten strategy

within Australia by becoming Vital’s

largest shareholder.

In a company statement, Aragon said

it believed Vital’s Watershed tungsten

project in the Mount Carbine region

of far north Queensland held excellent

potential to progress into a long-term

and signifi cant producer of scheelite

(tungsten-trioxide) concentrate.

Boost for Consolidated Tin

Consolidated Tin Mines has announced

a major resource upgrade at its Mount

Garnet tin project, taking the total

resource to 5.3 million tonnes at 0.6 per

cent tin.

Th e company says the upgrade is a result

of extensive drill programs in 2008,

which entailed a total of more than

4000m of reverse circulation drilling

at its three key Mount Garnet project

areas - Gillian, Deadmans Gully and

Windermere.

“We now have great confi dence that

further drilling will signifi cantly

increase the project area’s resource size

and improve the resource category,”

Consolidated Tin Mines managing

director Ralph De Lacey said.

Th e company hopes to establish an 8

to 10-million-tonne JORC resource, at

average grade 0.5 per cent, to support a

mill with a throughput of one million

tonnes per year.

D-Tree joint venture

Mt Isa Metals has signed a joint venture

agreement with Legend International

Holdings over the D-Tree phosphate

deposit in the Mount Isa region.

A Mining Lease Application was

recently submitted to the Queensland

Department of Mines and Energy over

the D-Tree North area, Mt Isa Metals

said.

CopperCo update

Mining and

hauling activities

have been

suspended

indefi nitely at the

CopperCo site,

120km north of

Mount Isa.

Receivers and

managers for

CopperCo, Gary Doran and David

Lombe from Deloitte, said the decision

followed signifi cant fl ooding early this

year and preparation of an up-to-date

mine optimisation plan for the Lady

Annie operation.

It has meant job losses for the 68

mining employees stood down in

February, together with an additional 28

employees.

Deloitte said the employment of 72

workers involved in processing and

administration remained unaff ected,

with stockpiles of mined ore allowing

ongoing production of copper

concentrate.

“Th e receivers and managers have

advertised the Lady Annie asset for sale

and have received expressions of interest

from a number of parties,” Mr Doran

said.

Figures fi rm for Westmoreland

Laramide Resources has announced

an updated resources estimate for its

Westmoreland uranium tenement in

north-west Queensland.

Th is includes an indicated mineral

resource totalling 36.0 million pounds

of uranium (U3O8) contained in 18.7

million tonnes at an average grade

of 0.089 per cent and an additional

inferred mineral resource totalling 15.9

million pounds of uranium contained in

9.0 million tonnes at an average grade

of 0.083 per cent.

“Westmoreland continues to rank as

a large undeveloped uranium deposit,

with favourable grades compared to

other large open-cut deposits such as

BHP Billiton’s

Olympic Dam in

Australia (0.05 per

cent U3O8) and

Paladin’s Langer

Heinrich

deposit (0.07 per

cent U3O8) located

in Namibia,”

Laramide vice-

president of

exploration Peter

Mullens said.

North Queensland symposium

Th e Australian Institute of

Geoscientists is hosting its Northern

Queensland Exploration and Mining

event (NQEM) for 2009 in Townsville,

June 3-8. Visit http://aig.org.au/

events/18 for more information.

Training excellence recognised

Nominations for the 2009 Mining

Industry Skills Centre Training Awards

close on June 5.

Organisers are urging industry members

to get their entries in and are off ering

an expanded range of categories for

2009.

Th e awards will be presented at the

2009 Mining Industry Skills Centre

Conference, which is being held in

Brisbane on September 24-25, with

the theme “Explore. Exchange. Equip.

Unearthing success from a skilled

workforce”.

To download a nomination form,

or for more information, visit www.

miskillscentreconference.com.au/

awardnominations.

• Engineering Consultancy

• Design Drafting

• Steel Detailing

• Project & Construction Management

• Major Construction Work

• In-Service Pressure Equipment Inspection

EDMS Australia

Head Office: 7 Cava Close, Cairns QLD 4870

PO Box 198, Cairns QLD 4870, Australia


Web: www.edmsaustralia.com.au

Telephone: +61 7 4033 8100 Facsimile: +61 7 4033 5345

13The Mining Advocate | May 2009 INDUSTRY UPDATE

east of Duchess in the Mount Isa

region.

Peak phosphate values of more than 22

per cent P2O5 (phosphorus pentoxide)

were among some of the strongest

results from a 1000m reverse circulation

program the company conducted in

December and January.

Bungalien is among a suite of phosphate

projects owned by GBM Resources

within the Beetle Creek Formation,

part of the broader Georgina Basin

mineralised footprint near Mount Isa.

A review of the company’s strategic

phosphate projects is scheduled for

completion in the June quarter.

Inpex awards key contract

Inpex Browse, operator of the Ichthys

LNG project, has awarded the Front

End Engineering and Design (FEED)

contract for off shore facilities associated

with the development to AMEC

Engineering.

AMEC will be supported by

subcontractors Aker Solutions and JP

Kenny ( JPK).

Meanwhile, Inpex president Naoki

Kuroda and Northern Territory Chief

Minister Paul Henderson recently

opened the company’s new offi ce in

Darwin, where it plans to base the LNG

plant.

Mr Kuroda said Inpex had established a

team in the city, led by newly appointed

Darwin general manager Sean Kildare,

and looked forward to growing there as

the project moved forward.

“Encouraging” results

Diatreme Resources has reported

encouraging results from its Clermont

copper project in central Queensland.

Th e company has launched a

geophysical survey, through Search

Exploration Services, of the Rosevale

Porphyry Corridor (RPC) on its

tenements. Diatreme said the work had

identifi ed an excellent drill target and

a number of other anomalies which

required further delineation.

“Th e company is extremely excited

about the encouraging results that

continue to come from the RPC area

and are eagerly awaiting further results

from the geophysical survey,” Diatreme

said in an Australian Securities

Exchange announcement.

“Drilling is expected to commence

shortly after the completion of the

geophysics program.”

Scoping study released

Korab Resources says a newly

completed scoping study for the

GeolSec deposit in the Northern

Territory shows it can be developed as

a simple quarrying operation to supply

ground-up rock phosphate as organic

fertiliser.

Korab is looking at commencing

production next year, subject to

receiving all regulatory approvals.

Th e company says it would target an

initial output of 10,000 tonnes per

annum, expanding to 30,000 tonnes by

2013.

Th e deposit is located about 65km south

of Darwin, near Rum Jungle.

Boost for Bootu Creek

OM Holdings (OMH) has resumed

shipments from the Bootu Creek

operation, in the Northern Territory,

reporting high-grade manganese ore

shipments totalling 172,306 wet tonnes

in its quarterly report for March.

Th e company had suspended shipments

during the December quarter, when

the manganese ore market was severely

impacted by the global fi nancial crisis.

OMH recently announced a 72 per cent

increase in total mineral resources at the

project, extending the life-of-mine plan

at Bootu Creek to about 15 years based

on a mining rate of 2 million tonnes per

annum.

Meanwhile, construction has started

on a $12.6 million rejects re-treatment

plant, expected to be commissioned by

the end of the year.

Georgetown project sale

Plentex is selling off its Georgetown

gold and base metals mining and

exploration project to Deutsche

Rohstoff Australia.

Executive chairman Peter C Streader

said the company was forced into

the decision after “unsuccessful

attempts to raise development capital

or to negotiate

acceptable

joint venture

arrangements”.

Th e agreement

will see Deutsche

Rohstoff Australia

purchase mining

and

exploration

tenements, a

decommissioned

gold processing plant and other

equipment for $1.215 million in

addition to other fi nancial obligations.

Th e agreement was subject to

conditions including gaining Plentex

shareholder approval at a meeting in

early May.

Feasibility work on hold

Th e board of Metallica Minerals has

elected to defer the feasibility study for

a proposed heap leach nickel laterite

operation at the company’s NORNICO

project north-west of Townsville.

Metallica said poor market conditions,

depressed metal prices and sentiment,

particularly for nickel and nickel laterite

projects, prompted the decision.

It said the feasibility study, which was

well advanced, was at a stage that would

enable it to be quickly restarted.

Th e study was confi ned to the Bell

Creek and Minnamoolka deposits at

the northern end of the NORNICO

project and did not include the

emerging cobalt-rich Kokomo nickel

laterite deposit in the centre of the

project area.

Minerals Week events in May

Resilience, Recovery and Growth will

be the focus of Minerals Week 2009

activities in Canberra in May.

Th e Minerals Council of Australia

(MCA) event will be held from May 26

to 28 at the Hyatt Hotel and Parliament

House, Canberra.

It features a seminar examining topics

including the impact of the global

fi nancial crisis

on Australia

and the BRIC

economies (Brazil,

Russia, India and

China), Australia’s

infrastructure

capacity, MCA’s

Vision 2020

Project and Federal

Government policy

plans.

Th is year’s event will continue the

tradition of the Annual Minerals

Industry Parliamentary Dinner in the

Great Hall at Parliament House, to be

held on the evening of May 27.

Polymetals takes on tailings

Polymetals Group has sign a

memorandum of understanding with

Icon Resources to develop and operate

the Mount Carbine tailings project.

Given a positive due diligence study

outcome, Polymetals will acquire a 50

per cent interest in the project for a

purchase price of up to $2 million and

will provide a further $2 million in

capital expenditure.

“With the tailings project under way,

Icon can concentrate on its 100 per

cent-owned Mount Carbine primary

ore project: proving up a suffi cient

resource to justify a long-term mining

operation,” Icon managing director John

Bishop said.

Phosphate fi nd

GBM Resources says new drill results

have confi rmed widespread phosphate

mineralisation at its Bungalien project,

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14 May 2009 | The Mining AdvocateINDUSTRY UPDATE

An announcement is expected by the end of June on the fate of BHP Billiton’s

Yabulu refi nery outside Townsville, with a future options study now under way.

“Th e study will look at future options for Yabulu and that can include

temporary suspension, continued operation, extended care and maintenance,

divestment or closure,” a BHP Billiton spokeswoman said.

“By the end of the fi nancial year we will be making a decision.”

Th e company in January shed 350 jobs from the refi nery’s 1100-strong

workforce after announcing plans to slash about 3300 jobs across Australia by

July as the eff ects of the economic downturn started to bite.

ERA digging deep at Ranger

ERA (Energy Resources Australia) is

seeking approval for an underground

exploration decline at its Ranger

uranium operations in the Northern

Territory.

Th e company early this year announced

the discovery of a very signifi cant

ore body in an area known as Ranger

3 Deeps, east of the current Ranger

3 operating pit, where it has an

established resource of 34,000 tonnes of

uranium oxide.

ERA has approved a $4 million

feasibility study into constructing an

exploration decline to undertake further

drilling and says construction may

The future of North Queensland’s Yabulu nickel refi nery remains in doubt.

commence in the fi rst half of 2010,

subject to approval.

Th e company is also seeking statutory

approval for a heap leach facility to

treat 10 million tonnes of low-grade

mineralised material per year from

stockpiles and the operating Ranger

pit, to produce a total of 15 to 20,000

tonnes of uranium oxide.

Exploration accelerates

Emmerson Resources has entered into

a $28 million farm-in and joint venture

agreement with Ivanhoe Australia

to fast-track exploration within its

Tennant Creek tenements.

Emmerson Resources said the

agreement secured the involvement of

one of the world’s leading international

mining companies to aggressively

advance the large number of high-

quality gold-copper targets identifi ed

within its extensive tenement package

and promote the discovery of a new

generation of Tier 1 gold and gold-

copper deposits in the Tennant Creek

Mineral Field.

An aggressive drilling program, to be

funded by Ivanhoe, was due to begin

shortly, the company stated.

Benefi ciation tests show promise

Western Desert Resources has

announced good results from

benefi ciation test work on samples from

the fi rst drill campaign conducted at its

Roper Bar iron ore project in the NT.

“Th is is a signifi cant milestone for the

Roper Bar project,” Western Desert

managing director Norm Gardner said.

Resources council goes national

Th e Northern Territory Resources

Council executive has set wheels in

motion for the industry group to

become part of the Minerals Council of

Australia.

Council chief executive Scott Perkins

said the group would no longer be an

independent body under the proposal,

but would become the NT division of

the MCA.

Th e change depended on a vote of

members, he said.

Mr Perkins said such a move would

avoid duplication of functions and help

create “one voice” for industry.

“We wouldn’t even contemplate this if it

didn’t off er a better result for members,”

he said.

Survey at Murphy project

Bondi Mining has launched a 64,000

line-kilometre airborne magnetic and

radiometric survey on the western half

of its Murphy uranium project.

Th e company has an agreement with

Japan Oil, Gas and Metals

National Corporation ( JOGMEC)

allowing JOGMEC to earn a 51 per

cent interest in the project by funding

$3 million in exploration over four

years.

Bondi said it was also undertaking a

small program of infi ll and extension

ionic leach geochemistry on four target

areas, which would then be drilled in a

2700m diamond and reverse circulation

drill program commencing in June.

An additional drill program of about

1300m is planned for August in the

western half of the Murphy Project

area, following fi eld checking of targets

arising from the airborne survey.

Bondi said the overall budget for the

2009 exploration program was about

$1.25 million.

Th is included a $100,000 grant from

the NT Government.

NuPower seeks drill approvals

NuPower is seeking regulatory approvals

to drill at its Eva mineral lease, near the

Queensland-Northern Territory border,

to secure resources to JORC standards

for uranium and gold.

Th e company said drilling at Eva and

the nearby Cobar II lease could take

place as early as August, subject to the

level of funding available following

closure of NuPower’s recent rights issue

and to timely receipt of approvals.

NuPower has also commenced planning

processes to secure drilling contracts

and regulatory approvals under the

Mine Management Act for its Lucy

Creek and Arganara phosphate projects.

NuPower said drilling could take place

on one or both of these projects by July

if approvals had been received.

Milestone for Minemakers

Minemakers has submitted its

application for a mineral lease over

Wonarah to the NorthernTerritory

Government as well as lodging its

notice of intent for mining at the

deposit. Th e company aims to be

producing direct shipping ore from the

phosphate project about the end of the

fi rst quarter 2010.

Refi nery on the line

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15The Mining Advocate | May 2009 INDUSTRY UPDATE

a large portfolio of uranium, gold and

base metal assets in Australia and

Argentina, including two Northern

Territory projects - the Amadeus

uranium project, adjacent to the Pamela

and Angela deposits, and the Eclipse

project, centred on the Ngalia Basin.

Napperby resource doubled

Results announced by Toro Energy

in March have more than doubled

resource estimates for the Napperby

uranium project to more than seven

million pounds. Th e JORC-compliant

inferred resource for the project, 175km

north-west of Alice Springs, has been

increased to 9.34 million tonnes at 359

parts per million triuranium octoxide

(U3O8) for 3351 tonnes (7.39 million

pounds) of contained uranium oxide.

Toro said the new resource estimate was

calculated by SRK Consulting using

drilling assay data collected during 2006

to 2008.

TNG gets the “go ahead”

TNG has signed a deed for exploration

with the traditional owners and the

Central Land Council for its Rover gold

project in the Tennant Creek region.

Th e project, located less than 1km from

Westgold Resources’ Rover 1 project,

is one of TNG’s main gold exploration

projects with signifi cant untested

magnetic anomalies.

Territory prepares for APPEA event

Th e Australian Petroleum Production

and Exploration Association will hold

its 2009 conference and exhibition at

the Darwin Convention Centre May

31 - June 3. For more information visit

www.appeaconference.com.au.

Chinese buyers for iron ore

Territory Resources has secured

long-term sales

commitments with

three Chinese

steel producers

for Frances Creek

iron ore. Th e

company says the

commitments

cover 2 million

tonnes per annum

of lump and fi nes

ore from Frances

Creek over the

next three years

with annual pricing to be benchmarked

against major long-term contracts for

Western Australian iron ore.

Redbank expansion plans

Copper developer Redbank Mines is

continuing to expand its Northern

Territory tenement package, with

applications for a further 800sq km of

highly prospective ground adjoining its

copper project.

If granted, the tenement acquisitions

would mark a 20 per cent increase in

the size of the company’s tenement

holdings, and bring the total ground

held or under application in the

company’s McArthur South region to

some 3600sq km.

Copper refi nery milestone

Xstrata Copper and the Port of

Townsville in April celebrated the

export of the fi ve millionth tonne of

copper refi ned at the Townsville Copper

Refi nery. Th e plant has been refi ning

copper anode from Mount Isa Mines

since 1959.

In recent years, the refi nery has been

importing additional copper anode from

South America for refi ning and export

throughout the world.

Karumba safety campaign

OZ Century has launched a safety

campaign to remind anglers about

the need to steer clear of the mine’s

5000-tonne transfer vessel.

Drink coasters, posters and fl yers

are being distributed to taverns,

accommodation facilities and other

venues throughout

Karumba.

“Th e purpose of

the campaign is

to educate new

visitors to the area

about the need to

stay at least 50m

away from the OZ

Minerals wharf, at

least 25m from the

MV Wunma herself

and not to anchor

in the Norman River when the vessel

is moving,” OZ Century port manager

Greg Scanlan said.

Newera pulls out

Newera Uranium has withdrawn

from option agreements covering the

Amadeus project area, south-west of

Alice Springs, and the Brumby project,

east-north-east of Alice Springs.

Th e company said the decision to

withdraw was based on the results of

recent reconnaissance exploration over

the granted tenements and the scale of

the option fees payable.

Th e option agreements were due to

expire in April 2010.

Darwin hosts conference

AusIMM will host its Annual

International Uranium Conference at

the Darwin Convention Centre on June

10 – 11. For more information visit

www.ausimm.com.au/uranium2009.

Uranium players unite

Australian companies Jackson Minerals

and Scimitar Resources have agreed

to merge. Th e merged company holds

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Chinese company Minmetals is expected to take ownership of Century Mine

in north-west Queensland and other Oz Minerals assets in June after Treasurer

Wayne Swan approved the acquisition.

A sale agreement signed between the companies will see Minmetals (China

Minmetals Non-Ferrous Metals) take on the majority of OZ Minerals’ assets

excluding Prominent Hill and Martabe for $US1206 ($A1618) million.

“We are very pleased that the Treasurer has approved this transaction as

it is the best currently available solution that resolves all of the company’s

refi nancing issues,” Oz Minerals chairman Barry Cusack said.

Th e matter would be put to shareholders at the annual general meeting on

June 12, with the board recommending a vote in favour of the sale, he said.

Federal approval has paved the way for Minmetals to take over Century Mine.

New owner for Century

16 May 2009 | The Mining AdvocateTropical Fabrications

Tropical Fabrications is well placed to punch through the economic downturn and continue to grow, according to general manager Barry Whiting.

Th e Townsville-based company’s competitive pricing structure and the quality of its work were key factors in this positive outlook, he said.

And holding the Queensland licence to manufacture and

supply Industrial Light Beam (ILB) – an innovative, lightweight building system - provided a distinct advantage.

“We plan to take on this global fi nancial crisis head-on,” Mr Whiting said.

“Our outlook is not just business survival, but to grow our business even in these troubled times.

“I’m not a ‘doom and gloom’

person. We are aggressively going after a lot of jobs.”

Mr Whiting said the jobs on the company’s books at the moment included a $1.5 million-plus contract to fabricate and erect the structural steel for the new Tropical Science and Innovation Precinct in Townsville for James Cook University and CSIRO.

Tropical Fabrications has been involved in metal fabrication in North Queensland for more than 30 years, starting out as a business catering for the home building sector with light steel

work, stairs and handrails.Mr Whiting said the company

now had an extensive client list across the construction, mining and industrial sectors.

It employs 30 people and has an annual turnover of more than $5 million.

As well as being able to off er clients the innovative Industrial Light Beam building system, the company last year purchased Maxi Resources – adding the fabrication and supply of steel grating, handrails and stanchions to its capabilities.

Th e Tropical Fabrications

workshop, based on a six-acre

(2.4ha) site on Ingham Rd in

Mount Louisa, includes an

ILB manufacturing mill, two

overhead cranes, repetition

component machines and an in-

house drafting offi ce.

Mr Whiting said he hoped to

see the business expand to other

centres eventually.

However the immediate

priority was to “keep our staff ”

and maintain a healthy turnover

during the challenges presented

by the global fi nancial crisis, he

said.

Townsville-based manufacturer Tropical

Fabrications is ready to tackle the eff ects of

the global fi nancial crisis head-on.

Solid foundation for growth

General manager Barry Whiting and director Brian Yu. Photo: Stewart McLean

An example of the ILB system at a Townsville construction site.

Innovative system lightens

the load for steel costs Use of the ILB (Industrial Light Beam) system can cut structural steel costs by as much as 50 per cent on building projects, according to its creator Ian Berryman.

Th e design also reduces the number of columns required in a structure, providing the potential for dramatic architectural spaces with clear spans of up to 100m.

Mr Berryman, director and chairman of ILB and ILB Steel Buildings, developed the system in 1998 after his experience in building sheds highlighted the shortcomings of universal beams.

“Th ey were too heavy and they weren’t laterally stiff enough – they tended to twist,” Mr Berryman said.

“To stop them from twisting, we put in a web stiff ener. But they were still too heavy.”

He came up with a lighter alternative and – after spending $600,000 on research, development and testing – is marketing that same design today in a business quickly spreading internationally.

“To make a lighter beam we use a hollow tube top and bottom, with a pressed metal web centre,” Mr Berryman said.

“By combining the two elements, we end up with a beam that is an average of 50 per cent lighter than the standard universal beam and 70 per cent stiff er laterally.”

Th e reduced weight and stiff er beam created cost effi ciencies in handling, freight and erection, he said.

Mr Berryman said the ILB system had been tested by independent parties including Lynar Consulting Engineers, CSIRO Division of Building Research

and Professor Nicholas Trehair of the Sydney University Centre for Advanced Structural Engineering.

Tropical Fabrications has had a licence to manufacture and supply ILB components since 2000.

“It’s a permanent fi xture of the business - we have a mill here and manufacture it, press the web etc on site, as opposed to someone who would just resell,” general manager Barry Whiting said.

And the company was seeing a growth in demand among its clients for the innovative system, he said

“Depending on the structure it really comes down to the dollars and cents,” Mr Whiting said.

“Th ey can get a 50 per cent saving on structural steel as opposed to hot-rolled or welded - the normal universal beams and columns.”

Mr Whiting said his business had supplied prefabricated ILB framework for projects including the Shafston Avenue tunnel for the cross-city tunnel project in Brisbane, the IPS Logistics building in Brisbane and various shopping centres and warehouses in the Townsville and Mackay districts.

“We do a lot of tilt slab warehouses tied together with ILB,” Mr Whiting said.

“We’ve done 30 to 40 structures in Townsville and probably about 10 in Mackay in the last three years.

“Being able to off er ILB strengthens a core part of the business, because we can off er clients an alternative price using ILB.

“Because the ILB system is lighter than the alternative it also off ers savings in galvanising costs.”

17The Mining Advocate | May 2009 Tropical Fabrications

Manufacturers & Suppliers of...

Industrial Light Beam

Stuart and Louie Cantoni share much more than a name.

Th e brothers, who grew up in Ingham, both have a long work history with Tropical Fabrications and a strong commitment to grassroots rugby league.

Tropical Fabrications production manager Stuart Cantoni said he had returned to the company just over a year ago after stints working with Blackwoods and Hanson Masonry.

However, he had previously worked for Tropical Fabrications for seven years “out on the tools”, he said.

Brother Louie Cantoni, the workshop foreman, has worked with the company for 21 years.

As production manager, Stuart said his role involved overseeing projects from the time the company received a contract

through to the point when all the structural steel went up.

“I organise the drafting, ensure it goes out on time at the customer’s request and get the material list together,” he said.

“We meet our customers’ deadlines and if there is going to be an issue we try to get to it earlier rather than later.

“Our customers keep coming back to us because they know the quality of work they will get and they know they will get that on time.”

Outside of his paid work, much of Stuart Cantoni’s time is consumed by his role as North Queensland Co-ordinator of Referees with the QRL (Queensland Rugby League) Northern Division.

“Th at entails looking after the running of the referees’ association and hired appointments for referees with

It’s the Cantoni connection - two North

Queensland brothers drawn to the same

business as well as the same sport.

potential, covering an area

from Mackay up to the top of

Australia and out to the border,”

he said.

“At the moment rugby

league in North Queensland is

expanding, with teams starting

to come into our northern

division from the Torres Strait

and Cape York – so there is

plenty of work ahead of us to

get referees trained up in those

areas.”

For Mr Cantoni, the

major drawback about the

administrative role – which he

took up fi ve years ago - is not

the amount of work involved,

but the fact it precludes him

from throwing on the boots and

whistle and acting as a match

referee in QRL fi xtures.

Mr Cantoni, whose father

Louie Snr has been heavily

involved in league in the Ingham

district for many years, served

as a ball boy before joining the

refereeing ranks at 15.

“I was the fi rst referee in

Townsville used to be the

standby referee at NRL games,

I’ve been a Queensland Cup

referee and at the moment I’m

employed by the NRL as offi cial

timekeeper at the Cowboys

home games,” he said.

Brother Louie started his

playing career in the Herbert

River competition and

also played for Centrals in

Townsville. He has played Foley

Shield football, has extensive

experience as a team trainer and

is a strapper for the Cowboys

Under 20 side. Another brother,

Alan, played in the Herbert

River competition and made that

district’s representative side.

Long-time Tropical Fabrications employee Dale Nofz, left, with brothers Stuart and Louie Cantoni. Photo: Stewart McLean

Relatively speaking

18 May 2009 | The Mining AdvocateBETWEEN SHIFTS

Mount Isa Mining Expo - Mining the Carpentaria breakfast

Mount Isa Chamber of Commerce networking function

Th e Buff s Club, Mount Isa

Red Earth Hotel, Mount Isa

Orlando Ciccarelli (Sumitomo Drives), Denis Wackerlin

(Sumitomo Drives) and Neal Ragau (Statewide Bearings).

Tony Clapin and Dwayne Unahi (from Dieci). Warren Brown, Doug Gray and Michael Tamone (all from Blackwoods).

Errol Culbertson (Pybar) and Brett Anderson (Workpac). Rob Mathieson (Harvey World Travel) and Dr Richard Lilly

(Xstrata Exploration).

Ken Draff en (Mount Isa Chamber of Commerce) and Rohan Wolfe

(Ivanhoe Australia).

Mike Layng, Rukie Jayasekera and Frank Giumelli (all from

Micromine).

Blair Dellebaite and David MacDonald (both from North Queensland

Hardfacing).

Helen Dearling and Shenal Basnayake (both Port of Townsville).

Charmaine Hotz (Migate) and Ron Moren (RGM Welding Services). Zoe Dark (Headlines) and Brett Peterson (Mount Isa Mining

Supplies).

Betty Regeling (Mount Isa Volunteers) and Trish O’Callaghan

(Mount Isa Chamber of Commerce).

PHOTOS: Roslyn Budd

PHOTOS: Roslyn Budd

19The Mining Advocate | May 2009 BETWEEN SHIFTS

...MINING...MARINE...POWER...SUGAR...• Heavy Engineering

• Maintenance

• Labour Hire

Serving the mining industry of North Queensland for over 20 years.

www.dawsonseng.com.au

Cairns 07 4055 1900

Townsville 07 4759 0100

• Cairns

• Townsville

• Charters Towers

Minemakers Business at Sunset event

AusIMM Future Leaders Conference social event

Battery Hill Mining Centre, Tennant Creek

Toowong Bowls Club, Brisbane

Bill Gibbins (Northern Connect) and Richard Dodd (BP Tennant

Creek).

Kris Civitarese (TJ Contracting), Randall Gould (Lone Star Service

Station) and David Curtis (Julalikari).

Engineering students Dan Hayes and Matthew Page (both from

University of Queensland).

Engineering students Chris Rees and Lincoln Morris (University of

New South Wales).

Colin Waller (NT Chamber of Commerce), Neville Bergin

(Minemakers), Barrie Hancock (Minemakers), Kay Eade and

Cate Povey (NT Chamber of Commerce), Rebecca Powlett (Coff ey

Natural Systems) and Andrew Drummond (Minemakers).

John Gibb (Department of Regional Development, Primary

Industry, Fisheries and Resources) with Cristel Woelfel

(Australian Mining and Exploration Title Services).

Engineering students Stephanie Bourne, Sean Clancy and

Caitlin McCarthy (University of Queensland).

Engineering students Kate McCutcheon and Diana Carroll

(University of New South Wales).

Fran Kilgariff (Department of Regional Development, Primary

Industry, Fisheries and Resources) and Peter Saint (Kurindi

Station).

Jim Phillips (Phillips Earthmoving and Trucking Contractors) and

Andrew Drummond (Minemakers).

Engineering students Jeff Hansen, Andrew Schmidt and Pat

Toomey (University of Queensland).

Engineering students Emma Schumacher, Sarah Hateley and

Alison Nugent (University of Queensland).

PHOTOS: Fiona Harding

20 May 2009 | The Mining AdvocateBETWEEN SHIFTS

Queensland Resources Council (QRC) International Women’s Day breakfast

WIMARQ/Engineers Australia International Women’s Day breakfast

Brisbane Sofi tel Hotel

Jupiters, Townsville

Allira Norman, Kathy Gardiner, Jane McDonald and Mark Turner

(all from Tarong Energy).

Tori Austen, Claire Girling and Amanda Hooper (Bundamba State

Secondary College).

Donnar Frater, Nicole Ireland and David Arkell (all from BMA).

Felicity Yan (James Cook University) and Janice Ballard (Maunsell

AECOM).

Marika VanderKlugt (Oz Minerals), Kelly Stokes (Townsville City

Council), Lara Higson (Oz Minerals) and Esther Bank (Townsville

City Council).

Lynnley Orr (QRC), Lauren Amos (Incitec Pivot) and Megan

Clasberg (BHP Billiton).

Fiona McKenzie (Downer EDI), Ruth Medd (Women on Boards),

Alison Keogh (Snowden) and Karin Baxter (BMA).

Abbi Brooke (URS Australia) with QRC student scholarship

ambassadors Jemina Connollly and Matthew Pozzebon.

Nicole Hollows (QRC/Macarthur Coal), Penelope Wensley (Governor

of Queensland ), Michael Roche (QRC) and Geoff Wilson (State

Government).

Jody Herley (BHP Billiton), Jennifer Wilkinson (JCU) and Bridgette

Hendersonhall (Women in Mining and Resources Queensland).

Catherine Rowen (GHD), Julie Tsatsaros (Connell Wagner) and

Alison Way (GHD).

Julie Boucher (GHD) and Wendy Hill (Connell Wagner).

PHOTOS: Mark Duff us

PHOTOS: Stewart McLean

21The Mining Advocate | May 2009 BETWEEN SHIFTS

World’s Greatest Shave Mine Challenge events

World’s Greatest Shave and Crazy Shirt Day fundraisers

BHP Billiton Cannington Mine, north-west Queensland

Anglo Coal Australia Dawson Mine, central Queensland

Lance McDonald and Johnny Altree with visiting singer Sara-Jane Moore. Owen Zammit, before and after his brush with the blade.

Tim Kenefi ck takes his turn under the razor. Dawson Mine general manager Rick Fairhurst judges Dawson’s

crazy shirt day with Monica Thirgood.

Alexandra Gentle, Jason Fittler and Andrew Lau.

Hairdresser Cheryl Camp removes Tony Baird’s eyebrows. Karen Shanks after her haircut from Carmela Vasta. Shane Ellevsen gives the thumbs up during his close shave.

22 May 2009 | The Mining AdvocateAGES 2009

Th e Annual Geoscience Exploration Seminar (AGES) this year highlighted the under-explored mineral potential of the Northern Territory, with participants hearing of new discoveries in the Harts Range area.

AGES 2009, held at the Alice Springs Convention Centre on March 24-25, attracted 217 people – including 104 explorers from 55 organisations, according to organisers.

Th is represented a 14 per cent increase from last year.

Northern Territory Geological Survey director Dr Ian Scrimgeour said support had steadily increased since the fi rst AGES event in 2000.

“We’ve had a lot of feedback from industry clients that they

really enjoy the conference because it’s very technical in its focus – a mix of geoscience and industry presentations focused on practical and scientifi c information rather than people spruiking their companies to the market,” Dr Scrimgeour said.

“Th ey felt it was a very good networking event and a very good technical conference. We believe (the strong support) also refl ects an increasing recognition of the exploration potential of the NT.”

Presentations on newly discovered nickel and copper mineralisation in the Harts Range area, east of Alice Springs, provided a conference highlight this year, Dr Scrimgeour said.

“During the 2008 fi eld season, one of our mapping geologists

came across some apparently mineralised rock in the Harts Range region,” he said.

“Th is has been followed up by the tenement holder (Mithril Resources). It is an exciting new

nickel-copper discovery that has been named the Blackadder prospect and it is stimulating a lot of interest in the nickel potential for the region.

“Also at AGES 2009 we announced the discovery of previously unknown IOCG (iron oxide-copper-gold) mineralisation in the Harts Range area and there is a lot of interest in that.

“Because these new discoveries have been made at surface it really highlights the underexplored nature of much of central Australia.”

Resources Minister Kon Vatskalis, who offi cially opened AGES 2009, said the event had attracted 32 international delegates looking for exploration opportunities in the NT.

Th is included a 28-strong Chinese group as well as representatives from major Brazilian and Canadian companies, he said.

Twenty formal meetings

were arranged between Chinese

companies and NT exploration

companies and numerous

informal meetings were also held.

Anhui Geology and Mining

Investment signed an agreement

with Territory Uranium for the

sale of six exploration licences in

the Litchfi eld, Pine Creek and

Tennant Creek regions. Anhui

also signed agreements with

NT providers Austwide Mining

Title Management and CSA

Global for title management and

geological services.

AGES is hosted by the

NT Department of Regional

Development, Primary Industry,

Fisheries and Resources.

A Mining Service Expo

organised by the Department of

Business and Employment in

conjunction with the 2009 event

boasted 40 booths representing

34 NT businesses.

A geoscience seminar has heard of mineral

discoveries at surface that are stimulating

extra interest in areas of the Territory.

Focus on exploration potential

Northern Territory Geological Survey

director Dr Ian Scrimgeour.

Ancient rocks, formed more than 2500 million years ago, may hold the key to a new wave of uranium exploration in the Northern Territory.

Geoscience Australia geochronologists in partnership with the Northern Territory Geological Survey have identifi ed rocks that date from the Neoarchaean era in western Arnhem Land.

Acting chief of Geoscience Australia’s onshore energy and minerals division, Dr Andrew Barnicoat, said the discovery was of great signifi cance for uranium explorers in the area.

“Uranium deposits in this region are commonly associated with rocks of this age, including the Ranger and Jabiluka deposits and numerous other smaller occurrences,” Dr Barnicoat said.

“Identifi cation of extensive, previously unrecognised, areas of suitably aged rocks greatly enhances the future viability of and interest in this highly prospective uranium province.

“Explorers should be encouraged that these recently identifi ed rocks are similar to Neoarchaean rocks in the Darwin-Rum Jungle region about 250km to the west, a region also renowned for uranium mineralisation.”

Th e latest developments in the area were announced during the 10th Annual Geoscience Exploration Seminar (AGES).

Th e age of the western Arnhem Land rocks was confi rmed with the aid of Geoscience Australia’s new Sensitive High Resolution Ion Microprobe, or SHRIMP.

NT Resources Minister Kon Vatskalis, Chief Minister Paul Henderson, Ciu

Yinan (CCCMC), Eddy Wu (THTF) and Xu Yankun (CCCMC). Photo: Joyce van Dijk Gary Marasty (Cameco), Stephen Stander (Cameco/

Paladin) and Richard Jackson (Chief Minister’s

Department).

Alan Cao (SRA) and Li Hong (Minter Ellison).

Dennis Gee (Torrens Energy) with Geoff Eupene and Bob

Richardson (Crossland Uranium Mines).

Tony McGill (Outback Metals) and Dennis Gee (Torrens

Energy).

Greg Rogers (Energy Resources Australia), Peter Walker

(Vale Exploration), John Summer (Water Resources) and

Frank Bierlein (Areva NC Australia).

Dr Philip Portello (Areva NC Australia) with Annie Boyce.

Ancient clue to

uranium sites

23The Mining Advocate | May 2009 DRILLING AND EXPLORATION

Th e two rigs piercing the fl at brown earth of the Valhalla uranium tenement outside Mount Isa are among seven that Tom Browne Drilling Services has working in north-west Queensland.

Between those rigs, a further fi ve tied up on an Xstrata Coal job outside Collinsville and a few outside Queensland, general manager Bill Grace said about 80 per cent of the company’s 24-strong fl eet was working.

Th at compared with a situation late last year where the fl eet was fully booked and the company was knocking back further requests.

And, in terms of gauging the full impact of the recent economic downturn on the business, the

devil lies in the detail.“At this time last year we were

working double shifts on our sites, but this year we’re working single shifts on the majority of jobs – so there’s basically half the income coming in there,” Mr Grace said.

He said he had weathered three or four downturns in the mining business over the years, but in this case the impact had been sudden – “just like somebody turned off a tap”.

While the continuation of strong uranium, phosphate and coal exploration activity had cushioned the blow, Mr Grace said the company had been forced to downsize to deal with the downturn - and that meant losing people.

“We’ve reduced our workforce

pretty dramatically – I’d say about

a third,” he said.

Association of Mining and

Exploration Companies (AMEC)

chief executive offi cer Simon

Bennison said the impact of

the downturn on exploration

throughout Australia had been

“quite serious”, hitting greenfi elds

interests particularly hard.

For AMEC the situation

further highlights the need for the

Rudd Government to deliver on a

pre-election promise to introduce

a FlowTh rough Shares (FTS)

scheme.

Th is would help exploration

companies attract fi nance as it

would allow them to pass on

unused tax credits for use by

their investors – increasing the

attractiveness of their shares.

An FTS scheme is being

considered as part of the Henry

Review of Australia’s tax system.

Mineral exploration investment

in Queensland declined

from $109.5 million in the

September quarter of 2008 to

$94.9 million in the December

quarter. March quarter statistics

were not available at the time

of publication to gauge the

performance since.

Petroleum exploration proved a

bright spot, increasing from $63.7

million to $87.9 million in the

same time.

Th is was thanks largely to

the coal seam gas industry, a

Mines and Energy spokesman

for the Queensland Department

of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation said.

He said the state was on track to achieve an exploration expenditure target of $540 million in 2008-09 despite major fl ooding events in north and western Queensland and the impacts of the global fi nancial downturn. Th is compared with an actual spend of $563.3 million in 2007-08.

In the Northern Territory, mineral exploration expenditure reached a record $45.5 million in the December quarter. Th is capped off a good year – with an unprecedented $147. 2 million spend in 2008, up 32 per cent on 2007.

NT Geological Survey director Ian Scrimgeour said he would expect to see some decline in 2009.

“But we strongly believe that the Northern Territory may be less aff ected than other states, particularly because we have commodities such as phosphate which are remaining relatively strong,” Dr Scrimgeour said.

“Also there’s a revitalisation of exploration around the Tennant Creek mineral fi eld, which appears likely to be sustained in the downturn, and uranium is remaining relatively strong.

“We remain confi dent that we will maintain a reasonable amount of exploration expenditure in 2009.”

Drilling crews are feeling the eff ects of a

general slide in exploration spending, but

those in the know say bright spots remain.

Gavin Falls and Adam Gniel, from

Tom Browne Drilling Services, at

the Valhalla site near Mount Isa.

Photo: Roslyn BuddDownturnbiting at ground level

Two major petroleum industry companies have joined forces with

an Australian drilling equipment specialist to advance a world-fi rst

“intelligent” core-drilling technology for the oil and gas industry.

Coretrack’s internationally patented Core Level Recorder System

(CLRS) records and transmits detailed electronic data on core

displacement within a core barrel in deep oil and gas wells.

Coretrack said Halliburton/DBS and Baker-Hughes/Inteq were

assisting the company with the system’s development.

“Coretrack is now working closely with these major companies to

design and test various aspects of the CLRS to ensure the system’s

compatibility with their respective coring assemblies,” Coretrack

managing director Nanne van ‘t Riet said. “Crucial CLRS components

have already been tested successfully within either operating wells or

in surface tests, but with such a high-temperature and high-pressure

environment, it is imperative that we subject all this equipment to the

most rigorous conditions it is likely to encounter in the fi eld.”

A true core promise

Coretrack managing director Nanne van ‘t Riet with the company’s patented

core level recorder.

Th e Queensland Government has announced $2 million in funding for 17 mining companies under the latest round of Collaborative Drilling Initiative grants.

Mines and Energy Minister Stephen Robertson said the grants would help fund 20 collaborative drilling projects, supporting the mining sector during the current global fi nancial downturn.

“Fifteen of the projects are based in north and north-west Queensland, two in central Queensland and the remainder in western and south-eastern parts of the state,” he said.

Th is is the third round of Collaborative Drilling Initiative grants to be announced in Queensland.

“In the fi rst two rounds, 48 projects from 38 companies received over $4.34 million in collaborative drilling grants to assist them to accelerate

exploration vital to the discovery of new mineral deposits which can create new mines in Queensland,” Mr Roberston said.

He said the grants program aimed to bring government and industry together to accelerate testing of geological targets by drilling in under-explored parts of Queensland.

“Th e grants program provides up to $150,000 per project

to assist in the testing of potentially mineralised targets by drilling,” he said.

“New concepts in brownfi eld areas of Queensland are also supported and grants are available to mineral and energy explorers.”

Th e grants are part of the Government’s $29.08 million Smart Mining - Future Prosperity program to stimulate exploration investment.

New survey data released New airborne geophysical survey data has been released

covering more than 200,000sq km in Queensland’s south-

west. Mines and Energy Minister Stephen Robertson said the

project involved three geophysical surveys of the Cooper and

Eromanga basins, covering about 12 per cent of the state.

Queensland survey data is available online at www.

geoscience.gov.au/gadds as it is released or on DVD from the

Queensland Department of Mines and Energy.

Government issues $2m in grants

24 May 2009 | The Mining AdvocateKAGARA

A C O R N E R S T O N E O F T H E

Q U E E N S L A N D M I N I N G I N D U S T R Y

F O R O V E R 1 0 Y E A R S

(ACN 008 988 583)

Website Visit our web site at:www.kagara.com.auEmail: [email protected]

Mt Garnet Site Office:Ph: +61 7 4097 4100Fax: +61 7 4097 9056

Registered OfficeSecond Floor24 Outram StreetWEST PERTH WA 6005Ph: (08) 9481 1211Fax: (08) 9481 1233

West Australian-based miner Kagara fl oated publicly a decade ago on the back of its North Queensland zinc projects.

Today the mid-ranking metals producer still sees the region as its stronghold and has successfully diversifi ed its interests, with copper now providing the bulk of its income.

“We took a decision probably two or three years back to put Balcooma (copper deposit) into production and the thought behind that was that we wanted to diversify our income stream away from zinc and into copper,” Kagara executive director Joe Treacy said.

“When we started, our income was about 70 per cent zinc, 20 per cent copper and 10 per cent lead and others. More recently it has turned to 70 per cent copper, 20 per cent zinc and 10 per cent others.”

Th e company changed its name from Kagara Zinc to Kagara along the way to refl ect the shift.

Now Kagara plans to fl oat

a new subsidiary company – Mungana Goldmines – on the Australian Securities Exchange to fast-track development of its substantial gold assets.

Th ese include the Mungana deposit and Red Dome, where a signifi cant resource upgrade is expected to be announced soon.

Kagara operates several mines and base metal treatment plants across a wide inland Queensland region centred around Mount Garnet and Chillagoe.

Th ey include the Mount Garnet open-pit mine – which has recently progressed to underground operations, the Balcooma open pit and underground copper mines, Mungana mine, and treatment plants at Mount Garnet and Th alanga (outside Charters Towers).

Between them, the operations employ about 500 people.

Th e company has not escaped the eff ects of the economic downturn, suspending construction of a new $80 million polymetallic processing

Miner committed to the north Kagara expects a long and rewarding future

in the Mount Garnet and Chillagoe region,

where it holds diverse resource interests.

facility at Mungana earlier this

year.

It has also placed underground

polymetallic mining operations

at Dry River South and

Balcooma on care and

maintenance, although Balcooma

continues to produce copper.

Mr Treacy is upbeat about the

future of those operations and

the company’s position generally.

“Twelve months ago they were

very profi table - it’s just a matter

of timing and they will come

back,” Mr Treacy said of the

polymetallic operations.

“As every day goes by base

metal prices are increasing and

the potential for us to restart our

operations is similarly increasing.

“We’ve kept all our people, we

have restructured our operations

to withstand these current low

metal prices and when we come

out of this we’ll come out a

much stronger company.”

Mr Treacy said the company

saw itself as being a signifi cant

player in North Queensland for

the next 20 years.

“We are fortunate that our

deposits are truly polymetallic

and are therefore not reliant

on one commodity for their

economics,” he said.

“Th e far north Queensland

area is also well endowed

with these deposits and we

are confi dent of fi nding more

when our exploration activities

recommence.

“In the area in general other

base metal deposits continue to

be discovered and when they

are developed, Kagara - with its

established milling infrastructure

- is the obvious partner.

“Th e infrastructure could do

with improving. Every year the

roads cost us millions of dollars

in delayed production, our

development strategy at both

Mount Garnet and Mungana

have been impacted by the lack

of power and the need to use

costly diesel-generated power,

and the rail issues have been well

documented.

“We have a very stable and

skilled workforce and really enjoy

operating in North Queensland.

Th e communities have been very

supportive and we look forward

to working together for many

years to come.”

Kagara’s Mount Garnet site in far north Queensland.

25The Mining Advocate | May 2009 SAFETY

Operations came to a virtual standstill for four days at Cannington Mine in north-west Queensland recently while every available BHP Billiton employee and contractor attended “Zero Harm Days” sessions.

Cannington employees and contractors gathered in a large pavilion on the accommodation village oval for the safety sessions, running from April 28 to May 1. More than 800 people participated in total.

Cannington asset leader Shane Hansen said the management team wanted to demonstrate to the workforce that everyone had a role to play in improving safety.

“We want new ways to engage with our workforce about safety. We want to catch their attention and reinforce how important safety is,” Mr Hansen said.

“Everyone can participate in striving for better safety performance.

“Th e main aim of the Zero Harm Days is to get each of us to challenge the status quo and think about the way we do things here.”

He said the Zero Harm Days were the continuation of a culture change program at Cannington, which had also included “Stop for Safety” sessions held in November last year.

Drake Workwise, led by executive manager Marc McLaren, facilitated the workshops and discussions throughout the process.

Mr McLaren told those in the pavilion during Zero Harm Days talks that everyone brought diff erent attitudes to such an event.

Th ese ranged from high enthusiasm to scepticism and even cynicism about the zero harm concept.

Mr McLaren told employees and contractors that an open mind was all that was needed.

Th e sessions included group discussions, questions being asked of the management panel, keypad activities and a powerful talk by James Wood from CNBSafe about the choices people make in the workplace and their consequences.

Mr Hansen reiterated that

BHP Billiton Cannington

Mine must continually drive

improvement in the commitment

to zero harm.

“We can only be successful

as an operation if we achieve

our targets towards zero harm.

We must maintain the focus

on zero harm to our people,

our community and the

environment,” he said.

Hundreds of workers downed tools at

Cannington Mine recently as the site

devoted four days to safety sessions.

All out for ‘zero harm’

Underground fi tter

Frank Moff atti

puts the fi nal

touches on a

bridge constructed

in a team-building

exercise during

Cannington Mine’s

Zero Harm Days.

Th e Queensland Government

has appointed seven new mines

inspectors, taking the total

within the Queensland Mines

Inspectorate to 45.

Natural Resources, Mines

and Energy Minister Stephen

Robertson said three of the

new inspectors would be based

in Rockhampton, one each in

Mackay and Mount Isa and two

would be Brisbane-based with

a statewide overview. All were

expected to be in place by the

end of May.

Anglo Coal Australia has established a mining exclusion zone at Dawson Mine in central Queensland, protecting the resting place of miners who perished in the Moura No 2 and Kianga tragedies.

Anglo Coal Australia chief executive offi cer Seamus French said the move sent a strong message about how critical it was for the entire mining industry to ensure that the safety of employees and the community remained the No. 1 priority at all times.

New mines inspectors

Respecting lost workers

HAZCHEMSPILL KITS

an essential in the workplace

Why is a Spill Kit necessary?Under WH&S regulations and the EPA there

is a duty of care that falls upon all persons

to correctly and safely clean-up all spills

What types of products are in theSpill Kits?EcoSpill has specifically designed the

Hazchem Spill Response kits for response to

aggressive liquids and most chemicals

including alkalis, acids, caustics &

corrosives. Each EcoSpill Hazchem Spill Kit

contains basic PPE* (personal protective

equipment), spill clean-up instructions as

well as:

Absorbent Powder: ChemSorb - standard

spill kits Or Snow Absorbent - premium

range

Absorbent Mats: Thick yellow absorbent

mats that absorb most chemicals including

alkalis, acids, caustics & corrosives. Ideal for

any in-plant application.

Land Socks - 1.5m & 3m in length, these

socks are placed around the perimeter of

the spill, in order to contain it.

*Important note: When dealing with hazardous chemical

spills, always consult that chemical's MSDS in order to

ascertain the correct PPE required for your safety. Do not

assume that the PPE in your spill kit is sufficient for every

conceivable chemical.

Phone 07 4723 7652 Fax 07 4723 6841

Email [email protected]

Shop online at - www.csmsafety.com.au

26 May 2009 | The Mining AdvocateBIGGER, TOUGHER, BETTER

Bridgestone VJT tyres

Sandvik PF300 crusher

Code 3 CL199A

LED beacon

Topcon GRS-1 rover system

BOC Smootharc TIG welding machine

Manitowoc Grove TMS9000 truck crane

Pivotel TracerTrak tracking device

Bridgestone Earthmover Tyres has released

its new VJT tyre pattern, designed to

increase operator comfort and tyre life.

The company says the new line

is available in various sizes to suit

loaders in the 10-30 tonne range

and articulated dump trucks with

operating weights of 20-35 tonnes.

The VJT tyres boast innovative non-

directional tread patterns – ensuring

the same high traction moving

forward or backward – and a larger

tread volume than the VMT design,

resulting in slower wear rates.

The tyre sidewalls have been shaped

to minimise damage from cutting and

feature two separate reinforcement

systems to reduce vibration.

Sandvik Mining and Construction has released an alternative to conventional truck/

shovel mining in the form of the PF300 mobile crusher.

This electric, high-capacity unit is specifi cally designed for in-pit crushing and

conveying for the mining and quarrying industries.

Sandvik says it off ers signifi cant power savings for operators.

The PF300 can be customised for a wide range of applications and can be fi tted with a

sizer, double-roll crusher or Sandvik’s newly developed CR800 series hybrid crusher.

The Code 3 CL199A safety beacon has a high-

impact polycarbonate lens and die-cast alloy

base, is waterproof and employs a shock-

resistant potted circuit board.

Distributor Britax says these features have

been married to solid-state LEDs to

create a mining beacon that will endure

the toughest of conditions.

The CL199A includes 24 horizontal high-

intensity LEDs, 12 horizontal wide-angle optics

LEDs and 12 vertical directional LEDs that are visible from tall machinery and mining trucks.

It has 30 fl ash patterns including four simulated rotating patterns.

Topcon Positioning Systems says its main goals

in designing the GRS-1 (Geodetic Rover System)

were to produce a rover receiver that was small and

lightweight, with a lower-than-expected price tag.

The company describes its

new release as the world’s

fi rst fully integrated dual-

constellation, network-

enabled RTK (real-time

kinematic) rover system.

The GRS-1 is an all-in-one

handheld GNSS (global

navigation satellite system)

receiver and fi eld controller

with high-speed processor,

increased memory, built-in

camera, compass and bar

code reading function.

Other features include

an SD memory card slot,

optional internal GSM or

CDMA modem, and wireless

connectivity via Wi-Fi and

Bluetooth technology.

The latest addition to BOC’s TIG welding range is described as a high-quality and

robust machine with built-in MMA welding capability.

BOC says its inverter-based Smootharc TIG 200AC/DC has a high duty-cycle (60 per

cent at 200A) and the AC/DC functionality means the user can weld any material,

including aluminium.

The machine has a low amperage setting (5-200A) and an added pulse option which

reduces distortion and allows reduced heat input, making it possible to weld thin

materials.

New to Australia, this 75-tonne mobile crane is the latest of the TMS range from Manitowoc’s

Grove brand.

It features a 43m Grove Megaform boom, with twin-lock boom pinning system, on a chassis

powered by a Cummins turbo-charged 661cu.in 450hp after-cooled engine.

Manitowoc says the model off ers advantages including a narrow overall width and light tare

weight with all counterweights removed.

Many components from the company’s rough terrain range have been incorporated into this

new truck-mounted line, adding to its strength and durability.

This asset-tracking device provides regular updates of the location,

movement and overall behaviour of items. Distributor Affi nity-

One says the amount of time and money the TracerTrak

saves businesses means the easy-to-use system

will soon pay for itself. The device is self-

powered, featuring a long-life battery with

an operating life of up to seven years. It

is dustproof and waterproof and

works in extreme heat and cold.

Authorised users are able

to access data from any

internet PC and can access

portal features via SMS. A

motion alarm sounds after 15

minutes in motion.

essed

rak tracking devicov

vio

a

ea

vi

e b

en

an

old

5

ak tracking devicevides regular updates of the location,

our of items. Distributor Affi nity-

and money the TracerTrak

asy-to-use system

ice is self-

battery with

n years. It

nd

d.

gh-

oy

27The Mining Advocate | May 2009 SPORT AND LEISURE

Ernest Henry Mining (EHM) employees made a strong showing in the 2009 Dirt and Dust Triathlon, with two out of three teams placing in the corporate division of the event.

Th e triathlon – held as part of the annual Julia Creek Dirt and Dust Festival -involved an 800m swim, 20km bike ride and a 5km run.

EHM survey mine technician Dan Buckley, mining engineer Anna O’Rourke and mechanical apprentice Cam McClymont came second in the corporate team event, fi nishing in one hour and 33 minutes.

Concentrator safety advisor Ben Robinson, superintendent - magnetite process interface engineer Brian Webb and electrical technician Matthew Hasted placed third in a time of one hour and 39 minutes.

EHM general manager Mike Westerman, senior community relations advisor Vicki Wilson and environmental advisor Lil Howarth also competed in the event, fi nishing fi fth in two hours and 10 minutes.

EHM employees also had success in the individual sections of the triathlon.

Senior mine maintenance supervisor Bill Robinson placed second in the 45-49 age group while environment superintendent Jules Blunt came third in the 30-34 years category.

Mine production superintendent Greg Walker placed ninth in the 25-29 years section.

Th e Julia Creek Dirt and Dust Festival is one of EHM’s partners under the Xstrata Community Partnership Program North

Queensland.

Moranbah’s CFMEU 10km Run drew a fi eld of more than 130 participants

during the mining community’s May Day weekend celebrations for 2009.

It was the best turnout yet for the event, which was in its eighth year,

according to local CFMEU (Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy

Union) offi ce manager Anne O’Leary – who organised the long weekend

events along with fellow co-ordinator Th eresa Malone.

Runners came from as far afi eld as Townsville, Brisbane, the Gold Coast

and Sydney.

Sydney runners Lara Tamsett and Harry Summers took out the

top two prizes, receiving $2500 each for winning the open male

and female events.

“Any of the elite runners are just amazing to watch,” Ms

O’Leary said.

“Th ey do a ‘cool down’ by running around the track again

and many of our locals who compete in, for example, the

‘Wannabes’ event are blown away by their athleticism.”

Th e Wannabes team event, sponsored by the Moranbah

Community Workers Club, off ers prizes of “liquid

refreshments” (cartons of beer) for the less athletically

inclined who brave the run.

Ms O’Leary said the 2009 event also attracted a record 29

competitors in the 5km event for juniors.

“Our CFMEU general president Tony Maher travelled

up from Sydney to be our race starter and later spoke at the

CFMEU dinner held after the event,” she said.

“Tony stressed how amazing it was for such a rich road

race to be on off er in such a small community, what a great

turnout it was and how much it added to the overall fun

and excitement of the May Day weekend.”

Top turnout

O’Rourke

corporate r and 33

n netite Webbw one

nd rth hing s. ess

artners under hip Program North

Down and dirty

Ernest Henry Mining’s Anna O’Rourke, Dan

Buckley, Cam McClymont, Jules Blunt, Ben

Robinson and Matt Hasted celebrate their

triathlon success.

Dan Buckley completes the

20km bike leg in 52.57 minutes.

Ernest Henry

environmental advisor

Lil Howarth, senior

community relations

offi cer Vicki Wilson and

general manager Mike

Westerman placed fi fth in

the corporate team event in

the Dirt and Dust Triathlon.

Sy

top

and

“

O’

an

‘W

C

r

i

Ladies open winner Lara Tamsett.

Mens open winner Harry Summers.

Masters male winner Peter Neimanis.

28 May 2009 | The Mining AdvocateNRL

Game Venue Date/Time*

Round 10: 15 - 18 May 2009

Broncos v Titans Suncorp Stadium Friday 7:35 pm

Dragons v Bulldogs WIN Stadium Friday 7:35 pm

Roosters v Knights Sydney Football Stadium Saturday 5:30 pm

Panthers v Sharks CUA Stadium Saturday 7:30 pm

Sea Eagles v Eels Brookvale Oval Sunday 2:00 pm

Warriors v Cowboys Mt Smart Stadium Sunday 12:00 pm

Wests Tigers v Rabbitohs Sydney Cricket Ground Sunday 3:00 pm

Storm v Raiders Olympic Park Monday 7:00 pm

Round 11: 22 - 25 May 2009

Eels v Rabbitohs ANZ Stadium Friday 7:35 pm

Broncos v Wests Tigers Campbelltown Stadium Friday 7:35 pm

Sharks v Dragons Toyota Stadium Saturday 5:30 pm

Roosters v Panthers CUA Stadium Saturday 7:30 pm

Bulldogs v Storm Bluetongue Stadium Saturday 7:30 pm

Raiders v Warriors Canberra Stadium Sunday 2:00 pm

Titans v Sea Eagles Skilled Park Sunday 3:00 pm

Cowboys v Knights Dairy Farmers Stadium Monday 7:00 pm

Round 12: 29 May - 1 June 2009

Dragons v Panthers WIN Stadium Friday 7:35 pm

Eels v Sharks Parramatta Stadium Saturday 7:30 pm

Knights v Bulldogs Energy Australia Stadium Sunday 3:00 pm

Warriors v Wests Tigers Mt Smart Stadium Sunday 2:00 pm

Rabbitohs v Raiders ANZ Stadium Monday 7:00 pm

Round 13: 5 - 8 June 2009

Wests Tigers v Panthers Leichhardt Oval Friday 7:35 pm

Storm v Broncos Olympic Park Friday 7:35 pm

Sea Eagles v Roosters Brookvale Oval Saturday 5:30 pm

Cowboys v Rabbitohs Dairy Farmers Stadium Saturday 7:30 pm

Sharks v Warriors Toyota Stadium Sunday 2.00 pm

Knights v Eels Energy Australia Stadium Sunday 3:00 pm

Titans v Dragons Skilled Park Monday 7:00 pm

Round 14: 12 - 15 June 2009

Broncos v Bulldogs Suncorp Stadium Friday 7:35 pm

Warriors v Knights Mt Smart Stadium Friday 6:35 pm

Roosters v Titans Bluetongue Stadium Saturday 5:30 pm

Panthers v Sea Eagles CUA Stadium Saturday 7:30 pm

Rabbitohs v Storm Members Equity Stadium Saturday 9:30 pm

Raiders v Sharks Canberra Stadium Sunday 2:00 pm

Dragons v Cowboys WIN Stadium Sunday 3:00 pm

Eels v Wests Tigers Parramatta Stadium Monday 7:00 pm

Round 15: 19 - 22 June 2009

Bulldogs v Panthers ANZ Stadium Friday 7:35 pm

Cowboys v Roosters Dairy Farmers Stadium Saturday 7:00 pm

Storm v Wests Tigers Olympic Park Sunday 2:00 pm

Sea Eagles v Raiders Brookvale Oval Sunday 3:00 pm

Sharks v Broncos Toyota Stadium Monday 7:00 pm

Round 15: 26 - 29 June 2009

Bulldogs v Cowboys ANZ Stadium Friday 7:35 pm

Wests Tigers v Dragons Sydney Football Stadium Friday 7:35 pm

Titans v Warriors Skilled Park Saturday 5:30 pm

Roosters v Sharks Sydney Football Stadium Saturday 7:30 pm

Raiders v Storm Canberra Stadium Sunday 2:00 pm

Eels v Broncos Parramatta Stadium Sunday 3:00 pm

Knights v Rabbitohs Energy Australia Stadium Monday 7:00 pm

Round 16: 3 - 6 July 2009

Broncos v Warriors Suncorp Stadium Friday 7:35 pm

Dragons v Roosters WIN Stadium Friday 7:35 pm

Rabbitohs v Wests Tigers ANZ Stadium Saturday 5:30 pm

Storm v Knights Olympic Park Saturday 7:30 pm

Cowboys v Sharks Dairy Farmers Stadium Saturday 7:30 pm

Raiders v Titans Canberra Stadium Sunday 2:00 pm

Panthers v Eels CUA Stadium Sunday 3:00 pm

Sea Eagles v Bulldogs Brookvale Oval Monday 7:00 pm

Rounds 10 - 17

COVERAGE

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

Royal attire

Push for CQ team

Mal’s on the jobHelping hand

Central Queensland has launched a hard-hitting bid

team as it fi ghts to join the NRL competition.

“We have assembled a team of very talented and

hard-working people who are committed to delivering

something that has the capacity to unite the people

of central Queensland like nothing else - a central

Queensland-based NRL team,” bid team chair Geoff

Murphy said.

As well as Mr Murphy, director of the JM Kelly Group

of Companies, the team includes a number of prominent

local businesspeople, civic leaders and home-grown league

stars Gary Larson and Jason Hetherington (pictured

above with Mr Murphy).

Project co-ordinator Jason Costigan said support from

the Central Highlands and Bowen Basin coalfi elds was

vital to the cause.

“From Moranbah to Middlemount, Duaringa to Dysart

and Capella to Coppabella, the people of the coalfi elds are

renowned for their passion for rugby league,” he said.

“Many of them regularly make the long trip to Brisbane

or Townsville to watch NRL football.

“One day, hopefully in 2013, we’d like to think a

massive slice of them will pledge their allegiances to a

central Queensland-based NRL team.”

Mal Meninga - pictured with Kirwan High School

students Clinton Conway, Tibian Wyles and Genami

Geia - was among the Queensland State of Origin

legends who threw their weight behind an indigenous

employment forum in Townsville recently.

Th e Former Origin Greats (FOGS) Indigenous

Employment and Careers Expo was designed to give

indigenous people a unique opportunity to connect with

employment, education and training providers.

It attracted more than 2000 jobseekers as well as league

legends including Meninga, Allan Langer, Michael

Hancock, Gene Miles, Greg Conescu, Sam Backo and

Arthur Beetson. Cowboys skipper Johnathon Th urston

also visited the event.

Future expos are planned for the Rockhampton

Showgrounds – June 10, Cairns Convention Centre – July

29, Mackay Entertainment Centre- August 12, Mount

Isa Civic Centre – September 9 and Suncorp Stadium in

Brisbane – October 7.

Th e Cloncurry Police Citizens Youth Club (PCYC) took delivery of a signed Cowboys jersey recently to be auctioned to help fund its “Footy Families” program.

Cloncurry PCYC branch manager Sergeant Mick Hughes - pictured receiving the jersey from player Matt Scott in Townsville - said the club had also donated caps, balls, bags, stickers and other Cowboys gear to be handed out as prizes for children attending Footy Families sessions.

Th e program encourages young people to visit the PCYC to watch NRL games on the big screen and to bring older family members along with them.

It aims to reduce children’s exposure to domestic violence and alcohol–related off ences in the home.

Sgt Hughes said an average of 10 children, plus family members, had been joining the footy screening sessions.

However, he was hopeful numbers would build throughout the season as the idea caught on.

“I would like to see 30 or 40 people here at a time,” he said.

Th ey call him “Prince Dogg” or “Royal Hound” –

nicknames the Gold Coast Titans co-captain is happy to

wear. So happy in fact, that Scott Prince recently released

his own clothing brand playing up the poochy persona.

Th e halfback said the Royal Hound line was launched

as “an experiment”, with 250 shirts produced sporting a

logo he designed.

Th e logo includes a shield with a No. 7, a football,

crown and paw print. “Basically myself and a mate of

mine had the idea and we had a local company on the

coast here make a few of them up,” Prince said.

He said the Royal Hound shirts were available at the

Jetstar Gold Coast Titans offi cial merchandise store in

Robina Town Centre, Robina.

resourcingg thee future

*Kickoff time at the venue in Eastern Standard Time.

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