Supporting mining and industry in Queensland and the NTSupporting mining and industry in Queensland and the NTSupporting mining and industry in Queensland and the NT Experience the Break you Deserve!

AirlieBeach.comWhitsundays Central Reservation Centre1800 677 119 www.airliebeach.com

CALL 131 228www.hastingsdeering.com.au

LABOUR HIRE | CONSTRUCTION MAINTENANCE | HEAVY ENGINEERING

www.dawsonseng.com.au

| RTO#32461

Whether you have only one staff member requiring training or a whole class – we can tailor the training and courses to suit your needs. We offer a range of training courses including Nationally Accredited Courses and group scheduled training in Cairns for:

SA

GD

1281

1

Why not arrange for your Company’s Inductions to be carried out offsite by our accredited and experienced trainers? Call today to discuss.

November/December 2012 $4.95 inc GST WHERE SOLD

THIS EDITION

• Kestrel pulls off clean sweep of major rescue titles

• Fears new bidding system will shut out junior explorers

• All the colour of Queensland’s Battle of the Mines comps

• The next big thing - industry experts share their views

Free projects mapFree projects map- where the- where the

money is being money is being spent in 2013spent in 2013

˛ Machinery Guards and Walkway Panels˛ Storage Vessels, Tanks and Silos

˛ Containment Systems and Belt Covers˛ EWP Outrigger Pads and much, much more!

World-class people delivering world-class products!

GOUGH PLASTICSSpecialising in fabrication, design and construction of

make-to-order storage, process, environmental and safety solutions

CALL 1800 069 805833 Ingham Rd, Bohle TOWNSVILLE

Ph: (07) 4774 7606

Fax: (07) 4774 7608

sales@gough.com.au

www.gough.com.au~ Since 1989 ~

GP4600

1The Mining Advocate | November 2012 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@miningadvocate.com.au

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

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

November 2012

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

Journalist: ...............................Bruce Macdonald m. 0418 154 016

Sales: ................................................p. (07) 4755 0336 m. 0417 623 156

Client Services: ..................................Marion Lago m. 0414 225 621

Advertising booking deadlineJanuary edition: December 19

COVER IMAGE: Lady Loretta geologist Adam Campbell inspects ore from the new Xstrata Zinc mine. Photo: Roslyn Budd

3 Exploration spotlightAn updated JORC Code brings a raft of changes, including tougher standards for disclosure of cut-off grades used in calculating mineral resource estimates. Meanwhile the introduction in Queensland of a competitive cash bidding process for highly prospective coal, petroleum and gas tenements has drawn industry outcry.

8-9 Uranium unleashed Th e lifting of Queensland’s uranium mining ban is expected to spark an explosion of exploration activity, and Mount Isa mayor Tony McGrady believes the region could crank into production sooner than many people think.

10 Th e next big thing From automation to virtual reality training programs and military drone technology penetrating new fi elds, industry experts discuss the developments set to change the face of mining as we know it.

12 Five-star treatmentCoal mining giant BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance will require all light commercial vehicles on its sites to meet top crash safety rating standards by 2016.

36-40 Battle action Th is edition brings four pages of competition highlights, characters and colour from mining industry rugby league tournaments in north-west and central Queensland.

PEOPLE: OUR FOCUSAt PYBAR our business is moving hard rock We’re an Australian-owned and focused national company employing 1000 + people with exceptional growth fuelled by a flexible, collaborative approach to projects and secure on-going equipment supply.

Our size and growth develops fast-track careers and our small company culture means you’re not just a number in a crowd. We work with each team member individually, to develop a rock solid career.

PYBAR Mining Services

INTERESTED?PYBAR.com.au or scan to see our current list of vacancies

Australian owned

Australian focused

Rapid growth

On-going projects

Rock-solid careers

FEATURES

13 Ivanhoe Australia Feature

14 Coal and Gas UpdateNews in brief across the coal and gas industries.

16 Industry Update - Hard RockA comprehensive wrap of exploration and operations in Queensland and the Northern Territory.

18 Between Shifts

22 Whitsunday Promotion

24 Building NW Queensland

25 Drilling and Exploration

26 Living Remotely

27 Heavy Machinery Review

28 Building Mining Communities

30 Emergency Response and Rescue

31 Wet Season

32 Training

33 Shutdowns

34 Regional Engineering Teams

35 Big Boys’ Toys

36 Battle of the Mines

2 November 2012 | The Mining AdvocateNEWS

Kestrel in rescue comp clean sweepThis CQ crew beat interstate rivals to continue its

2012 winning streak, writes Belinda Humphries.

Th e Kestrel Mine Rescue Team has made a clean sweep of this year’s prime underground competitions by taking out the national title.

Th e team, from the Emerald area, won the 50th Australian Mines Rescue Underground Competition in October ahead of eight other teams from Queensland, New South Wales and Tasmania.

Rio Tinto Coal Australia says it is the fi rst time a mine has won the three rescue competitions open to Queensland sites in the same year – with the national honour following Kestrel’s triumphs in the Queensland Mines Rescue Service Memorial Cup and the EK Healy Cup.

“No other site in Queensland has achieved this record and it is a refl ection of the team’s strong work ethic and safety leadership,” Kestrel mine general manager operations John Coughlan said.

Th e team is now eligible to represent Australia in the International Mines Rescue Competition in Poland in 2014.

As well as being named overall winners of the Queensland Mines Rescue Service Memorial Cup and EK Healy Cup competitions this year, Kestrel won the George Carbine Shield for excellence in fi rst aid and captain Derrin Powell won the Matt Best Trophy for best captain at the EK Healy challenge.

Queensland Mines Rescue Service operations manager and chief assessor Ray Smith said the only thing the Kestrel team had not won this year was the Chief Inspector’s Trophy, awarded during the EK Healy Cup competition for theory work.

“Not bad for a team that was thrown together two weeks before the QMRS Memorial Cup,” he said “For them to take out everything is full credit

to Darren Prince, their main trainer from Queensland Mines Rescue.”

Mr Smith said Queenslanders had been proud to see the interdistrict shield stay in the state for another year, after it was claimed by Oaky No. 1 in 2011.

Th e 2012 Australian Mines Rescue Underground Competition included a day of competition at Anglo American’s Moranbah North mine and a day at Mastermyne’s Myne Start training facilities in Mackay.

Th e New South Wales teams of Angus Place and North Wambo placed second and third in the national competition.

Th ey were followed by central Queensland’s Grasstree mine, Appin colliery, North Goonyella mine, the Tasmanian team, Newcastle and Crinum.

Th e competition was followed by a presentation dinner attended by 250 guests at the Mackay Entertainment and Convention Centre on October 19.

Kestrel Mine Rescue Team captain Derrin Powell, who has been in the team for eight years,

said the group was delighted and

overwhelmed to come away with

the win from what had been a

challenging arena.

“I’m proud that the team

performed so well across such a

wide range of safety exercises,”

Mr Powell said.

• Presentation night social pics - Page 18

• Blackwater rescue hat-trick - Page 30

The Crinum team works on a patient in an Australian Mines Rescue Underground

competition scenario. Photo: Damien Carty

3The Mining Advocate | November 2012 NEWS

LOCAL EXPERTS.LOADS OF EQUIPMENT.

Land lockout fearA new tenement bidding regime has sparked

industry outcry, writes Belinda Humphries.

Mining juniors fear Queensland’s

new cash bidding system for

tenements will lock them out of

the best prospects.

Association of Mining

and Exploration Companies

(AMEC) regional manager for

Queensland and the Northern

Territory Bernie Hogan said the

membership was generally very

displeased with the policy.

“If forced to compete on a

cash basis, the smaller exploration

companies are never going to win

out against multinationals for the

most prospective land,” he said.

Th e new competitive cash

bidding process will apply to

companies seeking the right to

explore on highly prospective

coal, petroleum and gas resource

tenements in Queensland.

Natural Resources and Mines

Minister Andrew Cripps

announced the change in October,

saying the move to a competitive

process would maximise the

benefi ts associated with these

resources to all Queenslanders

and discourage exploration

permits being warehoused for

on-sale.

“Th rough competitive cash

bidding, companies will bid

for the right to explore highly

prospective land made available

through tender and a preferred

tenderer will be identifi ed

through a rigorous assessment

process,” he said.

Mr Cripps criticised the

“predictable rhetoric” from

the resources sector protesting

the change and said peak

groups failed to note the

Queensland Government’s strong

encouragement of junior explorers

through signifi cant investment

under the $18 million Greenfi elds

2020 program.

“Junior explorers will not be

shut out in Queensland, with only

The Association of Mining and Exploration Companies (AMEC) fears juniors

will be shut out of prime exploration ground. Photo: Roslyn Budd

An updated JORC

Code is set to tighten up

requirements for companies

to provide information on

cut-off grades and other

key assumptions used in

calculating mineral resource

estimates.

Australasian Joint Ore

Reserves Committee

executive member Steve

Hunt fl agged the changes,

saying industry feedback

during a review of the

code showed companies’

inconsistency in disclosing

such information was a big

issue.

Th e key role of the

JORC Code is to ensure

consistently high quality

and transparent reporting

of exploration results

and estimates of mineral

resources and ore reserves to

the market.

Th e new version is

expected to be approved

as part of the ASX listing

laws before the end of the

year and there will be a

12-month transition period

to introduce it.

While the code previously

encouraged discussion of

the cut-off grades used

in resource and reserve

calculations, many people

had failed to do this, Mr

Hunt said.

He said it would now

be mandatory to provide

specifi c comment on the

basis companies had chosen

to use regarding cut-off

grades in these calculations.

“What the new code is

asking is that there should

be a clear discussion of it –

it may mean the fi gures or, if

not giving the fi gures, then

explaining the basis of the

assumptions. Th ey can’t say

nothing,” Mr Hunt said.

Inconsistency on this

point made it hard for

people, including investors,

to compare and understand

the exploration results and

assets of companies, he said.

North Queensland mining

consultant Ross Th omas

said the cut-off made a

signifi cant diff erence to a

resource total and it gave

a much truer refl ection of

a project’s potential if that

fi gure was declared.

‘’If I was a company

representative making a

resource statement I only

need to make a small

percentage change in the

cut-off grade to have a

signifi cant impact on the

overall resource calculation

which no doubt has

commercial implications’’

Mr Th omas said.

JORC Code cracks tackled

highly prospective resource areas

put to a cash tender; tenements

for which smaller companies

would, in all likelihood, not

be able to independently

demonstrate works programs to

satisfy government requirements

for rapid development,” he said.

Mr Cripps said there would

continue to be non-cash land

releases in greenfi eld and under-

explored areas.

Queensland Resources Council

chief executive Michael Roche

said even larger companies within

the QRC membership were

uncomfortable with the policy.

“Th ey have the cheque books

to be able to successfully bid

for these tenures but they

acknowledge it’s the juniors that

are better at effi cient use of capital

at exploration stage,” he said.

A cash bidding system would

essentially price out the juniors,

who had been at the forefront of

exploration in Queensland, Mr

Roche said.

“Refl ecting on the experience

in NSW, where the former

government accepted very large

payments for exploration ground,

it does also give rise to concerns

about a moral hazard for the

Government,” he said.

“If they are accepting large

payments for exploration tenure,

can the community be confi dent

that the Government is therefore

not confl icted if that company

comes along and seeks to turn

that into production tenure?”

Mr Roche said the best way of

getting returns to the community

from the exploitation of the

State’s non-renewable resources

was through a royalty tax system,

rather than putting barriers in the

way of exploration.

H.D.P.E. Dam Liner Supplies

Call Ray Turner 07 4725 2318

www.damliners.com.au

We are a locally owned

and operated North Queensland

business who has been in the

lining supply industry for 10 years.

We are able to supply anywhere

in Australia and keep 100 to 120

rolls in stock giving us the ability

to dispatch product to you

quickly.

Experienced and competitive

suppliers of H.D.P.E.

• H.D.P.E. High Density

Polyethylene

• Long lasting, UV

stabilised, chemical

resistant

• A fexible lining for a

variety of

applications

5The Mining Advocate | November 2012 NEWS

Construction work at North Queensland’s Mt Carlton gold-silver-copper mine is almost complete and excitement is building as the commissioning phase begins.

Evolution Mining chief operating offi cer Mark Le Messurier said about 300 people were working on the site at the start of November, mainly in construction.

Many were due to demobilise before Christmas - leaving the operating workforce and some commissioning personnel.

“It’s getting exciting. We’ve seen the new processing plant and mine infrastructure grow before our eyes and we’re nearing the end of the construction phase,” Mr Le Messurier said.

“We have had the mining workforce in place since April and we’re currently recruiting the people who will work in the processing plant.”

Commissioning of the site’s 800,000-tonne-per-annum processing plant is expected to begin in late November and fi nish in January. Project construction started in December 2011 and

mining is well under way at Mt Carlton’s A39 silver pit and the V2 gold, silver and copper pit.

Th e mine site, 150km south of Townsville in the Bowen hinterland, has a 12-year mine life based on known resources.

However Evolution is spending $5 million on exploration in the area this fi nancial year alone.

“Our tenements are located within a highly prospective, multi-million ounce gold province with excellent opportunities to expand our existing resources,” Mr Le Messurier said.

Th e development of the $170-$180 million operation is a positive for the region at a time when the Bowen Basin coal industry has been shedding hundreds of jobs.

Evolution Mining expects to employ about 135 people on site when the mine is in full production, with an expected output of about 85,000 ounces of gold in concentrate per year to be shipped to two smelters in China. Mr Le Messurier said the company had worked hard to recruit locally, running workshops in Ayr, Bowen and

BUILD business with BETTER

prospects and MORE conversions

at the XSTRATA MOUNT ISA MINING EXPOThis is the best access to players in the world class North West Minerals Province which

generates over $8.5b in export revenue.

WHY WE'RE A BETTER INVESTMENT1. One-on-one interviews with PURCHASING OFFICERS

2. Meet the DECISION MAKERS – at specialist engineering

technical briefings

3. Networking events – held nightly. The best of any expo in

the country

4. Mining conference – New projects – zinc, copper, phosphate

and other updates by the major players including Xstrata,

Legend and MMG operations

THE XSTRATA MOUNT ISA MINING EXPO - 30 APRIL, 1-2 MAY 2013Supported by industry for business to generate business

REGISTRATIONS OPEN 4th OCTOBER 2012

Mention The Mining Advocate and receive a 10% discount

Ring Maree NOW (07) 4743 9881 or email events@mountisachamber.com.au

www.mountisachamber.com.au/mining-expo

A new mine in Bowen’s hinterland is kicking

into gear, writes Belinda Humphries.

Townsville to alert people to the

opportunities at the new mine.

Whitsunday mayor Jennifer

Whitney said there was a buzz

in the region due to various

resources projects nearing

realisation, which was great news

for economic growth.

She expected action within 12

months on the GVK Hancock

Coal and Adani coal projects,

which involve rail and port

developments in the Bowen area.

“It will be a massive jobs boost

for Bowen,” Cr Whitney said.

Projects like Mt Carlton

and QCoal’s expansion plans

in the Collinsville area also

contributed to local employment

opportunities, she said.

Evolution Mining, formed

through a merger of Catalpa

Resources and Conquest Mining,

is Queensland’s No. 1 gold

producer.

•Whitsunday feature – Pages 22-23.

Golden dawn for Mt Carlton

The Mt Carlton mining operation, 45km north-north-west of Collinsville, under construction.

6 November 2012 | The Mining AdvocateREGIONAL ROUND-UP

Cape YorkCape Alumina says it is “full steam ahead” for its Pisolite Hills bauxite proposal after the Queensland Government declared it a signifi cant project.

Th e controversial project was placed on hold in 2010 when the company said buff er zones the former Labor government imposed under the Wild Rivers Act made it unviable.

Cape Alumina managing director Graeme Sherlock said the Newman Government’s commitment to due process and a new regulatory regime for Cape York had given the company the confi dence to revisit the project.

“Given the amount of work that we have already done on the Pisolite Hills project, we will be able to fast-track its development and submit the EIS (environmental impact statement) for the Commonwealth and State governments’ consideration by the end of 2013,” Mr Sherlock said.

Th e proposed mine site would include part of a property purchased by “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin’s family, with plans for a wildlife reserve, and has copped fl ak from critics including actor Russell Crowe as well as conservation groups.

Cape Alumina said the Pisolite Hills bauxite project would boost economic activity by $1.2 billion and create or sustain more than 1700 jobs over the operation’s 15-year life.

Townsville-Mount Isa Th e push to improve rail transport between Mount Isa and Townsville gained steam as the newly formed North Queensland Resources Supply Chain Steering Committee met for the fi rst time.

Chaired by Xstrata Copper’s Steve de Kruijff , the 11-member committee includes executives from Incitec Pivot and Blackwood coal, Richmond Mayor John Wharton, MITEZ (Mount Isa Townsville Economic Zone) executive offi cer Glen Graham and various transport industry fi ugures.

“Th e idea is to ensure infrastructure and effi ciency is maintained and improved for the future through improving rail infrastructure and roads,” Mr de Kruijff told Th e

North West Star.Cr Wharton told ABC Radio the rail line between Mount Isa and

Townsville was carrying top-shelf product, but was not operating as effi ciently as it could. “It’s not a matter of not having enough freight, it’s a matter of more effi ciencies that can be gained... the railway line is not up to the state of the coal lines,” he said.

RockhamptonToo big to dig? Th e debate on fat as a workplace safety issue raged

after reports on the case of Blackwater miner Ian Mattson. Th e “morbidly obese” miner, deemed unfi t to operate heavy

machinery because of a signifi cant risk of a sudden cardiac arrest, recently won a legal challenge against his job loss.

A Rockhampton Supreme Court justice had previously upheld a health assessment fi nding against

the 160kg-plus miner, but three Court of Appeal justices set the report aside and awarded costs,

Th e Morning Bulletin reported. Justice Margaret McMurdo found the relevant legislation scheme was “not

concerned with the risk of a worker developing an illness or other

condition in the future” but was about fi tness for work at the time

of assessment.Mr Mattson told local press

he may be a big man, but he was fi tter than most. He said there were plenty of people working at Curragh mine who were a lot bigger than him and still able to do their jobs. “Out at Curragh, I’m a baby,” Mr Mattson said.

IpswichHundreds of people gathered at Redbank to commemorate the lives of more than 1470 workers

killed in over two centuries of mining in Queensland. Th e state’s 5th annual Miners Memorial Day

service was held at the Collingwood Park Sports Complex on September 19.

CFMEU industry safety and health representative Greg Dalliston said it was important to

remember that while it had been 18 years since Queensland’s last major mining disaster, not a year

had gone by without a fatal incident since 1882, Th e Queensland Times reported.

Natural Resources and Mines Minister Andrew Cripps described Miners Memorial Day as a very

important day on the mining industry calendar in Queensland.

Meanwhile, the Collinsville Miners Memorial Day ceremony attracted a strong attendance on

October 13, marking the 58th Anniversary of the disaster when seven coal miners died in a carbon

dioxide outburst at the State No 1 tunnel, the Bowen Independent reported.

RomaBrisbane-based developer Consolidated Properties is tapping into the rich vein of opportunity in the Surat Basin, with plans to construct Roma One Business Park at a cost of $50 million.

It recently fi nalised the purchase of a 55ha site for $3.5 million and construction is expected to begin early next year on what will be the only broad-hectare commercial development of its kind in the resource-rich region, Th e Courier-Mail reported.

In addition to 28 commercial lots, the site also has approval for an 850-person accommodation village and an 80-room motel.

Ray White Metro agent Gary O’Shea said Roma’s property market had strengthened across the board on the back of billions of dollars of investment by major oil and gas companies, Th e Chronicle reported. Recent infrastructure investment has included a $14 million upgrade to Roma Airport.

EmeraldGregory mine workers came together at the Mayfair Tavern to mark the end of an era as the BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance coal operation closed in October.

Outgoing CFMEU Gregory Mine Lodge president Kevin Stockton was among those hanging up his hard hat, taking voluntary redundancy after 32 years at Gregory. “Tonight means a lot. It’s a gathering for people who have worked together for a long time - a fi nal send-off for a group of workmates that spent much of their life together,” Mr Stockton told CQ News.

BMA in September announced its plans to cease production at the open-cut mine, part of the Gregory Crinum complex near Emerald, from October 10.

Th e company said the operation was no longer profi table in the economic environment of falling prices, high costs and a strong Australian dollar.

“Th e Crinum underground mine will continue to operate along with the Gregory coal handling preparation plant. Th e remaining operations will be made more competitive by the removal of the high-cost Gregory production,” BMA asset president Stephen Dumble said.

7The Mining Advocate | November 2012 NEWS

CENTRAL QUEENSLAND TRANSPORTTRADES AND MINING EXPO

13th & 14th March 2013www.cqexpo.com.auROCKHAMPTONQUEENSLAND

Unique opportunity to network and generate new business...This event is essential for businesses wanting to explore the amazing opportunities that the thriving transport, trades and mining industries in the Bowen and Galilee Basins have to offer.

PHONE 1800 671 588O 800 67 588

BOOK NOW TO SECURE A PRIME POSITION

EVENT PROUDLY PRESENTED BY

CQEXPO,The only industry event for Central Queensland andthe Bowen Basinin 2013

Kim White knows the diffi culties of family separation caused by a fl y in-fl y out roster and her recent shift from Ipswich to Gladstone has also made her familiar with the isolation that can accompany such a move.

Mrs White, whose husband is employed by John Holland on one of the Curtis Island LNG construction projects, is reaching out to others in similar situations through a new Mining Women Support Group in Gladstone.

While the group is going well and a story in Th e Observer attracted much positive feedback, she admits she was a bit shocked at a few of the online responses.

“Harden up and stop the whining you reap what you sow and there is a price for everything including BIG MONEY!” said one posting.

Another stated, “we’re supposed to feel sympathetic to a group of people working for corporations who are decimating our area both socially and ecologically? Oh do come on.”

But Gladstone Regional councillor Rick Hansen said such negativity was coming from a minority group and that the community overall was mostly welcoming to newcomers.

“I applaud Kim for doing something like this,” he said of the support group.

“It is needed in the community and welcomed by most.”

He said the council also had services to welcome newcomers including morning teas, promotional “Gladstone Bags”

Not alone in feeling isolatedResources sector families are reaching out to

one another, writes Belinda Humphries.

and a community advisory service.

Mrs White started the Gladstone group after coming across a Facebook page of Victoria Murray, the Yeppoon-based founder of the Mining Women Support Group.

“I have big hopes for the future, to have the opportunity to support women in any type of isolating situation in Gladstone – whether they have relocated because of the construction boom, whether their husband works away on Curtis Island or at one of the mines,” she said.

Husband Andrew started work at Curtis Island in April and was originally working four weeks on-one week off , leaving Mrs White and baby Adelaide at Ipswich – where she had a close network of family and friends, but was missing her husband.

“Th ere was also the heartbreak

of knowing my husband was missing our baby’s development – so much happens in such a short period,” Mrs White said.

Now, while he works long hours, at least they are together as a family in Gladstone.

“But I’ve gone from having a great support network to knowing really no one except my husband’s work colleagues,” Mrs White said.

“I knew there must be heaps of people in the same boat.”

Mrs White said she had noticed that when she told people the family was there for the LNG construction it did not always meet with a positive response.

“Which is understandable – people like us are putting a strain on the infrastructure and I guess changing the lives of people,” she said.

But Mrs White said she and Andrew loved Gladstone and were becoming very attached to the area, although they may only be there for 12 months.

Mother of fi ve Victoria

Murray started the Mining

Women Support Group in

Yeppoon in July and launched

another in Rockhampton three

weeks later due to the great

response.

Th e groups now have about

40 members between them.

Mrs Murray and husband

Maurice were farmers, but

when the fl oods two years ago

ruined their crops Mr Murray

had to fi nd other work –

turning to the mines.

He was recently working as

a contractor at the Newlands

coal mine, until a number of

people were let go.

Mrs Murray started the

Yeppoon group after hearing

from her husband about

families that had found the

lifestyle diffi cult and due

to her own experiences in

grappling with Mr Murray’s

absences.

“It is really starting to

spread. I’ve had a lady from

Townsville get in touch on the

Facebook page and have linked

her up with the wife of a miner

who my husband works with,”

she said. “We’re also looking to

start one in Mackay.”

While she had since become

aware of other mining family

networks such as FIFO

Families, Mrs Murray said

she hadn’t known about such

groups when she started her

support initiative.

Further information is

available on Mrs Murray’s

Mining Women Support

Group Facebook page or by

calling her on 0437 270 676.

People interested in joining

the Gladstone Mining Women

Support Group can call Kim

White on 0402 241 454

Support network spreads its reach across the regions

Victoria MurraySupport group founder

Kim White and daughter Adelaide. Photo: Chrissy Harris

8 November 2012 | The Mining AdvocateNEWS

For further information contact Dee Rodwell or Michael Clarke 07 4724 1199 www.maptomine.com.au

MINERAL EXPLORATION SERVICES AND MOBILE MINING CAMPSA Townsville based mineral exploration services company offering quality and personalised service for the exploration industry.

A COMPLETE SERVICE – MOBILE MINING CAMPS, PERSONNEL, VEHICLES, EQUIPMENT AND LOGISTICS.

Camp crew ready to get mobile Map to Mine director and fi eld manager Mick Clarke is one of many in the resources sector to welcome the Queensland Government’s lifting of the ban on uranium mining.

Mr Clarke described the reversal as “one little ray of light” following what he sees as the previous government’s determination to kill the resources industry.

Given his people and company had experience in uranium exploration, they were ready to jump straight on board the minute someone gave the green light, he said.

Mr Clarke and Dee Rodwell, Map to Mine’s director and administration manager, work closely with exploration companies to provide project management, personnel, vehicles, fi eld gear and equipment plus whatever else is required for a fully equipped, highly mobile, state-of-the-art camp.

Mr Clarke said he had spent the best part of 18 years enduring “old style” fi eld camping in the resources industry.

But these days, clients such as exploration and drilling companies expect much better conditions.

Mr Clarke is well aware of what’s required and his goal is to ensure the most cost-effi cient and comfortable fi eld camping solutions, regardless of terrain type or location, for small to medium operations.

“We’ve got 20 LandCruiser 4WDs and trucks, plus 26 fully airconditioned, modular buildings – these are mostly

converted shipping containers

– which serve as living quarters,

crib rooms, offi ces, kitchens and

other essential amenities,” Mr

Clarke said.

“In addition, a remote satellite

internet and phone link allows

workers to stay in touch via social

media and do online banking.

But more importantly, it aff ords

real-time communications for

effi cient operating and safety,

while satellite television provides

evening entertainment in

airconditioned comfort.”

Map to Mine works primarily

in Queensland. However, the

business is looking to move

into the Northern Territory and

South Australia.

A Map to Mine employee carries out sampling at a remote exploration site.

Committee guides

industry restartQueensland Premier Campbell Newman has announced the

membership of the Uranium Implementation Committee

which will establish a best-practice framework for the

recommencement of uranium mining in Queensland.

Th e Committee – chaired by Central Highlands councillor

Paul Bell - will look at issues including how the uranium

industry works in other states, regional and community

development opportunities, safety and logistics, approval

processes, rehabilitation and royalties.

Uranium mining has not occurred in Queensland since

1982 and has been eff ectively prohibited since the election of

the Goss Labor Government in 1989.

Mr Newman said uranium exports would earn Queensland

tens of billions of dollars over the next two decades, providing

thousands of jobs across rural and regional areas.

Amid public debate over the potential export of

Queensland uranium via Townsville or Abbot Point ports,

Queensland Resources Council chief executive Michael

Roche said there were two currently approved uranium export

ports in Australia – Darwin and Adelaide – and that it may

not make a lot of sense to create another.

Meanwhile Federal Member for Dawson George

Christensen is calling for the development of a thorium

mining sector in conjunction with the restart of uranium

mining in Queensland.

“Th orium is also found in North Queensland and it is being

hailed as a clean and green nuclear fuel because it is easier

to use, safer, and produces up to 10,000 times less long-lived

radioactive waste than uranium,” he said.

Known occurrences and deposits of uranium in Queensland.

9The Mining Advocate | November 2012 NEWS

FREECALL

1800 674 777 www.forceaccess.com.au

FORCE ACCESS - A DIVISION OF FORCE CORP PTY LTD

The cornerstone of the Force offering is Safety. In 2011 Force was the fi rst Australian Rental Company to achieve the Australian ‘Benchmark’ in safety accreditation when its safety management systems were certifi ed to ASNZS:4801 Occupational Health and Safety Standard right across the entire branch network.

Force welcomes the opportunity to provide live demonstrations of our sophisticated safety and compliance management System which facilitates leading risk management across the three dimensions of safety - people, plant and process. This e-business system of plant safety management is part of the Force service offering. So when Safety is paramount, just call Force Access.

Force Access specialise in the rental of access equipment, including boom lifts, scissor lifts, telescopic handlers and material handling lifts through a truly National network of branches right across Australia.

When my men are working at heights, safety comes first and I need to know they’ll be

going home tonight...

...it just has to be Force.

QLD Brisbane Townsville Gold Coast Mackay

Gladstone NT Darwin WA Perth Karratha

NSW Sydney Newcastle Wollongong

Tuggerah Muswellbrook ACT Canberra

VIC Melbourne SA Adelaide

EMAIL admin@forceaccess.com.au

OUR REPUTATION IS BUILT ON SAFETY NATIONWIDE

Uranium resources unlockedA policy turnaround is expected to spark a

rash of activity, writes Belinda Humphries.

Mount Isa mayor Tony McGrady believes north-west Queensland could be producing uranium within three years following the lifting of a state mining ban.

Cr McGrady, a strong uranium advocate, described the Newman Government move as a shot in the arm for the industry and for the region.

“What this decision has done is given new impetus to the industry, people now have a lot more confi dence about the future,” he said.

Th e known uranium resource in Queensland is currently valued around $18 billion, according to the Australian Uranium Association.

AUA communication director Simon Clarke believed it was likely to take at least four to six years to get any new uranium mine into production in Queensland.

Among the complications was the low uranium price, about $US43 a pound on the spot market in late October, largely as a result of decreased demand in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster.

“But the story is much brighter in the medium and long-term,” Mr Clarke said.

Th ere were strong signs of nuclear reactor expansion resuming in China and confi dence in a market emerging quickly in India, where Prime Minister Julia Gillard recently opened uranium trade discussions, he said.

Mr Clarke believed the Queensland Government’s decision to lift the uranium mining ban would spark an immediate increase in activity around Mount Isa.

Uranium companies in Western Australia had spent a record $100 million on exploration in the 12 months following proclamation of legislation allowing uranium mining in that state. “So it has an immediate stimulatory eff ect on that activity and on the value of the shares of the companies on issue,” he said.

Paladin Energy holds a cluster of deposits in the Mount Isa area, including the key Valhalla-Skal project, with a total resource of about 140 million pounds of uranium, while Laramide Resources’ Westmoreland project

near the Northern Territory border has an established resource of more than 50 million pounds.

Mega Uranium is among the other players in North Queensland, holding uranium resources at Ben Lomond and in the Georgetown area.

Cr McGrady said Federal Resources, Energy and Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson had assured him that if the state ban was lifted the resources of his department would be made available to assist Queensland with its regulatory regime.

It was now up to the state mines department to work with industry and the politicians to get a regime in place to expedite the granting of mining leases, he said

“Th ere are two companies I know that have been drilling, doing the environmental work, negotiating with indigenous people and to my knowledge have some agreement, all that has been done over the past year,” Cr McGrady said.

“I think it (the start of production in Queensland) will be quicker than some people think.”

A spokesman for Lagoon Creek Resources, the Australian subsidiary of Laramide, said that company was preparing a scoping study for the Westmoreland project and would intensify its drilling eff orts as a result of the mining ban lifting.

General manager Evan Hughes would not provide a timeframe for mine start-up.

“We see ourselves ready to start the process towards permitting and the regulatory process which ends with building a mine, but it depends how long that process is going to take,” he said.

Paladin Energy chief executive offi cer John Borshoff said the Western Australian experience was of a four-year wait for regulatory approvals alone before starting uranium mining. He believed the total timeframe to get a new project off the ground would be to six to eight years.

“We would like it to be shorter, but that’s how it is, and on top of that uranium prices are depressed at the moment, so at these prices it’s hard to justify project go- ahead,” he said.

“However everybody is confi dent that uranium prices will improve. It is probably one of the few commodities with a looming supply defi cit.”

Yellowcake at the Langer Heinrich uranium mine in Namibia.

10 November 2012 | The Mining AdvocateNEWS

With technology such as driverless trucks already in operation in the

Australian resources sector and miners expanding their frontiers as far

as outer space, thanks to Planetary Resources’ asteroid exploration plans,

Th e Mining Advocate asks what is “the next big thing”?

A range of experts have off ered their views, highlighting the

developments they believe will signifi cantly change the mining industry

in the near future.

Th e next big thing

A technological

revolution with

vast horizons

Queensland Nickel and

Waratah Coal owner

Professor Clive Palmer

Th e development within the open-pit mining industry of

automation and driverless equipment is just the beginning

of the next mining revolution. Extensions of military drone

technology will place workforces operating mine equipment

across the industry in clean, safe locations just a short

commute away from homes. Th is is just the foot in the

door though as this technology morphs into extraction of

currently inaccessible or uneconomic reserves.

How far the extension of this is to be applied to the

underground mining industry - removing safety, heat and

ventilation restrictions, or developed for the extraction of

submarine commodity reserves in the rich ocean depths,

or following the Mars Rover into space and setting up

remote interplanetary operations, is limited by engineering

imagination and new technologies.

With the absence of human access, how long before we

shrink the technology with smaller access roads, removing

geotechnical constraints and allowing us to probe deeper

into earth’s crust for extraction of currently inaccessible rare

and precious ore? Finally, with the nanoprobes and remote

access, how soon will we be drilling down and leaching out

our target prizes of gold and rarer metals in-situ?

Automation

evolution and

the end of FIFO

as we know it

CSC vice-president –

chemical, engineering,

natural resources,

manufacturing and

consumer

Mike Horton

For me (the next big thing) is quite straight-forward – it’s

a concept we call OT-IT convergence. IT is the traditional

back-end IT (information technology) – OT is the

operations technology, it could be any piece of equipment

or engineering at the actual mine site, the front end. As

automation starts to come on to the mine site it has to

integrate with the IT system to be able to work.

Th at’s really the enabler for large-scale automation. Th ere

are several steps to get to that – and some of the steps are

already under way. In the end it will all come together so

that from one end of the mining process to the other it can

be automated - no one has done that yet.

Th at’s the next big thing, and it’s going to address a few

key issues – the skills shortage that we have in Australia,

effi ciency concerns and the issue around high salaries, for

instance for truck drivers. It helps with safety as well, as

you are able to move people from the really dangerous parts

of the mines. It means the fl y in-fl y out (FIFO) workforce

for mines is going to be reduced to what is required to

maintain the equipment on site rather than operate it. It’s

also going to aff ect the style of person that is going to be

needed to work for the mining companies.

Commodity

markets go

for gold

MineLife founding

director and senior

resource analyst

Gavin Wendt

With all of the ongoing doom and gloom in fi nancial

markets, it’s important to maintain some perspective

and take a look at the facts. Th e world’s population

is continuing to grow - hitting an estimated 7 billion

people late last year – and at current rates will reach

10 billion by 2050. All of these people need to be fed,

housed and clothed, in turn generating huge demand for

raw materials. As they become more affl uent, they will

demand more of the everyday items we take for granted.

Th e resource boom is therefore far from over.

Commodity markets are being driven by emotion and

sentiment, not long-term reality. Most commodities are

getting harder to locate and more expensive to produce,

with all sorts of enhanced political risks. Gold is the

perfect example.Total average operating costs for the gold

industry are estimated to be around $1500 per ounce.

Continuing strong demand combined with major

supply-side factors are the reasons why I remain

convinced of a major upside with respect to the gold price.

I have confi dence that the price can comfortably reach

the $US2000 per ounce mark into 2013 and as high as

$US5000 over the coming decade.

Real-time

virtual reality

mine training

Queensland

Commissioner for

Mine Safety and Health

Stewart Bell

Immersive virtual reality mine training will allow trainees

to experience fi rst-hand all the sights and sounds of the

mine environment without any of the risk.

Th ey will experience life-like mine conditions but be

able to respond to emergency scenarios in a safe and

controlled environment.

Th e Safety in Mines Testing and Research Station

(SIMTARS) has built Queensland’s fi rst virtual reality

immersive mine-training facility at Redbank. In

partnership with Vale Australia, SIMTARS modelled

a mine in detail to include all above and underground

equipment and infrastructure including the operating

longwall continuous miners, loaders, shuttle cars,

belt systems, support, ventilation devices and safety

equipment.

Real-time virtual reality mine safety training is the way

of the future. Th ere are obvious benefi ts to the mining

industry. A better skilled workforce means a safer working

environment, better safety awareness and operational

effi ciency, and fewer days lost through injury.

Getting to grips

with change

The University of

Queensland Sustainable

Minerals Institute

director

Professor Chris Moran

Th ere is some big thinking required around transition.

We’ll see new technologies coming in and some of those

in their own right will create signifi cant change, such as

the driverless trucks.

Th e next big thing we need to deal with is to treat these

technological changes to the mines as a transition rather

than a single step.

We can picture the end point where things are

automated and talking to one another and controlled

remotely – that’s good. But look at where we currently are

with operating mines with no or limited automation – we

can’t leap from where we are today to the end point of

automation, we are going to have introduction along the

way of various technologies and as that occurs we will

need a whole diff erent planning framework around the

way we think about and manage mines.

Th e second big thing we need to deal with in the next

15 years is how the sets of skills we have across mines and

companies can best be marshalled to improve productivity

given the changes in technology that may occur.

Cheaper, faster,

smarter drilling

Northern Territory

Geological Survey

director

Ian Scrimgeour

As it becomes increasingly diffi cult to fi nd mineral

deposits outcropping at surface, the challenge is to

improve discovery rates through an improved ability to

generate and test targets at depth.

Although the development of improved geophysical

technologies and modelling will be increasingly important

in better targeting at depth, it is possible that the real

step change in deep exploration and discovery may come

through development of cheaper, smarter and faster

drilling technologies.

An example of this is work being undertaken by the

Deep Exploration Technologies CRC, based out of

Adelaide. Th e plan is to develop automated drill rigs

with lighter drill strings and innovative drill bits to

drill cheaply and safely to great depths, and to combine

this with real-time downhole analysis whilst drilling is

still under way. Th e kind of innovations that are being

considered include using downhole motors and coiled

tubing to enable holes to be steered, logged and analysed

remotely.

Driving forward

with innovation

Rio Tinto head of

innovation

John McGagh

Th e challenge we face at Rio Tinto is the same across the

sector – how do we meet the world’s growing appetite for

resources when supply is becoming more complex and

more costly. At Rio Tinto we see innovation as the key to

meeting these challenges and making our operations the

best in their sector through mining better, safer and faster.

We have a robust pipeline of technologies that we plan

to bring into our operations in the coming years and we

have already taken signifi cant steps to make “the next big

thing” a reality through our Mine of the Future program.

At our iron ore business in Western Australia we’re

focused on operating the fi rst signifi cantly autonomous

iron ore mine by combining autonomous drilling, semi-

autonomous blast loading with autonomous trucks and a

wide range of advanced sensing and telecommunications

technologies . . . We’ve also got plans to roll out our

AutoHaul train program and our advanced survey

systems. Autonomy is just one part of our Mine of the

Future program, we’re also looking at innovations in the

areas of tunnelling and recovery.

11The Mining Advocate | November 2012 NEWS

ZENER ELECTRIC QUEENSLAND

Phone: 07 38077377 Email: sales@zenerqld.com.au Website: www.zener.com.au

Australian Owned Company

30 Years Industry Experience

1000v Variable Speed Drives

1000v Soft Starters

Local Sales and Service

24/7 Technical Support

Custom Engineering

Coal miners in Central Queensland have accepted a new work agreement, ending a two-year industrial relations battle between BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance and the unions.

BMA said the enterprise agreement was supported by 1359 employees, representing 60 per cent of those who voted.

APN newspapers reported that it was the fi rst poll since each side entered Federal Government-assisted mediation and the fi rst with union backing.

BMA president Stephen Dumble told APN after the deal had passed that: “after this length of time, it is not about winners and losers.”

Th e lengthy industrial action was blamed for a 1 million-tonne fall in coal production across the fi ve BMA mines still operating.

“It’s been enormously diffi cult,” Mr Dumble told APN.“Particularly in recent months when we’ve seen the

impact of rapidly falling prices for our (coal) and this continuing strength in the Australian dollar.”

President of the Moranbah Traders Association, Peter Finlay, described the agreement as a relief for local businesses.

“We’ve been waiting for this EA to be signed for some time and it’ll certainly get rid of a lot of tension in the

community knowing that there’s now something in place

for the next couple of years,” he told ABC News.

Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union

district president Stephen Smyth said the deal maintained

important protections and moderated the most extreme

elements of the mining company’s agenda. “It could

have been reached a year ago, had BHP not taken an

ideological approach that prioritised picking a fi ght with

its workforce over coming to a reasonable deal,” he said.

Th e CFMEU said key elements of the three-year deal included: safety inspectors to be covered by the agreement; fl exibility in rostering; a local housing agreement to support families choosing to live in local towns; and superannuation contributions up from 9 per cent to 12 per cent.

Th e agreement covers about 3000 workers at the Goonyella-Riverside, Peak Downs, Crinum, Blackwater and Saraji mines.

ABC News reported comments from CFMEU general secretary Andrew Vickers that the latest enterprise agreement for BMA workers would have been voted down if coal prices were higher. Mr Vickers described the agreement, which included a 15 per cent pay rise over the next three years, as the best the union could have expected under the circumstances.

“It’s not as good as what we set out to achieve and had prices stayed where they

were when the negotiation process started we would have had a better outcome and we wouldn’t have had 40 per cent opposition to the agreement,” he told ABC News.

BHP Billiton has since dropped a $2.4 million compensation claim against the CFMEU that had been based on allegations of union members acting illegally in December 2011, Th e Morning Bulletin reported.

Th e legal action was launched at the height of the industrial relations battle.

Mining companies have fl agged more cost-cutting measures, including workforce downsizing, as a result of the increase in Queensland coal royalties.

Th e news came via a Queensland Resources Council survey of 37 coal company chief executives, with many warning they risked premature closure of operations and that projects in the pipeline may be deferred or cancelled.

QRC chief executive Michael Roche said also the group’s metalliferous and gas sector members were concerned they would be targeted next for a royalty increase as the State Government continued its quest to bolster its revenue base.

Mr Roche said in Th e Courier-Mail: ``Th ere is a clear recognition (within business) that in the bureaucracy and key parts of government there’s a worrying complacency about the potential adverse impacts from the royalty changes.”

Treasurer Tim Nicholls told the paper he was surprised and disappointed by the QRC statements.

He said the Government was determined to ensure Queenslanders received a fair return from the coal and other resources they own.

``As the companies themselves have acknowledged,

there are many factors impacting their business. We hope

to continue to work with industry constructively.”

September’s state Budget had brought confi rmation of

the royalty rise – taking the rate from 10 to 12.5 per cent a

tonne for coal valued at between $100 and $150, and from

12.5 to 15 per cent for coal attracting higher prices.

At the time, Rio Tinto Coal Australia managing director

Bill Champion expressed shock and

disappointment at the size of the hike.

But the CFMEU was in no mood

to dish out tea and sympathy for the

big miners. “Th e companies are using

this as a bit of an excuse to trim the

fat and make sure they maintain their

bottom line and huge profi ts,” CFMEU

Queensland district president Steve

Smyth told ABC News.Stephen Bartholomeusz, writing for

Business Spectator, said that in seeking

to milk the resources sector’s perceived

super-profi tability, the federal and state

governments had chosen to ignore the

industry’s long-term sustainability.

“Maybe it didn’t matter when

commodity prices were at stratospher-

ically high levels; levels high enough to

accommodate the escalating costs and

increasing tax and royalty takes,” he

said. “Now that they’ve come down to

earth, however, the miners will have no

choice but to look for ways to slash the

costs that they can (the mining services companies and

contractors are in for a tough time ahead) or else to shut

down projects that don’t generate appropriate returns.”

Th e industry has put a proposal to the Queensland

Government to infl ation-proof the new royalty rates by

indexing the thresholds.

Hot topics

Rise in royalties

Industrial dispute

12 November 2012 | The Mining AdvocateNEWS

BMA sets fi ve-star standardTh e BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) has introduced fi ve-star crash rating standards for light commercial vehicles at its mining sites throughout central Queensland.

Th e move, welcomed by vehicle testing authority ANCAP, has created a fl urry of activity within the research and development ranks of leading manufacturers in Australia which are not yet compliant.

BMA introduced the initiative in October, but softened the safety plan with a phase-in period which gives fl eet suppliers and contractors until January 1, 2016 to meet the requirements of a fi ve-star rating.

Smaller site contractors who keep their work vehicles beyond the standard warranty period of three years will face a previously unexpected cost burden, but BMA believes the time period before full implementation is reasonable.

Australia’s most popular ute for the past 15 years, the Toyota HiLux, is rated at four stars and only the top-of-the-range SR5 dual cab boasts ESC

(electronic stability control), traction control, brake assist and brakeforce distribution plus six airbags.

Toyota chose not to upgrade safety ratings for its work vehicles during a model revamp last year but has indicated that by 2013 all the HiLux range will pass the ANCAP fi ve-star test.

Such is the popularity of the HiLux it has even outsold passenger vehicles in Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory, the nation’s leading mining locations.

German manufacturer Volkswagen stands to benefi t from the BMA policy with the introduction into Australia of its 4WD Amarok ute, which is fi ve-star compliant, as is the new Ford Ranger.

Light commercial vehicles have traditionally lagged behind other vehicle categories and this was underscored last year when results of ANCAP tests on 12 such vehicles revealed only fi ve received the maximum safety rating.

ANCAP chairman Lauchlan McIntosh praised Holden and Isuzu earlier this year when the

A new safety plan is being phased in across

the big miner’s sites, writes Bruce Macdonald.

top-of-the-range Colorado and

D-Max (which share a common

platform) received fi ve-star ratings.

BMA manager external aff airs

Dianne Collier said the alliance’s

decision was driven by safety

concerns for its employees and

an internal review of its policies

and relevant legislation.“In the past, BMA would

purchase or lease a vehicle and then fi t a range of aftermarket equipment intended to improve safety,” she said.

“Th is introduced complexity and cost, and more importantly did not always translate into enhanced safety outcomes.”

Ms Collier said new contracts for BMA fl eet vehicles would be fi lled with fi ve-star ANCAP-rated vehicles.

“By purchasing and leasing fi ve-star ANCAP vehicles, we put our employees in the safest vehicles available. Th is will enable our business to focus on its core competency, leaving the design of vehicles to the manufacturers who are undeniably the experts,” she said.

A $1.1 million refurbishment of Incitec Pivot’s product distribution centre in South Townsville has earned Minelec honours in the annual Electrical Contractors Association awards.

Th e Townsville-based electrical contractor won the industrial installations and mining category at the North Queensland Annual Excellence Awards.

Minelec acted as principal contractor for the four-month Incitec Pivot job, which included the upgrade or replacement of mains cabling, the switchroom, main switch board and distribution

boards, conveyor drives, an automatic blending system, automatic weighing and bagging system, pneumatics system, general lights and power, and demolition of redundant plant.

Minelec managing director Colin Norris said the highly corrosive environment at the centre, which handles fertiliser, created extra challenges.

Th e industrial installations and mining category of ECA and Master Electricians Australia’s national awards was won by Melbourne-based Wattrix for its work fi tting out mining refuge chambers.

The top of the

range Toyota

HiLux SR5.

Minelec project sparks award

13The Mining Advocate | November 2012 Ivanhoe feature

Ivanhoe Australia is creating a long term future in North West Queensland, developing multiple mining projects in gold and a variety of base metals.

With clear priorities and goals established for both Exploration and Operation, Ivanhoe Australia continues to progress as both an explorer and producer.

With an exciting portfolio and a vision to build a substantial Australian based company focusing on the exploration, and development of major copper-gold, molybdenum-rhenium and uranium deposits , it is another step in our enduring partnership for prosperity with this great Australian region.

For further information visit our website www.ivanhoeaustralia.com

Pybar digs in at Ivanhoe sitesPybar Mining Services has been announced as the preferred contractor to run Ivanhoe Australia’s mining operations at Kulthor and Starra 276 over the next 26 months.

Pybar is currently undertaking all development mining at Kulthor and Osborne while Byrnecut is responsible for development at Starra 276.

“Ivanhoe commenced production stoping of lower Osborne, the fi rst of the organisation’s mines in the same area, in February 2012 using its own equipment and people to supply ore to the shaft which would hoist the rock to the processing plant,” Ivanhoe general manager operations Neal Valk said.

“Starra 276 is scheduled to commence production in January 2013. However, after reviewing all requirements, it was decided a new strategy, that of putting all production and development into a single scope of work, would achieve the best results.

“Ivanhoe went through

a tender process followed by further discussions with interested parties, after which Pybar was selected as the preferred contractor to undertake the development and production work at Starra and Kulthor.

“It’s anticipated that, subject to further approvals being sought from the Ivanhoe board, work will begin on both operations in November.”

Mr Valk said the contract included about 6800m of development and 3.6 million tonnes of copper-gold ore.

In addition, Pybar will be responsible for the operation and maintenance of all heavy equipment and drilling on site as well as light vehicle and ancillary equipment maintenance.

“Regarding employment, a proportion of Ivanhoe staff currently working in these roles will be considered for transfer to similar roles with Pybar so they can remain involved with the Kulthor and Starra projects,” Mr Valk said.

He said the strategy had been

developed to ensure Ivanhoe

could meet its production

targets.

“Using the skills and

competency of the major

contractor allows fl exibility to

change the mine plan as needed

but also to extend the mine

plan as further resources are

converted into the production

schedule,” he said.

“And with the new, single

scope of work direction fi rmly in

place, Ivanhoe is looking forward

to a close contractor relationship

which will see the delivery of

safe and mutually benefi cial

production targets.”

Five Finnish-built Wartsila engines have been

transported to the Osborne site in north-west

Queensland as part of the operation’s $12 million

power station upgrade.

Th e fi rst, which arrived in early June this year and

has been shown to produce 4 megawatts of power,

has been installed and commissioned.

It is anticipated that the second, which has

commenced commissioning on diesel before being

tested on gas, will be up and running in early

November.

It would almost generate suffi cient power to

satisfy the entire site’s requirements, Ivanhoe

general manager operations Neal Valk said.

Th e third engine is being prepared for connection

in early December.

Th e “old” diesel engines No. 4 and No. 5 – which

have been running for the past 15 years – will be

turned off and decommissioned later this month.

“Th e old engines worked effi ciently and met

needs of the site,” Mr Valk said.

“Each engine has over 70,000 hours on the

clock. However, their replacements are more

environmentally friendly and will run more

effi ciently.”

Th e new engine No. 4 was due to be

commissioned in early 2013 and No. 5 later that

year, he said.

A jumbo rig works underground at Ivanhoe Australia’s Kulthor deposit.

Plant upgrade powers ahead

14 November 2012 | The Mining AdvocateINDUSTRY UPDATE COAL AND GAS14

- Specialists in earthmoving, power & light, access, air & portable buildings. Call 13 15 52

G&S taken over

Calibre Group has taken over Mackay-

based fi rm G&S Engineering Services in

a $100 million cash and shares deal.

G&S will continue to operate under its

existing management team and brand,

while Calibre will acquire all shares in the

businesses in a transaction expected to be

completed late November.

G&S managing director Mick Crowe said

he was excited about realising the growth

opportunities from joining Calibre.

Environmental acquisition

GSS Environmental has become

part of SLR Consulting Australia

through a recent merger-acquisition.

GSS Environmental is a top-three

environmental consultant to the coal

industry in Australia, with clients

including BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto,

Xstrata and Centennial Coal. It has

50 employees operating from offi ces in

Mackay and Newcastle, and a Darwin

offi ce is opening in November.

Curragh cuts costs

Wesfarmers Curragh has announced

changes to the operation of its mine in

response to lower coal

prices and a strong

Australian dollar.

From mid-November

Curragh will revert

the majority of its

heavy mobile fl eet

and associated

activity from a seven-

day roster to a fi ve-

day roster.

Th e company said it

also planned to have

a limited shutdown

of some mining

activities for three

weeks during the

Christmas holiday period.

It also fl agged a reduction in contract

labour hire workers and use of

contractors at the site.

“Our intention to export between 8 and

8.5 million tonnes of metallurgical coal

for FY13 remains unchanged, with all

coal supply contracts to be met,”

Wesfarmers Curragh general manager

Craig McCabe said.

Oaky Creek contractors chopped

Xstrata Coal has confi rmed a reduction

in contractor numbers at its Oaky Creek

coal operations.

“Th is decision has been made as part

of an ongoing review of our Australian

coal operations in response to industry-

wide pressures including low coal prices,

high input costs and a strong Australian

dollar,” manager – media and external

communications Francis De Rosa said.

Xstrata Coal in September announced it

would be reducing the workforce across

its operations by about 600, including

contractors and permanent positions.

Ensham reduces output

Ensham Resources has reduced thermal

coal production from 5 million tonnes

per annum to

3mtpa as a result of

deterioration in the

global coal market.

Th e company planned

to lay off about

250 personnel by

December in addition

to 150 job losses

announced in August.

Ensham Resources

chief executive offi cer

Peter Westerhuis said

the measures were a

direct result of greatly

reduced coal prices,

making many areas of

the Ensham open-cut uneconomic and

unsustainable.

Bundi stacks up

MetroCoal has announced the

completion of its scoping study for the

Bundi thermal coal project in the Surat

Basin, a proposed longwall operation

expected to cost $994 million to develop.

“We are very pleased that the results

confi rm the project is fi nancially

viable,” MetroCoal chief executive offi cer

Mike O’Brien said. “Work will now

continue on environmental approvals and

preparation of a prefeasibility study.”

Newlands plans revealed

Xstrata Coal’s environmental impact

statement for the expansion of Newlands

coal mine, near Glenden, was recently

released for public feedback. It proposes

to expand open cut and underground

mining activities, which would extend

the life of the mine until 2042.

Th e Yeppoon-based co-founder and chief executive offi cer of underground

mining contractor Undamine Industries and registered training provider Coal

Train Australia has claimed a major gong at the 2012 Telstra Queensland

Business Women’s Awards.

Karla Way-McPhail won the Hudson Private and Corporate Award which is

open to women in the private and corporate sectors.

Former PM Kevin Rudd’s wife Th erese Rein took the top award, the 2012

Telstra Queensland Business Woman of the Year, and the Commonwealth

Bank Business Owner Award for her work with the Ingeus group and Assure

Programs.

Corporate kudos

Coal Train Australia chief executive offi cer Karla Way-McPhail .

register now @ miningpeople.com.au

Registerfor job alerts Be first in line

15The Mining Advocate | November 2012 INDUSTRY UPDATE COAL AND GAS

BrisbaneBB i bBBBBBBBBBBBrrrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiisssssssssssbbbbbbbbbbbaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnneeeeeeeeeeeBBBrrriiisssbbbaaannneee yyyyyyyyyyyyyDalbyD lbDDDDDDDDDDDaaaaaaaaaaalllllllllllbbbbbbbbbbbyyyyyyyyyyyDDDaaalllbbbyyy GladstonGl dGGGGGGGGGGGlllllllllllaaaaaaaaaaadddddddddddssssssssssstttttttttttooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnneeeeeeeeeeeGGGlllaaadddssstttooonnneee MoranbahMM b hMMMMMMMMMMMooooooooooorrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnbbbbbbbbbbbaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhMMMooorrraaannnbbbaaahhh yyyyyyyyyyyyyMackayMM kMMMMMMMMMMMaaaaaaaaaaaccccccccccckkkkkkkkkkkaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyMMMaaaccckkkaaayyy TownsvilleT illTTTTTTTTTTTooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwnnnnnnnnnnnsssssssssssvvvvvvvvvvviiiiiiiiiiilllllllllllllllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeTTTooowwwnnnsssvvviiilllllleee CairnsC iCCCCCCCCCCCaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiirrrrrrrrrrrnnnnnnnnnnnsssssssssssCCCaaaiiirrrnnnsss

TRADE LABOUR HIRE“SUPPLYING THE RIGHT MAN FOR THE JOB”

TRAINING“LEARNING TO STAY SAFE”

Registered Training Organisation No. 31908

PROJECTS“JOB SATISFACTION FROM START TO FINISH”

Electrical Contractors License Qld 66397 , NSW 128976C , NT C2197

AVIATION“GETTING YOU WHERE YOU NEED TO BE”

Air Operators Certificate 1-2DZH9

Tel. 1300 732 881 : Offices – Brisbane / Townsville

www.jamestech.com.au

Tunnel-boring task for Thiess

Th iess has been awarded a $134 million

contract by Saipem Australia to construct

a tunnel for the Santos GLNG Project in

Gladstone.

Th e 3.4m diameter tunnel will be built

under a section of water known as Th e

Narrows to Curtis Island to serve as the

conduit for a gas transmission line.

Th iess will construct the 4.3km tunnel

using a tunnel boring machine and the

concrete segments used to line the tunnel

will be cast onsite.

Underground pipe under way

Construction has commenced on Santos

GLNG Project’s 420km underground gas

transmission pipeline from its gas fi elds

to Gladstone.

Santos GLNG Project pipeline manager

Greg Jones said Saipem Australia was

constructing the pipeline, which was

scheduled for completion in less than

two years. Mr Jones said burial of the

pipe was due to start in Arcadia Valley

in early November and once this was

completed the area would be backfi lled

and rehabilitated.

New sections approved

Delivery of Australia Pacifi c LNG’s

525km gas transmission line has

advanced with Queensland’s Co-

ordinator-General approving two new

sections of pipeline. Th ese include a

44km section of pipeline within the

Callide Infrastructure Corridor State

Development Area and a 27.5km section

of pipeline within the Gladstone State

Development Area.

Processing work awarded

QGC has awarded a contract worth up to

$80 million for the fi rst stage of natural

gas processing facilities in the Surat

Basin for the Queensland Curtis LNG

Project. A joint venture of Transfi eld

Services and Clough Projects Australia

won the contract, which involves front-

end engineering and planning for gas

compression facilities, bulk earthworks,

piling and concrete foundations. Th e

work, to be done at QGC’s Woleebee

Creek development block, south-west of

Wandoan, and its Bellevue development

block, east of Miles, is expected to be

completed in early 2013.

Tarong powers down

Tarong Power Station is withdrawing

two generating units from service for

at least two years or until wholesale

electricity demand

improves. Tarong

Power Station site

manager Dennis

Franklin said the

decision was due

to owner Stanwell

Corporation

operating in an

over-supplied

energy market

with lower than

forecast electricity

demand.

Mr Franklin said

this decision

also aff ected the

adjacent Meandu

Mine. “Stanwell

introduced a

fourth fl eet in

early 2011 as

a short-term

fl ood recovery measure,” he said. “With

the coal stockpile now returned to pre-

fl ood levels and the cold storage of two

Tarong units, Meandu Mine will return

to the normal operation of three fl eets in

January 2013.”

Up to 64 roles will be lost at the power

station, and about 40 contactor positions

at the mine.

Progress at Springsure Creek

Bandanna Energy has submitted

a mining lease application for its

Springsure Creek project south-east of

Emerald in central Queensland. Th e

application was developed following

consultation with community members,

the Central Highlands Regional Council

and the Queensland Government.

Bandanna said the layout and design

of the proposed mine plan had been

adjusted to minimise impacts and

to improve benefi cial co-existence

of underground coal mining and the

operation of agricultural farms and

homesteads. Bandanna aims to produce

fi rst coal exports in the second half

of 2014 to coincide with the forecast

completion of Stage 1 of the Wiggins

Island Coal Export Terminal.

UCG deal

Carbon Energy

has signed an

international

technology licence

agreement with

Chinese coal giant

Shanxi Coal to

be its exclusive

underground

coal gasifi cation

(UCG) technology

partner for the

Shanxi Province.

Carbon, which

has developed

a UCG facility

producing syngas

at Bloodwood

Creek west of

Dalby, described

the agreement

as a signifi cant

milestone.

Cougar pounces on Mongolia

Cougar Energy has signed a

memorandum of understanding

with Hulaan Coal Corporation - a

Mongolian-focused, Canadian-owned

resources company.

Cougar Energy chief executive offi cer

and managing director Rob Neill said the

MOU would allow Cougar to undertake

due diligence on Hulaan’s coal resources

and those under its direct management

in Mongolia, and assess their potential

for UCG development. “Once a

suitable coal resource is identifi ed, we

will negotiate the terms under which

a subsequent UCG project could be

developed,” Mr Neill said.

Cougar developed a UCG pilot project

in Kingaroy, which was suspended on

environmental grounds under the Bligh

Government.

GEA hands out gongs

Th e Gladstone Engineering Alliance

(GEA) 2012 Industry Award recipients

were announced recently at the

RBS Morgans Gala Dinner, held in

conjunction with the Golding Industry

Conference.

Th e Forty Calis Memorial Award was

presented to Terry Purcell of Purcell’s

Lineboring and Engineering, while the

Wayne Peachey Memorial Award was

presented to Steve Beale, founder of

MIPEC. Th e 2012 Industry Hall of

Fame inductee was Colin Walz, who

commenced business in 1976 as a sub-

contractor and has gone on to develop a

leading industrial construction business

employing more than 400 staff .

MAIN honours announced

Locally owned engineering company

JSIS took top honours at the 2012

MAIN (Mackay Area Industry

Network) Industry Awards.

MAIN managing director Narelle

Pearse said JSIS were worthy recipients

of the coveted chair’s award, selected

from across the category winners.

Th e 2012 education and training award

went to Techserve (SME winner) and

Hastings Deering (large company

winner), a community development

award went to Dalrymple Bay Coal

Terminal, the export award went to JSIS

and IESA, while the safety award went

to JP Piping Systems (SME winner)

and Mastermyne (large company). Th e

innovation award went to MRA and the

young leader award to Rob Arnold from

Hastings Deering.

Miner backs microbial research

Th e University of Queensland has

signed a fi ve-year, $1.25 million

industry alliance with global miner Vale

to build a hub of geomicrobiological

knowledge. Microorganisms found in

deposits from Vale mining operations

will be investigated for potential

industrial applications; their genomes

will be studied and mapped, and

possible mechanisms for optimising

their metal processing functions will be

investigated and trialled.

16 November 2012 | The Mining AdvocateINDUSTRY UPDATE HARD ROCK

Locally owned for over 30 years

Fabrication and erection of structural steel andgalleries throughout QLD, NSW, NT and WA

3D Computer detailing

In house blast and paint facility

25 cranes from 8 tonne to 200 tonne

Labour hire

CAIRNS STEEL FABRICATORS

P: (07) 4035 1506 F: (07) 4035 1894E: casfab@cairnssteel.com.au W: www.cairnssteel.com.au

OFFICES IN CAIRNS AND TOWNSVILLESPECIALISING IN STRUCTURAL STEEL FABRICATION AND ERECTION

Lady Loretta delivers

Ore production has begun ahead of

schedule at Xstrata Zinc’s $303 million

Lady Loretta mine, 140km north-west

of Mount Isa.

Deliveries of zinc-lead-silver ore from

the site into Mount Isa for processing

started on September 24. Th e early

production accompanies ongoing

development of the underground mine,

with full-scale commercial mining set to

start mid-2013.

Lady Loretta will deliver about

1.2 million tonnes of ore per annum in

full production.

Th e project was originally expected

to commence fi rst ore production

by the end of 2013, but in May this

year Xstrata decided to accelerate

development of the mine by developing

the upper ore bodies independently of

the deeper underground resources.

Boost for Roseby project

Altona Mining has discovered a new

copper deposit at its Roseby project near

Mount Isa.

Th e discovery at Turkey Creek is located

about 2km east of the 100-million-

tonne Little Eva deposit.

“Th e deposit clearly has potential to

provide additional feed to the proposed

Little Eva plant,” Altona managing

director Alistair Cowden said. “Th ere

are a great number of similar targets to

Turkey Creek within our 1500sq km

tenure.”

New plan for Aurukun leases

Th e State Government will seek

new expressions of interest for the

development of the Aurukun bauxite

resource in far north Queensland.

Premier Campbell Newman said the

former Bligh Government had run

a fl awed strategy whereby it would

lease the bauxite to a company under

the condition

it established

a refi nery or

expanded refi nery

capacity.

“It was tried and

failed, and with

the looming

carbon tax and

skyrocketing

electricity prices,

it’s diffi cult to

see how a new

refi nery will

ever be possible

in Australia

again,” he said.

“However, my

Government has

held discussions

with interested

parties and the

appetite to mine

the Aurukun

bauxite is real and substantial.”

Th e Government expected to shortlist

bidders by April next year to participate

in a tender process for the right to

develop the resource, he said.

Sellheim gold sale

Maximus Resources has sold the

Sellheim alluvial gold project in the

Drummond Basin region of central

Queensland to a private consortium

for $400,000. Th e company said the

new owner was keen to fi nalise the

transaction to allow operations to

recommence as soon as possible.

Gold-rich fi nd at Lorena

Malachite Resources says follow up assays

of samples from the Lady Mary prospect

at its Lorena project near Cloncurry have

confi rmed it is a very promising new

copper-gold fi nd. Th e company reported

some very high gold assays in surface

samples, including one of 102g per tonne

gold and another of 38.9g per tonne gold.

“Lady Mary is shaping up to be a

very important new fi nd for us,” chief

executive Geoff Hiller said.

Extra kick from Kulthor

Ivanhoe Australia has announced a

signifi cant upgrade

to the mineral

resource estimate

for Kulthor mine –

part of its Osborne

copper-gold

operation in the

Cloncurry region.

Th e contained

metal content of

the measured and

indicated resource

has increased by

more than 60 per

cent for copper and

gold.

Ivanhoe Australia

said the measured

and indicated

resource for

Kulthor totalled

7.4 million tonnes

at 1.6 per cent

copper and 1g per

tonne gold, while the inferred resource

totalled 5.4 million tonnes at 1.3 per

cent copper and 0.9g per tonne gold

Funds for mine rehab

Water treatment capacity at the old

Mount Morgan mine site in central

Queensland will signifi cantly increase

following the installation of three new

evaporators purchased for $1.2 million.

Th e Department of Natural Resources

and Mines is also investing a further

$470,000 in equipment upgrades to

improve the operation of the onsite lime

dosing water treatment plant.

Natural Resources and Mines Minister

Andrew Cripps said the upgrades were

vital additions to the ongoing program

to rehabilitate the old Mount Morgan

mine and address water quality issues in

the Dee River.

Metallica Minerals has entered a binding agreement with Bloom Energy for the

sale of scandium oxide from the SCONI project in North Queensland.

Metallica and Bloom Energy will work together to ensure that SCONI is

designed and developed in a manner that will allow Metallica to supply Bloom

Energy with its scandium oxide requirements for its future growth plans.

“Th e agreement with Bloom Energy calls for the sale of scandium oxide at

a price and quantum which underpins the commercial rationale to develop the

SCONI project,” Metallica managing director Andrew Gillies said.

“With Bloom Energy as a baseload customer, we can proceed with confi dence

throughout our feasibility studies and accelerate towards project development.”

Business blooming

Crane Hire Boomlifts and Scissor Lifts Truck Hire Tilt Trays, Drop Deck and Extendables Vehicle / Accident Recovery Prime Mover and Low Loader Forklift Hire Telehandlers Riggers

9 Enterprise Road, Mount Isa QLD

Equipment HireNorth West Qld Specialists

Ph: 07 4743 3366 Fax: 07 4743 8511Mobile: 0412 634 760

Email: enquiries@barklyhire.com.au

17The Mining Advocate | November 2012 INDUSTRY UPDATE HARD ROCK

North West Crane Hire:

The largest fleet in NW Queensland including:18-220t Cranes34ft-85ft EWPs3t-7t ForkliftsRemote area capabilities including:Side TippersSemis, Flat top and Step Deck TrailersIT LoaderTilt Trays, andLong-serving, experienced staff, including:Crane Operators, Riggers, Supervisors,Tradespeople and Labourers

This means -Machines on the ground when you want them and off-site just as quickly.

Call the owner Mark Bellamy on 0407 620 868 orKelvin Ryan 0422 124 083 NOW to make it happen.

Queensland Alumina Limited (QAL) is restructuring its operations, shedding 128 jobs, to ensure the Gladstone refi nery can compete successfully.

QAL chairman Armando Torres said the aluminium sector in Australia was facing extremely diffi cult market conditions due to a high exchange rate, higher costs of production, low metal prices and new taxes.

“Th e organisational restructure is a necessary step in the process of protecting QAL’s long-term viability and ensuring the refi nery is stable and profi table under all market conditions,” he said.

Since July 1, 128 roles have been removed from the organisational structure. QAL said 93 were roles that had been left vacant as a result of people leaving the business over the past three and a half months and those workers would not be replaced. Th e company said a further 35 people would leave the business by way of redundancy.

“Th is has been a challenging time for all involved and we have worked hard to protect jobs wherever possible,” Mr Torres said.

QAL trims workforceEnvironmental tick for Paradise

Paradise Phosphate’s proposed open-cut

phosphate mine north-west of Mount

Isa has received the green light from

the Department of Environment and

Heritage Protection.

Queensland Environment and Heritage

Protection Minister Andrew Powell

said the department had completed the

assessment of the

Environmental

Impact Statement

(EIS) for the

Paradise South

phosphate

project.

Mr Powell said

the mine would

produce up to

seven million

tonnes of rock

phosphate

each year and

the operating

expenditure on

the mine project

was expected

to be about

$200 million per

year over the 20-

year mine life.

“Concentrated

phosphate

ore will be produced on site before

being shipped from the site for sale to

domestic and export markets,” he said.

“Th e benefi t to the regional economy will

be approximately $150 million per year.

“Th e construction stage of the mine will

create 250 jobs with a further 325 jobs

created once operation of the mine has

commenced.

“While the EIS process is now fi nalised,

Paradise South will need to obtain some

fi nal approvals from EHP and other

government agencies before construction

can commence.”

Gove refi nery at risk

Pacifi c Aluminium is undertaking a

strategic review of its Gove bauxite

mine and alumina refi nery in

Nhulunbuy, Northern Territory.

Shutting the refi nery is one option on

the table, with the company saying

it faced challenging global market

conditions, particularly related to high

fuel oil prices and exchange rates and a

low alumina price.

Pacifi c Aluminium is working with the

NT and Federal governments to explore

options that would enable the refi nery to

use gas as a lower cost source of energy,

instead of heavy

fuel oil.

Th e review – to

be completed in

January - will

assess the timing

and cost of gas

delivery to Gove

and converting

the refi nery to

gas; the potential

suspension of

refi nery operations

until economic

conditions

improve; and the

opportunity to

increase bauxite

mining and export.

AWU national

secretary Paul

Howes said

Rio Tinto was

responding to

short-term economic pressures when

the long-term fundamentals for the

aluminium sector were strong. Shutting

down the refi nery, which employs

about 1500 people, would decimate the

regional economy, Mr Howes said.

“It’s important that Rio works

closely with the Territory and Federal

governments, and with unions, to use

this review process to secure the long-

term viability of the operation,” he said.

Queensland Nickel starts mining

Th e Queensland Nickel Group has

started mining at its Brolga nickel project

about 50km north of Rockhampton,

with fi rst ore to be received at the Palmer

Nickel and Cobalt Refi nery in December.

Th e company has secured approval to

mine 400,000 tonnes annually and will

use the project to supplement overseas

sourced nickel ore as feedstock for the

Yabulu refi nery outside Townsville.

“Th e business has held tenements in

this area for several decades and in the

1990s transported ore by rail to the

refi nery for several years,” managing

director Phil Collins said. “With the

improved processing and nickel recovery

technology that we now have at our plant

it made a lot of sense to revisit and re-

activate a domestic ore supply source.”

A feasibility study is under way into

increasing mine production to 2 million

tonnes of nickel ore per year from 2014.

Th e company has also started work on a

project to convert refi nery roasters to run

on coal seam gas instead of heavy fuel oil.

Th e fi rst of the 12 roasters to undergo

the oil-to-gas conversion at the Yabulu

plant is expected to be taken offl ine in

February for 30 days for the work.

Red tape review

Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney will chair

a special cabinet committee to examine

the impacts of government regulation

on the mining industry in a bid to lower

the industry’s cost structures.

Mr Seeney said the Resources Cabinet

Committee’s review of red tape

would provide a once-in-a-generation

opportunity to address regulations that

miners believed hindered their effi ciency.

• Mechanical• Electrical• Hydraulics• Auto Air Conditioning• Parts and Batteries• Exclusive thermal wrapping• 24/7 breakdown service

(07) 4743 1506(07) 4743 1506

Mount Isa’s complete vehicle serviceCorporate, Business and Public

www.masmechanical.com.au

Now specialising inNow specialising inRadiators and Machinery HireRadiators and Machinery Hire

18 November 2012 | The Mining AdvocateBETWEEN SHIFTS

Whilst some pay the ultimatesacrifice, others returnrequiring assistanceRSL (Queensland Branch) supports over 45,000 currentand ex-service personnel.

Your support of the RSL will help provide vital services tothese men and women.

Your direct donation, bequest or sponsorship will make areal difference and enable the RSL to continue with thisvital support and assistance.

Make a donation at www.rslqld.orgor call (07) 3634 9444

The Returned & Services League of Australia (Queensland Branch)

REMEMBERING the past • Supporting the future

MAIN Industry Awards night

Australian Mines Rescue Underground Competition presentations

Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise official launch

Mackay Entertainment and Convention Centre

Mackay Entertainment and Convention Centre

Parliament House, Brisbane

Helen Caruso (Mastermyne), Pearle and Tom Clarke (G & S

Engineering), and Vivienne Gayton (Mastermyne).

Shane Charles (TSBE), Matthew Ostwald (TSBE), Nathan

Fenner (KPMG) and John Lemmon-Warde (KPMG).

Kevin Forbes-Smith (Group Engineering) with Andy Hammond,

Lyn Forbes-Smith, Kim Harrington and Brendan Donnelly (all CQ

University).

Henry Wagner (Wagners) and John McCormack (Pirtek

Industries).

Tony Caruso, Carol Martin and Greg Martin (all from Mastermyne).

Nancy Sommerfi eld (Western Downs Regional Council), Andrew

Faulkner and Michael Todd (both Arrow Energy), Marlyn McInn -

erey (USQ), and Brian Pidgeon (Toowoomba Regional Council).

Deidre Schil, Josh Dorrington, Peter Shaw, Mick Clements and

Stephanie Allen (all Linked Group Services).

Darren Everett (Peabody), with Marita Everett, Sophie Dorney,

and Dallas Dorney (Peabody).

Brendan Webb (Hastings Deering), Nikki Wright (REDC) and

Amanda Camm (REDC).

Leith Luckel (QMRS) with Abbey Luckel, Amanda Smith, and Ray

Smith (QMRS).

Mike Crouther (Aurecon), Steve Cutting (Aurecon), and Darrell

Saunders (Hastings Deering) with Lisa Saunders.

Derrin Powell, David O’Regan, Anthony Appleton, Luke Jaavuo,

and Steve Bullough (all Rio Tinto Coal Australia).

PHOTOS: Damien Carty

PHOTOS: Damien Carty

19The Mining Advocate | November 2012 BETWEEN SHIFTS

Public Liability - all activities including

Underground

Professional Indemnity

Motor Vehicle - including Cover for Mine

Accessories/Underground

Heavy Plant - including Hire/Underground

Statutory Liability - cover for Fines &

Penalties (eg. OH&S)

Est 1981, locally owned and operated

54 Gordon Street, Mackay

Telephone: (07) 4951 6200

Facsimile: (07) 4951 1490

Website: www.ribpl.com.au

Golding Industry Conference, RBS Morgans gala dinner

Civil Contractors Federation National Conference welcome function

Yaralla Sports Club , Gladstone

Pullman Reef Hotel Casino, Cairns

Paul Kelly, Philippe Michel, Rob Gourley, Kane Davison and Bill

Wuertz (ALE ECRHeavylift).

Amanda Allan, Josh Allan and Harry Katsanevas (Position

Partners).

Geoff Burton and Darren Eising (both from RBS Morgans) with

Carly Hobbs (Gladstone Engineering Alliance).

Harmony Thuresson and Chris Reynolds (Civil Contractors

Federation ) with Jaime Aiden (Komatsu).

Michael O’Meara, Shane Newbery and David Jenkin (all from Cutting

Force), with Laurence Stitt (Convergenious).

Jack Horton, Scott Haladay and Ashley Smith (Viewpoint

Construction Software).

Lance McKay (ToxFree Solutions), Les Salter (Prime Rentals) and

Matt Inglis (Inglis Survey and Mapping).

Jennifer and Phillip Sutherland (Civil Contractors Federation).

Col Walz and Mark Adamson (both from Walz Group) with wives

Desley and Michelle.

Dawn Butler, Deborah Whelan and Karlien Taylor (JCB Construction

Equipment).

Bevin and Kerry Rose with Ann and Brian Crossley.

Joe Edwards and Diana Edwards with Jeremy Sole (NZ

Contractors Federation).

PHOTOS: Craig Chapman

PHOTOS: Romy Bullerjahn

20 November 2012 | The Mining AdvocateBETWEEN SHIFTS

6M 20FT CONTAINERSHELTER$2,800(also available 6m 40ft – $4,550)

8M 40FT CONTAINERSHELTER$6,800(also available 8m 20ft - $4,250)

10M 40FTCONTAINER SHELTER$11,550

12M 40FTCONTAINERSHELTER$15,500

Freight charges may apply • Available Nationwide • *Prices current as at 30/9/11 More models available – go to www.shelterstation.com

Free Call 1800 199 060 Nationwide “Suppliers of Container Shelters and freestanding shelters, Nationwide”

Battle of the Mines rugby league tournament

Yarwun 2 official opening

Cloncurry Showgrounds

Yarwun alumina refi nery, Gladstone

Josh Sarmardin (RoadTek), Ben Major (George Fisher mine), Duck

Bailey (CuDeco) and Leander Melville (Boulia Shire Council).

David Yeoman, Lisa Sidney, Becki Shill and Andrew Staunton

(all from Rio Tinto Alcan).

Dayna Daisy, Kimberly Larkin and Tamike Venz (all from Spinifex

State College).

Errol Rowland, Greg Doyle and Rob Long (Rio Tinto Alcan).

Kaye Smith and Bailey Nardoo (Central Primary School) with Taelah

Nardoo (Xstrata Copper).

Geoff Caton and Ken Neill (Golding).

Lauren McConnell (Virgin Australia), Bryce Forbes (Xstrata

George Fisher) and Talisa Le Grange (Virgin Australia).

Peter Anderson (Rio Tinto Alcan) and John Barnard (Alstom).

Mitchell Hudson (PCYC) and David Hudson (QR) - father and son

competing in Battle of the Mines for CuDeco Eagles.

Matt Ovenden and Melissa Case (Bechtel).

Kathleen Dempsey, Jody Clarke (Incitec Pivot Phosphate Hill) and

Megan Ah-One.

Michael Ison (Australian Aluminum Council) and Michael

Twomey (Gove Resources).

PHOTOS: Chrissy Harris

21The Mining Advocate | November 2012 BETWEEN SHIFTS

- Specialists in earthmoving, power & light, access, air & portable buildings. Call 13 15 52

To learn more about AWD trucks and 4WD vehicles ideallysuited to exploration and other mining applications

CONTACT US.......THE AWD SPECIALISTSFull range of 4x4, 6x6 and 8x8 Mercedes-Benz AWD trucks

www.westcotrucksales.com.auToowoomba Rockhampton Mackay Townsville Cairns (07) 4631 4000 (07) 4923 1000 (07) 4952 7777 (07) 4774 5366 (07) 4080 7500

NT Resources Week gala dinner

Queensland Engineering Excellence Awards

Darwin Convention Centre

Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre

Chris Rickard and Mike Marren (Professional Public Relations),

with Andrew Roberts and John Williams (ConocoPhillips).

Glen Sorensen (Hyder Consulting) with Ronan Carney and Len

Taplin (Project Services).

Paul Carmignani, Jonathan Stow, Sarah Fischer, Troy Smith and

Brian Grimmer (Present Group).

Kinta Miles, Jason Miles, Ali Falahat Nejad and Maryam Hessary

(all Clough).

Lloyd Jones and Doug Daws (both from Northern Manganese) with

John Lamb (Shaw Contracting).

Chris Laporte, Chris Safonoff and Kenn Hall (all FKG Civil).

Brett Gundry (Northline), Eric Smart and Paul Morgan

(VETASSESS), and Ross O’Dwyer (Northline).

Amanda Holton and Leatrice Grundy (Qube Energy). Ray Cron (Patrick Stevedoring), Debbie Hill (Supagas) and Adam

Ladlow (Patrick Stevedoring).

PHOTOS: Christopher Knight

PHOTOS: Michael Warrington

22 November 2012 | The Mining AdvocateWhitsunday promotion

B O W E N - Q U E E N S L A N D - A U S T R A L I A

Contact us on PHONE 07 4791 2800

or Email service@rtmeng.com.au

WE SPECIALISE IN

‘our engineering - your solution’

Design and Drafting Services

Workshop and Onsite Services

Fabrication, machining, repairs and

maintenance, hydraulic hoses, poly pipe

welding, abrasive blasting and protective

coatings.

Labour Hire

Retail Sales

We supply spare parts, components,

products and equipment for mining,

agricultural and construction industries.

We have the materials for all our projects.

‘your project is our speciality’

Th e Whitsunday Regional Council and its marketing and development arm have rolled out a major web-based campaign to lure mining industry workers in the northern Bowen Basin to live in the region.

Th e campaign is underpinned by the many and varied lifestyle attractions which the region has built its reputation upon.

Tourism has long been a strong dollar earner for the region but with a downturn in the industry post GFC, the council’s marketing experts have turned their attention to the coalfi elds and their cashed-up workers for a new revenue stream.

Th e initiative is already working according to Ray White Real Estate principal, Mark Beale, who has offi ces in Airlie Beach and Cannonvale.

Th e council has created a comprehensive “liveability” document showcasing the region’s many positive features

and potential growth. As an adjunct to that document, which can be found at www.whitsunday.qld.gov.au, the Whitsundays Marketing and Development body has created a concise profi le of the region under the banner: “Living in the Whitsundays is living the good life!”

Th e organisation launched a slick new website in August to better showcase the region.

Economic development co-ordinator Elouise Lamb said that since the Living Whitsundays site had been launched in early August, 1587 individuals had visited the site for a total of 2035 visits.

Mr Beale said he was encouraged by the number of mining workers moving into the area, mainly in the Cannonvale and Jubilee Pocket areas close to Airlie Beach.

He said the typical couple moving into the area were in the 35 to 45 age bracket with one or

Region markets ‘the good life’FAST FACTS

Population: 35,608

throughout the Whitsunday

Regional Council area.

Predicted to top 50,000 in

20 years.

Top fi ve employment

industries: accommodation

and food services; retail

trade; agriculture, forestry

and fi shing; construction;

and transport, postal and

warehousing.

Investment: $26.8 billion in

projects planned and under

way in region.

Median house prices (based

on Real Estate Institute

of Queensland fi gures):

$297,000. Bowen $300,000;

Cannonvale $498,000.

For more detailed

information visit www.

livingwhitsundays.com.au Debbie and Shane Savy moved from the hustle and bustle of Sydney nine

years ago in search of a better quality of life. Debbie started her own

photographic business with the help of Shane, who is now working the Bowen

Basin as a truck operator. They own a property close to the tourist centre of

Airlie Beach. The couple are pictured with children Kai, 6, Nathaniel, 10, and

Royce, 18. Photo: deb@tropix.com.au

two children. “Generally they are fi nding the prices cheaper here than where they come from,” Mr Beale said.

QCoal aims to expand its business to

produce 20 million tonnes of coal for

export each year by 2018, with a raft of

projects under construction or planning

between Collinsville and Glenden in

central Queensland.

Chief fi nancial offi cer James Black

attended the Major Projects Summit

in Bowen in September, when he

highlighted the supply opportunities

that growth would present.

He said QCoal was committed to

maximising local industry participation

and its contractors would give

preference to suppliers of Australian-

manufactured equipment that was

competitively priced and complied

with the relevant standards and

specifi cations.

QCoal is the majority owner of

the Sonoma mine near Collinsville,

an open-cut operation producing

about 4 million tonnes per annum of

metallurgical and thermal coal.

Mr Black told the Major Projects

Summit that the company’s 1.8mtpa

Jax mine south of Collinsville would be

in production by the end of the year, as

would the smaller Cows coal project.

Construction on the Drake mine, also

south of Collinsville, is due to start in

2013 following project approvals and

fi rst coal from the open-cut operation is

expected in 2014.

Th at 6mtpa project is expected to

create 480 operational jobs, compared

with 100 at Jax and less than 20 at the

Cows coal project.

But the jewel in QCoal’s crown is

the Byerwen coal project 20km west

of Glenden, being developed with JFE

Steel.

Mr Black said the mine was expected

to employ up to 1000 people at its peak

in operational roles and produce 10mtpa

of high quality hard coking coal per

year. Construction is expected to start

in early 2014 and fi rst coal is expected

in 2015.

QCoal has rail and port capacity

contracted for export through Abbot

Point Coal Terminal for the projects.

QCoal expands output with new operations

23The Mining Advocate | November 2012 Whitsunday promotion

Let Whitsunday Coast Airport be your launch pad to the Great Barrier Reef, 74 Island Wonders and the stunningly diverse Whitsunday region.

The Whitsundays Premier Gateway Having undergone a $9m revamp, Whitsunday Coast Airport is perfectly placed as the region’s premier gateway to all of the wonderful experiences available across a truly world class destination.

A growing schedule with daily services to Brisbanevia the major airlines allow 1 stop connectivity from Whitsunday Coast Airport to the world.

When travelling for Business or Leisure, time is apremium and Whitsunday Coast Airport is the only airport in the Whitsundays to provide seamless land based transfers across the region’s numerous destinations.

Whitsunday Coast Airport is ready to welcome you with a warm Whitsunday smile and be your launch pad when travelling to Australia’s must see destination.

www.whitsundaycoastairport.com.au

Engineering businesses in the Whitsunday region traditionally associated with the agriculture and marine industries are shifting focus to the Bowen Basin mining sector.

Mick Cutuli purchased the Main Engineering Company in Proserpine seven years ago and hasn’t looked back, posting up to 20 per cent growth per annum in the years since.

Mr Cutuli dramatically expanded the business three years ago via a multimillion-dollar investment in a 1000sq m shed and machining equipment.

Managing director of RTM Engineering in Bowen, Russell Mayhew, is another success story.

He started off as a small concern 22 years ago providing specialised engineering solutions to fruit and vegetable farmers.

Th e Bowen Basin mining boom provided the solution to a dilemma Mr Mayhew grappled with every year, keeping his staff occupied during quiet times in the agricultural industry.

“We now have a staff of 70 and continuity of work right through the year,” he said.

RTM Engineering (an acronym for Russell and wife Th erese Mayhew) specialises in mine shutdown work, a challenge Mr Mayhew enjoys.

His staff also specialise in abrasive blasting, application of protective coatings on plant and equipment, sheet metal fabrication and welding solutions.

Both bosses see a bright future for their businesses even though there has been a slowdown in the coal industry in recent months.

Mr Cutuli has found a lucrative niche market tooling parts for mining plant.

He uses contractors on mining sites who provide technical specifi cations for parts and provides a quick turnaround on those parts, minimising equipment downtime.

Th e main focus of the business prior to Mr Cutuli taking over was in agriculture, heavy machinery maintenance and marine work.

Businessestooling up

GVK Hancock Coal has moved a step closer to

bringing its Queensland coal projects online, by

signing an agreement over the construction of its

T3 terminal at Abbot Point, near Bowen.

Th e deal with Korean conglomerate Samsung

C and T Corporation and Brisbane-based

Smithbridge Group followed Federal Government

approval of the terminal development.

Th e terminal and a 495km rail link would take

coal from the group’s planned Alpha and Kevin’s

Corner projects in the Galilee Basin for export.

A GVK Hancock Coal spokeswoman said

construction would begin in 2013 across the mine,

rail and port infrastructure, pending all approvals

including fi nancial close.

“Whilst at early stages, it has been foreshadowed

that there could be up to 200 permanent jobs

focussed on the port operations and northern

rail operations,” she said. “Th is is separate to

the construction, which has been conservatively

estimated at about 650 at peak over the three years

of construction in regard to the port.”

Th e spokeswoman said it was generally not the

group’s approach to mandate where employees may

live, but “we are aware that the Whitsundays is a

very enticing environment for people to consider.”

Th e number of ships calling at Abbot Point is

expected to increase to about 800 in 2020 and a

maximum of 1600 in 2032, compared with 174 bulk

carriers in 2011-12.

Abbot Point Coal Terminal outside Bowen.

Pointy end of project nears

Undaunted by the Federal Government’s failure to fi nancially support closing the Collinsville power station, owner RATCH-Australia is developing alternative options.

Executive general manager business development Geoff Dutton said these avenues stood to benefi t the region, the environment and the company.

Plans for the Collinsville site include developing a solar photovoltaic power

plant of about 20 megawatts capacity. In addition, a grant is expected

to support design and project development work on a solar thermal power plant.

Th e company is also talking to gas suppliers about the possibility of developing two gas-fi red power plants on the old power station site.

Mr Dutton said RATCH-Australia undertook an internal review of

the Collinsville site prior to the Government’s cessation of Contract for Closure Program negotiations.

Th is revealed that despite the coal-fi red station’s non-commercial viability, the site was a valuable asset with excellent redevelopment potential.

“Th e plant won’t be demolished but decommissioning has started and we anticipate that will be completed by the end of the year,” Mr Dutton said.

“It will be then maintained by a small crew until our ultimate plans are fi nalised.”

Commenting on the dumped Contract for Closure Program - a clean energy initiative - Federal Resources and Energy Minister Martin Ferguson said there had been a material gap between the level of compensation generators sought and what the Government was prepared to pay.

Alternative path for Collinsville power station

24 November 2012 | The Mining AdvocateBUILDING NW QUEENSLAND

WEBSITEwww.realway.com.au

/mountisa

MOUNT ISA Phone: 07 4749 3733

Fax: 07 4749 3744

Email: mtisa@realway.com.au

Sales specialists both commercial and

residential for Mount Isa, Cloncurry,

Normanton & Karumba and all

neighbouring regions.

Mount Isa Property

Management

Specialists

Mount Isa Mining Supplies

represent the leaders to the

Mining Industry in the

North West Mineral Province

Phone: (07) 4743 4288Fax: (07) 4749 4019

Email: info@mountisaminingsupplies.com.au

Web: www.mountisaminingsupplies.com.au

Blundstone

Clemcorp Australia

Dymark

Deltaflex

Eyres

Fero Strata Systems

Milwaukee

Polyline Industries

Victaulic Pipe Systems

Vinidex

We offer a 24 hourservice and urgent

deliveries tosurrounding minesites

Roslyn Budd’s passion for living and working in Mount Isa is refl ected in the thousands of corporate, environmental/landscape and “people” images she has shot in the 17 years she has lived there.

Ros, who owns and runs Outback Photographics, arrived in Mount Isa with husband Steve and children Lisa and Scott with the intention of staying for two to fi ve years.

But they fell in love with the place, its people and the lifestyle so the short-term plan became a long-term one.

“One of the main reasons we chose Mount Isa is it’s one of the few mining communities where people can live and work in the town,” Ros said.

“We didn’t want a FIFO lifestyle. For us it was more important we could both be home and with the kids.”

Ros worked in an underground

geology role with Mount Isa

Mines for more than 12 years

before branching into training

co-ordination.

“After a while, I wanted a

change in direction so I worked

for a junior exploration company managing an exploration drilling program in the north west…until the GFC hit and everyone in the company was retrenched,” she said.

It was at that point Ros decided to build up her part-time photographic business into a full-time one, focusing on commercial, industrial and portrait images.

It has been an astute move as her years of underground mining experience and an understanding of safety aspects within the mining environment have given her an edge over other photographers.

“With an understanding of how mines work, I’m able to minimise disruption time which can lose companies thousands of dollars for every hour down,” she said.

Ros readily admits to being “a bit of an ambassador for Mount Isa” and, as such, takes every opportunity to promote the town.

“Recently, I helped the Mount Isa Chamber of Commerce-Imparja team put together a promotional video which I really enjoyed doing,” she said.

Her ambassadorial role also extends to doing part-time work for Xstrata, introducing new

people to the town when they are considering Mount Isa as a place to live.

From a photographic perspective, Ros’s personal passion is for landscape and nature photography. She also opts for a natural, earthy style when doing portrait photography.

“Between all the diff erent subjects and photographic projects, I have the perfect opportunity to showcase all that’s good, exciting and unique in this amazing part of the world,” she said.

To sample her work visit www.outbackphotographics.com.au

This professional photographer has an eye for

the north west’s charms, writes Jan Green.

Ros gets the

big picture

Roslyn BuddOutback Photographics

An aerial view of Lake Moondarra, Mount Isa. Photo: Roslyn Budd

25The Mining Advocate | November 2012 DRILLING AND EXPLORATION

Contact 0448 284 585 or 07 4041 4909Email graeme@piotran.com.au

For more plans and information visit www.piotran.com.au

Mobile accommodation ready for guests in about an hour!

> Mobile Accommodation

> Site Office Cribs and Medical Facilities

> Kitchen, Laundry, Dining Store and Storage

> Generator Services & Waste Management Unit

Lower the deck Raise the roof Add handrails and stairs Ready to use!

1 2 3 4

Skills push

for growth

industryThe burgeoning coal seam gas sector demands

an army of trained drill crews, writes Jan Green.

As drilling companies bring in new rigs from off shore and work to prove up more gas to supply the liquefi ed natural gas (LNG) plants under construction in Queensland, pressure to ensure the workforce is adequately skilled is mounting.

Energy Skills Queensland chief executive offi cer Glenn Porter said that body’s role in the rush to discover and drill for coal seam gas was in assisting industry to understand workforce needs.

“Th is involves workforce

planning to determine how many drillers, tool pushers, rig managers, lease hands, derrickmen are required for each job; the sort of skills these people need; putting programs in place to train new workers; and upskilling the existing workforce to a higher level to meet the demands of what is a growing industry,” he said.

“Up until coal drilling and exploration crashed in the last two to three months, there was a huge shortage of CSG drillers in Queensland, but with the

ramping up of the industry, coal’s

loss has been CSG’s gain.”

Mr Porter said off shore

contracts to purchase

Queensland gas guaranteed

drilling and exploration jobs for

the foreseeable future.

He understood about 1000

Queensland wells would need

to be drilled in the next 12

to 18 months, and that about

30,000 wells would be required

to maintain supply over the 30

years of the three major LNG

projects now in development.

“At the moment, coal seam

gas is one of the few growth

industries, not only in the

resources industry, but also in

Australia,” Mr Porter said.

“However, as it’s an industry

fraught with safety and

environmental risks, ensuring

the workforce is competent is

absolutely essential.”

Australian Petroleum

Production and Exploration

Association (APPEA) chief

operating offi cer, eastern region,

Rick Wilkinson said that peak

body’s members were drilling

about two new CSG wells a day

across Queensland.

“In the fi rst quarter of this

year we drilled 160 holes and

in the second that increased to

207,”he said.

“We are really ramping up and

I think the trend will continue

as we build production capacity

to meet domestic and export

markets”.

Th e Brisbane-based WellDog Australia team has

developed a new way of using downhole pressure

sensors to monitor aquifers in coal seam gas

(CSG) fi elds.

Th e potential for aquifer “cross communication”

– where coal-seam drilling and production might

trigger water to spill to or from a nearby aquifer

– has been the cause of widespread concern

among communities and environmental groups.

But WellDog says installing its downhole

pressure sensors in observation wells allows CSG

companies to accurately detect changes as small

as 5mm in aquifer water levels.

Th e monitoring occurs in real time and

continuously throughout the life of CSG

operations.

WellDog chief technology offi cer Quentin

Morgan said the AquaTracker innovation

had received immediate take-up from the

CSG industry, with Arrow Energy the fi rst to

implement it – installing sensor packages in eight

wells in the Surat Basin.

WellDog has also commercialised its GasMapper

coal seam testing technical service, allowing

resource companies to detect and map

underground gas characteristics before mining

without drilling the extra wells required by slower,

more expensive “core sampling” techniques.

Companies are drilling about two new CSG wells a day in Queensland according to peak industry body the Australian

Petroleum Production and Exploration Association. Photo: Robert Garvey

Landowner’s borewell

Aquifer

CoalAquifer

Coal

Producing well

Observation well

Sensors positioned to

monitor aquifer levels

Pump unit

Water to treatment plant

Gas to pipeline

Coal

Aquifer

Aquifer

WellDog strictly on the level

26 November 2012 | The Mining AdvocateLIVING REMOTELY

Camp lunches pack a punch

A patented mobile

accommodation unit conceived,

designed and built in Cairns

is making inroads into the

resources industry.

Pioneer Transportables director

Graeme Smith said his company

addressed the problems of econo-

mically accommodating workers

in remote locations, specifi cally

on linear projects where the

worksite moved in stages.

Transportable Accommodation

Modules (TAM) require no site

preparation or footings.

Th ey are delivered to site pre-

wired and plumbed - including a

sewage treatment plant - and are

fully fi nished inside and out.

“Th is means a fully

functioning camp can be up and

running in just a few hours from

arrival on site,” Mr Smith said.

“It can be transported by semi-trailer or by ship to any mine site quickly, easily and economically.”

Fully mobile confi gurations include:

• Accommodation modules

• Site offi ces and classrooms

• Crib rooms and medical facilities

• Kitchens, dining rooms and laundry facilities

• Sound stages

Units can be relocated in one day depending upon distances and no development, building or environmental approvals are required.

Th e modules, which are built of structural steel, are permanently trailer-mounted and can be parked almost anywhere, complete with water

and sewerage systems as a self-

contained unit.

A standard three-bedroom

TAM with ensuite includes

a wide covered deck,

airconditioning, internet

connection, television and a

DVD player in each bedroom.

Pioneer Transportables is the

result of Mr Smith, a Cairns

based builder-consultant,

working with builder and

mining infrastructure manager

Allan Hockley and builder

and engineer Peter Lennox to

investigate gaps in temporary

remote accommodation.

“Pioneer Transportables

mobile camps can be

economically placed near to

or on preliminary or shifting

work sites, providing substantial

savings by reducing travelling

Th erese McInnes believes it’s the

simple things like her packed

lunches that set her work camp

service business apart.

Ms McInnes is the director of

Project Facilities Management,

a North Queensland business

targeting relatively small camps,

such as exploration and mine

construction sites.

“We’re trying to put a more

personal touch and off er more

options,” she said.

Ms McInnes said most sites

off ered a salad buff et of lunch

options for the workers to put in

containers each morning, but she

believed individual lunches were

a better option.

“After the third day they don’t

know what to pack up for lunch

and get really frustrated,” Ms

McInnes said.

She said providing tailor-made

packed lunches was more cost

eff ective as it meant less food

was wasted.

“Our concept is trying to get

it like a motel-type system,” she

said.

“When you book into camp

you can tick off items on a menu

and have your lunch pre-made to

be picked up as you walk out the

door after a nice breakfast, then

come back for a buff et meal at

night-time.”

She said Project Facilities

Management used

biodegradable, paper-based

Transportable Accommodation Modules meet remote living demands.

packaging for the packed crib meals.

Th e business also planned to off er touches such as a site snack

bar and motel-style swipe cards to control workers’ access to their rooms and particular areas of the camp.

Based in Bowen and Townsville, the business has a team of 18 staff ready to mobilise for their next job.

Ms McInnes had remote catering experience with ESS for about seven years before starting her own operation, which kicked off with work for Evolution Mining’s exploration and construction camps at Twin Hills and Mt Carlton in North Queensland.

Ms McInnes admitted that catering on remote sites had its challenges.

“At Mt Carlton we were originally catering for about 100 people with one oven, and out of a donga,” she said.

times to and from work sites,” Mr Smith said.

“Leasing costs are from $560 per day for a four-man camp and

off er real cost savings in terms of dramatically reducing travel times to site and set-up and relocation costs.”

Cairns company boasts all the right moves for mining

“It comes down to time management – and the staff we have are all just too happy to get in there and do it.”

Packed lunches made to order.

Therese McInnesProject Facilities Management

director

A North Queensland business aims to carve

out a niche in the site services market.

27The Mining Advocate | November 2012 HEAVY MACHINERY REVIEW

THE EPOXY FLOOR COATING SPECIALISTSTalk directly to Richard, the owner on 0438 814 014 for a quote

w w w . d c s . n e t . a u

OUR SERVICE OFFER

• Quick response

• Green credentials – Australian-made solvent free

applications

• QBSA Licensed

• Mining applications are our speciality

OUR GEOGRAPHIC OFFER

• Remote area capability - able to project our service

into hardrock and coal mining and energy areas of

Queensland, NSW and the NT

OUR PHYSICAL OFFER

• Kevlar reinforced, chemical resistant

engineered protective floor coatings

• Floor demarcation and linemarking to

the Australian Standard

• Completely mine compliant

• Creates superior working conditions

• Applied to any size project

• All surface preparation, cleaning and

diamond grinding

Ph (07) 4787 3111 A/H 0429 497 395

Email: sales@rubbercity.com.auWeb: www.rubbercity.com.au

Tyres for Cars, Trucks, Earthmoving, Agricultural....and everything in-between !

RUBBER Pty LtdCITY

Volvo’s new quarry-sized wheel loader features a Z-bar linkage to provide high breakout force. Distributor CJD Equipment displayed the Volvo L250G at the recent Goldfi elds Mining Expo in Western Australia.

CJD spokesman Steve Gunn said the Z-bar linkage helped the model provide more powerful digging of hard materials.

Th e L250G also features the Volvo OptiShift system and load sensing hydraulics, with variable-fl ow axial piston pumps enabling stronger lift and tilt functions. “With a high lift

capacity, fully loaded buckets and other attachments can be elevated to a maximum height while fast hydraulic speeds mean quick-load cycles for faster production,” Mr Gunn said.

Loader has the Z-factor

The Volvo L250G wheel loader

Mining contractor Redpath Australia has developed a machine it says is capable of erecting steel beams in underground mines more safely and at a faster rate than the current process using cranes.

Th e Redigrip PSM (Precision Steel Manipulator) is an advanced hydraulically-controlled manipulator that can lift beams weighing up to 1.2 tonnes with a reach of up to 8m.

Its development has seen Redpath short-listed for an NSCA National Safety Award of Excellence.

Th e Redigrip combines mining machinery parts with those used in forestry and agriculture to create a new tool with uses across a range of sectors.

“Th e safety and productivity benefi ts are incredible,” Redpath Australia health, safety, environment and quality manager Graeme Christie said.

“Th e Redigrip eliminates the need for a conventional crane

Truck taps bullet-train scienceTh e drive control system that powers Japan’s renowned Shinkansen bullet trains has been incorporated in Hitachi’s new EH5000AC-3 rigid dump truck.

Th e truck features Hitachi’s new Advanced IGBT AC Drive System, which the manufacturer says is designed to deliver an unrivalled level of effi ciency.

It is Hitachi’s largest rigid dump truck and incorporates a Cummins QSKTTA60-CE diesel engine able to generate 2125 kW (2850 HP) at 1900 rpm and meet EPA Tier 2 emission requirements.

Th e new drive system features

in a confi ned underground space and minimises the personnel exposed to potential crush injuries from handling heavy loads, all while completing the work faster.”

Th e Redigrip PSM is a combined eff ort between Redpath, Mecad

Engineering, Doherty’s and M&J Hydraulics, and is capable of 360 degree rotation, 40 degree side tilt left and right, 140 mm side shift, 180 degree primary tilt, and 600mm of telescopic extension, powered by a Volvo L120 front end loader.

The Redigrip PSM has been developed to grasp and lift steel beams into place.

The EH5000AC-3 -

Hitachi’s largest rigid

dump truck

Redpath gets to grips with beams

sensors on all four wheels and uses additional feedback from various sources to enhance the slip/slide control feature.

New control systems in the EH5000AC-3 include a pitch

control feature for improved comfort and frame reliability, and skid control to enhance stability and steering correction to keep operators on track.

Hitachi says other improve-

ments in this model include superior visibility around the machine perimeter - achieved through the integration of strategically positioned mirrors and cameras, as well as wider

front glass in the cab. A new high arch design with bolt-fastened cab support requires reduced assembling time and ensures streamlined serviceability during engine overhauls.

CanningtonProudly supporting mining communities

Th e Nebo State Emergency Services (SES) has a new weapon when it comes to responding to motor vehicle accidents thanks to support from Hail Creek mine and Isaac Regional Council.

Th e SES has been able to purchase Stab Fast vehicle stabilisation units which include hooks, wedges and struts that attach to vehicles to minimise movement and allow emergency crews access to casualties quickly and safely.

Nebo SES controller, Isaac Regional Council, Alex McPhee said the group was grateful for the support received through the Nebo Community Benefi ts Scheme.

Hail Creek mine also donated vehicle cutting equipment which has assisted the Nebo road crash rescue unit in multiple vehicle crashes.

Mine general manager operations Rowan Munro said the Hail Creek operation had been proud to partner with Isaac

New crash kits

Wombat-like animals the size of small cars, the world’s

largest lizard and giant crocodiles were just some of the

fossils local students recently came face to face with at a dig

site near Nebo.

Moranbah State High School’s earth science class and

Nebo State School were given a rare insight into what

roamed the region more than 30,000 years ago thanks to the

Queensland Museum and BHP Billiton Mitsui Coal.

Th e annual dig is part of a broader three-year partnership

between the Queensland Museum and BMC, which also

includes an exhibit for Nebo Museum, an exhibition for the

Queensland Museum, museum development offi cer support

and megafauna-themed educational loans kits for schools

around the state.

Th e dig site, located at BMC’s South Walker Creek mine,

is being systematically excavated - revealing a range of

creatures from Australia’s past including the partial remains

of Diprotodon, the world’s largest marsupial.

During the recent dig, students learned from Queensland

Museum vertebrate palaeontologist and senior curator Dr

Scott Hocknull about the animals and the process of fossil

discovery and preparation.

“We are fi nding dozens of fossils from tiny fi sh scales

to giant limb bones of extinct megafauna, some with tooth

marks from crocodiles. Th is indicates that South Walker

Creek was once home to enormous crocodiles, giant lizards

and the world’s largest kangaroos,” Dr Hocknull said.

“It’s the fi rst time we have been able to excavate a site in

the tropics year to year.

“Th e discoveries will provide some answers to one of

science’s most perplexing questions: what are the megafauna,

how did they live and what drove them extinct?

“We are also working closely with local traditional owners

Barada Barna to ensure any items of cultural heritage are

identifi ed.”

Partnership helps

unearth the past

Moranbah State High School Students Mollie McKay and Ciaran

Friel discuss a Diprotodon jaw in situ with Queensland Museum’s Dr

Scott Hocknull.

Natural gas company QGC will

be Queensland Ballet’s principal

partner for the next three years.

Th e partnership, unveiled at

the recent preview of the 2013

season, will allow Queensland

Ballet to further its activities in

Brisbane and in regional areas

across Queensland.

Queensland Ballet’s new

production of Giselle will

premiere at Toowoomba’s

Empire Th eatre in 2013 as part

of an extensive regional tour

that will take in six regional

Queensland centres including

Gladstone.

Th e tour will be complemented

by expanded education initiatives

including workshops and school

programs.

Queensland Ballet chief

executive Anna Marsden said

the partnership with QGC

was the most signifi cant in the

company’s 53-year history.

QGC managing director

Derek Fisher said QGC shared

Queensland Ballet’s commitment

to giving back to the community.

“We’re delighted to be able to

partner with Queensland Ballet

and to provide opportunities for

young people in regional areas

to further their ambitions in the

performing arts,” Mr Fisher said.

A new smartphone app able to connect more than 17,000 students from across Mackay with local retailers will soon be a reality thanks to a partnership between BHP Billiton Mitsui Coal (BMC) and Study Mackay.

Th e technology, part of the Student Discount Project, is designed to assist with cost-of-living pressures for students.

Study Mackay chairman Professor Pierre Viljoen said the project would target local high school students over 15 years of age as well as those at TAFE, university or language colleges with the aim of off ering discounts and rewards via new smartphone app technology.

“It’s a win-win situation,” he said. “Students feel more supported in the region being able to access

exclusive discounts which assist their cost of living and local businesses will generate a larger and sometimes new market.”

BMC asset president Michael Rosengren said the BMC Education Initiative Advisory Group recognised the Student Discount Project could help to address cost-of-living pressures, which were highlighted in a community needs assessment conducted by the business in 2010.

“To ensure a diverse economy for Mackay into the future, supporting student life and maintaining a population of younger people in the region must continue,” Mr Rosengren said.

Th e discount program is expected to be launched in February 2013 during CQUniversity orientation week celebrations.

Coal giant backs student app

QGC sponsorship is tutu good

Regional Council to provide

support to the Nebo community

through the Nebo Community

Benefi ts Scheme since 2003.

“Th e SES provides an

invaluable service to the

community by assisting people

Nebo SES members Alex McPhee and Kerry Cook and Hail Creek mine

community relations graduate Kylie Devine display a Stab Fast vehicle

stabilisation unit.

Stab Fast units will be on hand for accidents in

the Nebo area thanks to industry assistance.

in need in a variety of situations

from motor vehicle accidents, to

natural disasters and education

for the community,” Mr Munro

said.

“We value the SES’s

commitment to making the

roads around Nebo and Hail

Creek mine a safer place for all,

especially as our mine employees

use these roads on a daily basis.”

28 November 2012 | The Mining Advocate

SUPPORTED BY BHP BILLITON CANNINGTON

Building Mining Communities

29

CanningtonProudly supporting mining communities

Th e 2012 NRL season may be over for the North Queensland Cowboys, but they are still kicking goals.

A recent trip for the Try Time! program saw team members cover 5500km to visit schools in Weipa, Mount Isa, Winton, Longreach and Rockhampton.

Th e Try Time! program – delivered in partnership between BHP Billiton, North Queensland Cowboys and Education Queensland – has engaged with 70 schools and a total of 8000 students throughout 2012.

It involves players visiting regional schools to deliver messages addressing key social issues that can have a negative impact on learning.

Th ese include social media issues such as Facebook and cyber safety, the importance of looking after emotional and mental health, and the impacts of bullying.

Cowboys community relations manager Fiona Pelling said the program was specifi cally developed for regional schools in the Cowboys and BHP Billiton Cannington mine catchment areas.

“It’s widely recognised that students from rural and remote areas do not have the same

opportunities as those from urban or larger centres,”

Ms Pelling said.

“Th is program aims to restore that balance,

specifi cally in the education area where social issues

can have a signifi cant impact on learning.

“By using players to engage students, we can

pass the footy around, have a bit of fun and also

integrate some serious messages about topics such

as bullying and cyber safety.”

Ms Pelling said the recent trip that took in

Mount Isa, Winton and Longreach was well

received by the schools involved.

“Trips like these are also a great opportunity for

our players,” she said.

“It’s great for them to experience fi rst-hand the

issues faced by regional schools and also meet kids

they wouldn’t usually get to engage with.

“In Longreach, our guys sat in on a class at the

Longreach School of Distance Education, which

was such a thrill for the students and the players.”

Th e Try Time! program runs from January to

December each year.

Cowboys game development manager Ryan Mahoney and NRL squad member Tyson Martin at the Longreach School

of Distance Education. Photo: Catherine Mims

Still Try Time for Cowboys

Th e 10th annual TP Human Capital Corporate Team

Triathlon saw record breaking participation from a number of

industries including mining and related sectors.

Queensland Nickel, Xstrata, Toll NQX and Toll North

teams were among the enthusiasts.

Co-sponsor Queensland Nickel entered fi ve teams led

by accountant and planning superintendent David Hunter,

senior electrical engineer Simon Sorbello, maintenance

technician Liam Murphy, process technician Keith Hooper

and occupational health nurse Kate Sedon.

Winners in the six categories were: corporate mixed, Long

Tan Aquatics; corporate female, Back2health/On-Running1;

corporate male, Beyond Running; non-corporate female,

Skinworx; non-corporate male, Top Brand Cycles; non-

corporate mixed, Top Brand Cycles.

“Th e TP Human Capital Corporate Team Triathlon

promotes health and wellbeing within the workplace,

highlighting the incredible benefi ts that exercise in the

workplace can deliver for employees, employers and

businesses,” company director Clayton Cook said.

A XXXX GOLD community day in Mount Isa has raised $15,000 to help expand the North Queensland Helicopter Rescue Service’s night operations across northern Queensland.

Rugby league legends Steve and Kerrod Walters, as well as local hero Scott Prince, were among the guests.

NQ Rescue chief executive offi cer Alex Dorr said the donation would help put the recent purchase of four night goggles to good use.

“It’s great to have such an iconic Queensland brand come on board and support the service. Th is money will enable us to maintain our 24-hour coverage in the region and ultimately help save more lives,” Mr Dorr said.

Mount Isa locals were invited to see the rescue helicopter up close and join a gold coin donation barbecue, while local footy fans were treated to some footy tips from Mount Isa Rugby League and XXXX GOLD representatives.

Corporate challenge

has industry on the run

Queensland Nickel competitor Sam Contarino pounds his way along

The Strand in the TP Human Capital Corporate Team Triathlon.

Isa

ht

ere

orr

scue helicopter up , while local footy

t I R b

on, which

he players.”

nuary to

Community day good as Gold

Maddison Hull, 4, tries out the pilot seat.

XXXX regional director

for Queensland Geoff

Cockerill presents a

$15,000 cheque to NQ

Rescue’s Alex Dorr.

Scott Prince enjoys a run with some

Mount Isa footy players.

The Mining Advocate | November 2012

SUPPORTED BY BHP BILLITON CANNINGTON

Building Mining Communities

30 November 2012 | The Mining AdvocateEMERGENCY RESPONSE AND RESCUE

• Hazardous Materials Management

Systems

• Safety Audits and Compliance

Reviews

• Safety Management Systems

Development

• Confined Space Entry Systems

and Support

• Locum Safety Advisors

• Safety Training and

Education

• Chemical Spill Control

Solutions

Ph: 07 4723 7652sales@csmsafety.com.au

GI Metalliferous Surface &

Underground

Cert IV TAE Trainer /Assessor

Cert II & III Metalliferous Mining

Operations – Extraction, Processing

& U/Ground

Mobile Equipment Training and

Assessment

Site Safety Supervisor & Health

Representative

Working Safely at Heights

GI Electives – Conduct Fire Team

Operations & Apply Initial Response

First Aid

Apply Initial Response First Aid

Safety Officer & Fire Evacuation Plan

consultancy Services

Assistance to contractors in

meeting Xstrata mine site access

requirements

“Our aim is to ensure client satisfaction

through the services we undertake”

Krause Health & Safety is licensed by

Kinetic Group to deliver GI

83 Miles Street, Mount Isa Qld P: 07 4743 3504 F: 07 4743 3507

E: team@krausehealthandsafety.net.au

Provides Professional Health, Safety and Trainingconsultancy services to Mount Isa and the North West

BMA’s Blackwater operation has bagged a hat-trick with its win at this year’s Queensland Open Cut Mines Rescue Service Challenge.

Blackwater pipped teams from Peak Downs and Goonyella Riverside to be named overall winner of the competition for the third year running.

Queensland Open Cut Mines Rescue technical committee secretary Tom Wood said no mine sites had volunteered to host the 2012 competition so it was held at the Combined Emergency Services Academy in Brisbane, with each competing mine contributing $10,000 for costs.

Mr Wood, who acted as chief assessor, said the teams had been very closely matched.

He said also that Queensland Fire and Rescue Service representatives assisting had been surprised by the high standard of skills the mines rescue personnel displayed.

“We had the QFRS assessing the fi re event and they were really impressed with the level of fi re fi ghting the guys did down there,” Mr Wood said.

“In vertical rescue we use a diff erent technique and they were impressed with the rope work and the road crash rescue as well.”

As well as the top three place-getters, the 2012 event drew teams from the Gregory Crinum, Saraji, New Acland and Callide operations plus a New South Wales entry from Bengalla.

Th ey were tested in categories including vertical rescue, road accident rescue, search and rescue using breathing apparatus, fi re and multi-casualty response.

Team members also faced individual practical tasks and a theory test.

On its way to victory, the Blackwater team top–scored in the vertical rescue, breathing

Blackwater team takes hat-trickA Bowen Basin crew continues its dominance

in open-cut rescue, writes Belinda Humphries.

apparatus, theory and individual practical events. Sean Daly from Blackwater received the highest

theory mark and Brett Truelson from Blackwater was named best captain.

Th e open-cut rescue competition has been running since 1978.

“Between 1984 and 1998 we used to have three zones – northern, central and southern - and we used to have six teams in each zone. So there were 18 teams competing at three sites and then we’d have the State fi nals. Th at was when the mining companies really put a lot into it,” Mr Wood said. “Unfortunately a lot of them have fallen by the wayside and don’t put competition teams in anymore.”

Mr Wood said while the Queensland Open Cut Mines Rescue Service Challenge had attracted only coal operations this year, the BHP Billiton Cannington emergency response team from north-west Queensland had attended in 2011. He said open cut challenge organisers planned to work with organisers of the Northern Australian Emergency Response Competition in Darwin to attract some of those teams to the 2013 challenge.

Blackwater was invited to the Hunter Valley open-cut competition in New South Wales in October as a result of winning the Queensland event on September 21 and 22. Th e team came second to Integra mine.

A boiler shutdown involving

repair work inside the narrow

confi nes of a steam drum

has prompted Queensland

Alumina Limited to develop a

tailor-made rescue strategy in

case of emergency.

A steel stretcher was

designed and built by primary

shutdown contracting group

Clyde Babcock and Hitachi

to fi t the steam drum entrance

– which is about the size of a

large watermelon.

QAL’s First Response Team

(FRT) used the custom made stretcher in a rescue exercise in October. Th e equipment helped the crew to extract

the “patient” comfortably and effi ciently.

“Good communication, accurate injury assessment and

effi cient patient stabilisation

were key to the success of

the rescue operation,” boiler

recovery team superintendent

John Burden said.

“Th e custom steel stretcher

will be a part of future steam

drum rescue plans.”

Th e QAL alumina refi nery

in Gladstone operates its own

boilerhouse, with seven coal-

fi red boilers, and boiler number

seven is undergoing a major

shutdown. Th e plant also has

three gas-fed package boilers.

The Blackwater team takes on the fi re exercise.

Victorious Blackwater team members Steve Weber, Sean Daly, Mathew Daly, Luke Ricciardi, Brett Truelson (captain),

Joel Hopes, Matt Svenson and Mick O’Connor.

New stretcher just the ticket for workers in a tight spotThe custom

stretcher in use

for a mock rescue.

31The Mining Advocate | November 2012 WET SEASON

We have 5 World class brands under our Umbrella

Contact Xylem today on 13 19 14or visit www.xylemwatersolutions.com/au

At Xylem, we have the Flygt, Godwin, Leopold, Sanitaire and Wedeco brands under our umbrella and combined with our industry knowledge, service and support we believe Xylem should be your first choice when it comes to solving your water challenges.

Specialising in Advanced Water Treatment, Intelligent Fluid Solutions, Mining and Construction, Monitoring and Control, Wastewater Treatment and Wastewater and Industrial Pumps we can cover your sales, rental and service needs, no matter what the situation.

Push to ease release conditions

Th e Queensland Resources

Council has been pushing for an

easing in discharge rules early

this wet season so coal mines

struggling with excess water can

get on top of the problem as

rains arrive.

Even with a shift from State

Government, QRC chief

executive Michael Roche said

dealing with the water that had

built up on Bowen Basin sites

would be a multi-year task.

“For some mines the sheer

quantities of water they’re

holding are such you couldn’t

physically deal with all that

water in one season - that’s

despite the fact you have a

plethora of pumping equipment,

pipes around the sites,” he said.

“Th ey’ve engineered themselves

in readiness, but realistically I

think for some mines this could

be a three-year task. Depending

on the type of wet season we

have, the risk is always that the

rains that deliver good fl ows in

water courses (setting up the

conditions to allow dis charges)

can also be rains that top up the

water being held by mines.”

Th e QRC had been involved

in discussions with the Newman

Government and believed a

new system regarding discharge

conditions would be in place

soon, Mr Roche said.

Environment and Heritage

Protection Minister Andrew

Powell said the Government

was committed to facilitating

the managed release of mine-

aff ected water but would not

compromise on protecting the

drinking water in regional towns

and maintaining the health of

river systems.

“EHP continues to prioritise

applications to allow for the

release of legacy water held on

mines where applicants can show

they can meet the water quality

conditions,” he said.

Mr Roche said it was important to start tackling the problem as soon as possible for environmental reasons, as the water would become saltier the longer it sat.

Th ere was also the huge cost to the operations of managing the water – such as shifting it when they needed to access areas - and the fact it was impeding production.

Mr Roche said the industry was seeking conditions that would be less rigid about the quality of water at the point of discharge and focus more on the quality once dilution had taken eff ect downstream.

“We can’t, obviously, place at risk water quality for downstream users – be that agricultural users or for drinking water at towns downstream,” he said. “Th at’s a given, but we believe there is plenty of headroom to be able to discharge more of this water without getting into the territory of aff ecting water quality.”

Mr Roche said in late October

Some sites are dealing with the legacy of high rainfall over two wet seasons.

Th e Australian Water Association (AWA)

has launched an initiative to help mining

organisations share skills and expertise on water

issues and management.

Th e Water in Mining Specialist Network

will promote and develop understanding of

water management in the mining industry, and

highlight best practice case studies.

AWA national membership manager Michael

Seller said the network was set up following

approaches from mining companies who believed

thet AWA had a greater role to play in the sector.

He believed the AWA would be able to bring

the professional skills of its membership to

consider current water management challenges

in the industry, such as the diffi culties in

discharging water build-up from Queensland

coal sites, and help lobby for appropriate changes

in regulatory conditions.

“Th e network will assist in providing unbiased

and scientifi c information to both the water

and mining industries, and work with key

organisations such as the Minerals Council of

Australia,” he said.

“What we really want is for mining companies

to join the initiative, and share information on

relevant water issues and challenges. By working

together we can advocate for the protection of

our precious water supplies, whilst still getting

the most out of our important resources.”

Water knowledge on tap

Queensland coal mines were holding about 250 gigalitres of water they would like to discharge. “Th is is not just about the after-eff ects of the 2010-11 cyclones and fl ooding rains, there is also an impact from last wet season,” he said

A Bureau of Meteorology climatologist said the last two wet seasons had been La Nina

years, where conditions in the Pacifi c Ocean had acted as a strong driver for rainfall.

Conditions this season were neutral – neither La Nina or El Nino (which sparks very dry seasons) - indicating the wet season would not be out of the ordinary, Northern Territory Climate Services Centre senior climatologist Joel Lisonbee said.

A peak industry group has launched a Water in Mining Specialist Network.

Many coal operations remain hamstrung by a

build-up of water, writes Belinda Humphries.

32 November 2012 | The Mining AdvocateTRAINING

WHEN TRAINING MATTERSWhen safety matters When communication matters When productivity matters

Trust in Coal Train

www.coaltrain.com.au

61 Queen Street Yeppoon 4703

Ph: 07 4939 1445 Email: admin@coaltrain.com.auCT023

SkillsTech Australia’s $1 million partnership with Santos GLNG has won it the Premier’s Industry Collaboration Award at the 51st Queensland Training Awards.

SkillsTech Australia Institute director Mary Campbell said it was a proud moment.

“Th is Australian-fi rst, specialised coal seam gas and gas transmission pipeline training centre, in partnership with Santos GLNG, is the direct product of our hardworking staff and the productive relationship developed with the employer,” Ms Campbell said.

“Th is award is for outstanding collaboration providing exemplary skills development between an employer and training organisation. It is a credit for both of our organisations.

“Th is partnership is a wonderful example of what a TAFE institute can achieve with industry, delivering training that aligns with their needs and providing Queenslanders with employment opportunities.”

Other Queensland Training Awards winners included Aaron Bond, employed by Rio Tinto Alcan Weipa, who was named Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year and Pioneer State High School student Lachlan Brand, working with Hastings Deering, who was named School-based Apprentice of the Year.

A quarry outside Bowen has been earmarked for a joint training facility to help mines hone their employees’ skills.

Whitsunday Industrial Workforce Development is leading the charge to develop the operation, which it hopes to see up and running in 2013.

Manager Wendy Bradley said WIWD was an industry-driven initiative with a focus on attracting, skilling and retaining workforce as demand in the region grew.

“Part of that was identifying some of the gaps - and one that was identifi ed was that we really needed a practical training facility, somewhere the companies running mines can train people,” she said.

North Queensland Bulk Ports had agreed in principle to make available a large area of land near the Abbot Point coal port, including a fully licensed quarry site, Ms Bradley said.

One mining company has already agreed to supply

BMA has been awarded Best Training Processes and Practices in the resources company category at the Kinetic 2012 Training Awards.

Th e organisation was recognised for signifi cantly simplifying staff training and building its training and development capability.

Kinetic Group chief executive offi cer Derek Hunter said the BMA workforce embraced improvements and there was a defi nite sense of ownership and engagement from both the corporate and site side of operations.

Kinetic 2012 is the fi rst training awards held by Kinetic Group since a rebranding. It was formerly the Mining Industry Skills Centre.

New Horizons Safety & Training won the registered training provider category for Best Training Processes and Practices for the second consecutive year for its mine

Whitsunday mine skills planA workforce development body aims to set

up a new practical training hub for resource

sector companies, writes Belinda Humphries.

equipment and WIWD is looking into the availability of government grants to cover items such as fencing and administration offi ces.

“Because industry wants it, we’re looking for industry to drive it – WIWD will act as facilitators…we’ll manage it for them but they need to talk to us about what they can contribute to establish it,” Ms Bradley said.

Th e initiative would target people engaged to work on mines in the Bowen and Galilee basins, as well as further afi eld, who needed extra skills, she said.

“Whether it’s young apprentices or those requiring cross training – they can do it in

a safe environment rather than taking them straight on to a busy mine site,” Ms Bradley said.

It may be used to help bring skilled overseas workers up to Australian standards for mining industry positions, she said.

Th e large site would be suitable for training in a range of skills, from operating a haul truck through to tasks like surveying or vegetation mapping and management.

Ms Bradley said it would not run in competition with established training businesses, but would act as a practical training venue for the use of all registered training organisations.

WIWD is also launching a

Unifi ed to Qualifi ed (U2Q)

scheme that will see mining

companies pay about half the cost

of training apprentices who will

work with host businesses in the

Whitsunday region.

Towards the end of the

apprenticeship training they

would gain mine–site experience,

Ms Bradley said.

“Th ere is an expectation but

no obligation for the apprentice

to actually go to the mine (when

qualifi ed),” she said.

Ms Bradley said one mining

company had committed to

support 10 apprentices in a pilot

program from January and others

were expected to follow.

Kinetic hands out 2012 awards

site training centre. Th e resource company category winner for the 2012 Innovation Award was HSE Mining, while an RMIT University and SAGE Didactic joint venture won the registered

training organisation category.Leighton Contractors’ Jess

Martin won the Apprentice of the Year award, and Jake Smith of Xstrata Mount Isa Mines was named Trainee of the Year.

BMA manager training and development Andrew Clegg, centre, receives

the award from WorkPac chief executive offi cer Praanesh Prasad and Kinetic

Group chief executive offi cer Derek Hunter.

SkillsTech and LNG group

take a bow for pipeline centre

33The Mining Advocate | November 2012

Looking for experienced crew, or want to join ours?Contact the world’s no.1 recruiter.Mackay TownsvilleGladstone RockhamptonBrisbane Gold Coast

1300 ADECCO

SHUT DOWNS?

better work, better life adecco.com.au

SHUTDOWNS

Brick road to smelter success In May 2011, Xstrata Copper North Queensland announced its long-term vision to secure the future of its Mount Isa operations by expanding mining and concentrate production, while phasing out copper smelting in the city by the end of 2016. With its last smelter rebrick maintenance shutdown completed in early 2010 and a previous Isasmelt furnace campaign life that maxed out at three years, it seemed Xstrata Copper would have to completely shut down smelting operations for 30 days of furnace rebricking work twice during the remaining fi ve years of operation, at a cost to the business of more than $45 million in capital outlay and lost production time. Th is forced the team at Xstrata’s Mount Isa Copper Smelter to think strategically about how they might get the most productive and effi cient performance out of the smelter over its remaining operating years while minimising production time lost due to maintenance.

Th e solution, which focuses on reduced temperature rates and revised settings, will extend the life of the furnace from three to four years, ensuring only one shutdown will be required between now and 2016, when smelting operations in Mount Isa wrap up.

Xstrata Copper said this would result in a capital expense saving of almost $13 million, and a productivity boost equivalent to about $10 million by adding an additional 30 days of copper anode production - otherwise lost to maintenance shutdown - to the smelter’s output over the next fi ve years.

Major credit for the improved

operating practices which have overcome the problem of accelerated brick wear has been attributed to the copper smelter Isasmelt control room operators

and the team of metallurgists, including 27-year-old chemical engineer Lucya Yunus.

In recognition of her outstanding contribution to

her workplace and industry, Ms Yunus was awarded the Young Achiever Award at the prestigious 2012 PACE Zenith Awards.

“Ms Yunus assisted the team in the investigation and recommended, trialled and monitored the implementation of a number of initiatives as well as some of her own solutions,” Mount Isa copper smelter general manager Paul Telford said.

Mr Telford said one of the key solutions Ms Yunus and the team of Xstrata Copper metallurgists implemented was reducing the fi ring rate during heat up from 85 per cent to 60 per cent.

“Th ink about the bricks in our Isasmelt furnance like cakes in an oven. If the oven heats up too quickly, the outside of the cake will burn and the inside won’t cook,” Mr Telford said.

“By reducing the intensity of the heat as the Isasmelt furnace heats up, it allows the bricks to heat slowly and more evenly all the way through, optimising the effi ciency of the furnace while preserving the outer surface of the bricks. Other solutions

the team uncovered included

revising temperature trip

settings, setting the maximum

allowable temperature of

1250 degrees on each heat up

and rolling out new operational

key performance indicators

to monitor the Isasmelt

temperature process and control.

Th e project resulted in the

lowest brick wear rate (only

5mm per year) of any Isasmelt

furnace in the world at the

end of the 2011 campaign,

representing a 96 per cent

reduction on the expected annual

brick wear rate of 115mm per

year, and a marked improvement

relative to the accelerated wear

rate of 260mm per year observed

in December 2010.

Mr Telford said in addition

to the productivity gains and

capital expense savings, Xstrata

Copper’s team of metallurgists

and operators managed to

maintain a 0.8 per cent copper

loss in rotary holding furnace

slag through compliance with

the key performance indicators

across the smelting operations.

Lucya Yunus

Xstrata Copper

chemical engineer

No bones about it, this new lightweight work glove from BOC combines

function with fun.

Senior product manager, safety at BOC, Joe Martinez, said the UMATTA

Skeleton glove off ered a snug and comfortable fi t with padding and

reinforcement that gave protection in all the right places.

In its short time on the market, it had become one of BOC’s most

popular sellers, he said.

The UMATTA Skeleton glove is suitable for a wide range of applications

including metal handling, refi ning, mining, driving and general handling.

Skeleton crew

34 November 2012 | The Mining AdvocateREGIONAL ENGINEERING TEAMS

MRA director Doug Lithgow is passionate about the importance of regional engineering expertise.

Th e electrical controls and automation engineering fi rm that Mr Lithgow founded in Newcastle with fellow director Ken Hipwell set up shop in Mackay four years ago.

“When MRA decided we needed to be in Queensland, I personally was absolutely determined that we would be where the action was and that we would have best quality engineers in the fi eld, not capital-city ivory-tower engineers,” Mr Lithgow said.

“Th at’s quite a passion of mine. I think it’s an important nation-building activity.

“You don’t want everything concentrated in capital cities and you want the kids in regional areas, if they’re excelling in a fi eld, to have the opportunity

to work locally and not have

to migrate to Brisbane, Sydney

or Perth to get exposure to the

leading edge of engineering.”

Mr Lithgow said a prime

driver in the innovations MRA

was renowned for was “getting

amongst it” and understanding

the problems in industry.

Th e four-strong MRA Mackay team of professional engineers includes an R&D element to focus on emerging technology and how it can be applied to assist clients.

MRA’s work was recently recognised with an innovation award at the 2012 MAIN (Mackay Area Industry Network) Industry Awards.

Th is recognised the MRA rail vision system – which uses emerging vision technology to pick up problems with the closing mechanisms in coal wagon doors.

Mr Lithgow said the system applied high-end technology to a problem which had usually been dealt with manually, that is by posting workers at coal dump stations to visually check the doors as wagons unloaded.

Th e fi rst unit developed has been operating at the Newcastle Coal Infrastructure Group coal terminal in New South Wales for about nine months to prove the technology.

Mr Lithgow said introducing

Th inking outside the squareA Mackay team draws on the industry around it

to spur innovation, writes Belinda Humphries.

the technology to the coal

transport system should reduce

the risk of derailment caused by

accidental load dumps, reduce

track maintenance by ensuring

less coal was leaking from faulty

doors, and reduce spills at load-

out facilities.

As well as checking the wagon

doors, the system will alert

operators to other defects such as

broken springs or seized wheels.

Mr Lithgow, who was behind

the original concept, said the

system had been developed by

MRA’s Newcastle and Mackay

teams.

Th e company is ready to start

supplying the devices to the

Queensland coal network and

is looking into off ering a user-

pays service where MRA would

install, operate and maintain the

systems at key points.

Doug Lithgow MRA director

The MRA rail vision system in action at a New South Wales coal terminal.

Lockyer Valley Regional

Council and Cardno have

been recognised for their joint

eff orts in rebuilding Grantham

in the aftermath of the 2011

Queensland fl oods.

Th e organisations won the

Engineering Leadership Award

at the Engineers Australia

Queensland Division’s 2012

Engineering Excellence Awards.

Th e Gateway upgrade project,

a joint venture by Leighton

and Abigroup, received the top

award of the night - the R.W.

Hawken Award for Engineering

Excellence in Queensland.

Engineers Australia

Queensland Division president

Steven Goh said the judges

found this project to be

outstanding.

“Th e works of the second

Gateway Bridge had to retain

the lines of the 25-year-old

Gateway Bridge, but with

signifi cantly improved detailed

designs and construction

to provide increased safety,

security, cost-eff ectiveness and

a substantially improved design

life,” he said.

Forty projects from

throughout the state were

entered into this year’s

Queensland Engineering

Excellence Awards.

Winners included: Innovation

Award - RG Tanna Stockpile

22, submitted by Wagstaff

Piling; Sustainability Award

- Portsmith Landfi ll Closure,

submitted by Cairns Regional

Council, Golder and BMD.

Excellence awards in various

categories went to Metricon

Stadium - submitted by Arup;

Shift Handover Solutions (SH2)

- submitted by Sedgman and 5D

Consulting; Portsmith Landfi ll

Closure - Cairns Regional

Council, Golder Associates

and BMD; the Ukhaa Khudag

coal handling and preparation

plant - submitted by Sedgman;

South Brisbane upgrade project

- Queensland Rail; Toowoomba

Range rail fl ood recovery -

submitted by Queensland Rail,

Golder Associates and Th iess;

Toombul jacked box - Th iess

John Holland; and Logan

Water Alliance - submitted by

an alliance comprised of Logan

City Council, Tenix, Parsons

Brinckerhoff and Cardno.

Owen Custom Products won a

small business excellence award

for its solid state technology for

dragline swing pedals.

Engineers Australia celebrates projects of excellence

35The Mining Advocate | November 2012 BIG BOYS’ TOYS

LEVEL 1, 48 GREGORY STREET NORTH WARD QLD 4810PHONE 07 4772 3800 FAX 07 4771 2565EMAIL INFO@TPHUMANCAPITAL.COM.AU

THE MINING/RESOURCESSPECIALISTSLABOUR HIRE // CONTRACTTEMPORARY // PERMANENT

SPECIALISING IN:» TRADES & TECHNICAL» OPERATIONS» ADMINISTRATION» HUMAN RESOURCES» FINANCE» INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY» MANAGEMENT» PROCESSING

» BHP BILLITON CANNINGTON» BARRICK OSBORNE» XSTRATA ERNEST HENRY» BARMINCO ELOISE» CENTURY MINING ALLIANCE CENTURY» DOWNER EDI CENTURY» KAGARA ZINC

TOTALLY HUMANTOTALLY RESOURCEDTOTALLY NORTH QUEENSLAND

RYZINCZ

Y

HUMAN RESOURCES // RECRUITMENT // TRAINING

WWW.TPHUMANCAPITAL.COM.AU

SuperMoto men primed to fl yQueensland 2012 SuperMoto champion Jarrod Koppe is adamant there’s nothing like the sport to get the adrenalin pumping and test a rider’s skills.

As racing involves executing jumps, tight turns and coping with track variations of dirt and bitumen while riding a dirt bike fi tted with with 17-inch road wheels and slick racing tyres, the pastime is not one for the faint-hearted.

According to Mr Koppe, SuperMoto is not only gaining popularity with those who enjoy the thrills and take on the challenges, it’s also one of the best spectator sports around.

But some are prepared to do more than just sit on the sidelines and watch.

Such is TP HumanCapital director Clayton Cook’s enthusiasm for MotoCross and SuperMoto, his company has agreed to sponsor Future Sport’s race team for the 2013 season.

“We feel it is important to look outside of the box when considering community-based sponsorships, and a big reason we chose SuperMoto was because they visit regional areas to showcase the sport,” he said.

Th e Townsville-based Future Sport race team also competes locally every weekend.

However, for the moment, their main focus is on 2013’s Queensland and Australian SuperMoto championships.

“I’ll be defending my Queensland title in the premier S2cc – 450cc class, but the Australian title is the one I really want after coming second – I missed out on fi rst by seven points - last year,” Mr Koppe said.

“Th e 2013 racing calendar hasn’t been released yet but we estimate the championships will be run in the fi rst half of the year.”

Mr Koppe has raced in all motorcycle disciplines over the last 15 years. However, SuperMoto is the one he enjoys the most.

“I’ve been Australian champion on the fl at track but SuperMoto is my favourite. It’s a good mix, a

real challenge and something completely diff erent from all the other bike sports,” he said.

“And with a lot of younger competitors coming up through the ranks, the challenges – which I really love - are getting tougher all the time.”

Mr Cook said the TP Human Capital staff worked closely with mining industry employers and employees and believed many in the industry enjoyed the spectacle of MotoCross and SuperMoto.

“By supporting Jarrod and his team, we are helping make the sport accessible to mining towns and supporting their communities,” Mr Cook said. “It’s about contributing to the communities we operate in and I think sports such as SuperMoto off er a lot of entertainment value.”

Nautiz X1 mixesbrawn and brains

Th e Nautiz X1 is promoted as the perfect blending of a smartphone and a rugged handheld.

Th e device runs on the Google Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) or a Windows Embedded Handheld 6.5 operating system, the release date of which is yet to be confi rmed.

Th e combination of small size and light weight - at 180g - puts it in a class with other popular smartphones, but with ruggedness unmatched by any consumer device, a company spokesperson said.

Built for the toughest conditions in work and play, the Nautiz X1 meets stringentmilitary standards for withstanding humidity, vibration, drops and extreme temperatures.

It is waterproof and impervious to dust and sand.Th e Nautiz X1 runs on a powerful 1GHz dual-core processor and

512 MB of RAM, which allows top-notch performance in the fi eld. Features include vivid image displays and graphics or customised

work software and 2GB of onboard memory, expandable via a MicroSD card slot.

Th e 4-inch touch screen is sunlight-readable and scratch-resistant. On the Nautiz X1’s rear face, a fi ve-megapixel autofocus camera and true LED fl ash allow crisp photographs to be taken, even in dark environments.

Th e phone provides voice and high-speed data transmission worldwide over GSM or CDMA networks.

And for those off the beaten track, embedded GPS, E-compass and G-Sensor keeps users on the right track.

o

n

h.

any ace

dey-

said.

Th

Clayton Cook and Jarrod Koppe. Photo: Fiona Harding

Jarrod Koppe in SuperMoto action.

The Nautiz X1 has been designed for rugged outdoor use.

36 November 2012 | The Mining Advocate2012 Cloncurry Battle of the Mines

We have the power to protect working families because there

are 135,000 AWU members in workplaces across Australia

standing together to ensure we get the conditions, safety and

respect we deserve.

The AWU:

Is the nation’s oldest, largest and strongest blue collar union.

Has more than 135,000 members standing together in the AWU across industries as diverse as mining, shearing, health, horse racing and local government

Has 200 officials across Australia working with AWU members to get working families a fair go.

JOIN UP NOW!Contact us now on

Ph 1800 671 449or go to the website atawu.net.au/join.html

Ronald Major has a thing about birds. Eagles actually.

He coached the CuDeco Eagles to runners-up in the 2012 Battle of the Mines in Cloncurry. Th at was after a season coaching the Cloncurry Eagles in the north western QRL competition.

It was the second year CuDeco fi elded a team and success in getting to the fi nals this year represented the junior miner’s increasing presence in the north western mining industry.

Th e Eagles benefi ted from talent picked up from the absent Century Chariots. Many of the Chariots players had competed in an All-Blacks carnival the weekend before, which forced their withdrawal from the Battle of the Mines competition.

It didn’t hurt also that Major’s nephew Kierran Moseley was able to run on. Moseley was visiting family before fl ying down to join the Penrith Panthers under-20s squad for

CuDeco Eagles coach Ronald Major with players Corey Moseley, Drew Major and Kierran Moseley.

Th e Ernest Henry Mine Dingoes rugby league team is back.Th e Dingoes took a sabbatical last year from the Battle of the

Mines and spent time rebuilding and gathering support for another campaign.

New faces and a new attitude saw the locals win two games against the Cannington Cougars and the Mico Devils.

Th ey gave fi nals contenders CuDeco Eagles a fright in the last game by keeping them to 16-8, and came in third place overall.

Coach Jason Beaumont said Ernest Henry, an Xstrata operation north of Cloncurry, ran two crews and the team only came together as a single unit the day before the event.

“I think they jelled really well and did a great job,” he said. “We have been training for about four months. I think the boys have done credit to themselves and Xstrata.

“Th ree, two, one for me would have been lock Andy McGrath for his gruelling defence and endless hit-ups, prop Sene Faaeteete and Samier Waters at fullback.

“A lot of the blokes have been saying, ‘I am in for next year’, including our halves combination Ash and Luke Milwood.

“A lot of people have come together, like our volunteers. It is a good community event and a marvellous job. At the end of the day it is all for charity and that’s why we are here. Otherwise it is a good day out for the whole mining community and Cloncurry.”

Jason Taumalolo and Chris Grevsmuhl are the best of mates.

A week after going head to head for New Zealand and Australia respectively in the trans-Tasman test played in Townsville, the NQ Toyota Cowboys teammates were in Cloncurry teaching skills to a group of country kids.

Th e training session took place on Cloncurry Showgrounds before the 2012 Battle of the Mines. Taumalolo said they were there to spread the (Cowboys) word with the locals and have a bit of fun.

Play on the day of the Battle of the Mines reminded him of the football he played when he was younger, he said.

“Th ere are a lot of quick and nippy players out there and there is the odd run-over player,” he said. “You get the diff erent variety of players and they all come in diff erent shapes and sizes I guess.

“I’m surprised there is such a big tournament like this and everyone gets to come down in a

the 2013 competition. He recently fi nished high

school at Kirwan in Townsville. Th at’s the same stable that has produced the likes of NRL and Queensland State-of-Origin representatives Sam Th aiday and Jacob Lillyman.

Th ere’s a lot riding on the 18-year-old forward’s shoulders as he becomes the only

Cloncurry product in recent memory to play in the National Rugby League. He said the hardest game he has played in yet was for Queensland under-18s against the Blues at ANZ Stadium before the second State-of-Origin game this year.

Th e Battle of the Mines was a good excuse to come home, he said. “Good to come back and play for the home side including playing with my brother and cousin and mates I grew up with,” Moseley said.

Major said he was pleased with the way the team came

together. After training around split shifts and the late inclusion of invitation players, he said the team rarely had a chance to train together before coming into what was a pretty hard competition.

“Our fi rst game was just to get the feeling of the ball and get to know the other players because we are all from diff erent areas,” Major said.

“To make the fi nals, I am proud of them.”

Th e CuDeco Eagles were looking forward to returning in 2013, he said.small area like this in Cloncurry.

I am glad everyone has enjoyed

coming here and enjoyed a game

of footy.”

Taumalolo said he and

Grevsmuhl failed to get away

unscathed from the throng of

child admirers for whom he also

had some advice.

“Th e kids, yeah, you get the

odd kick in the shin. Th e kids

were enjoying our company

and we were enjoying theirs.

Th e mums and dads were pretty

happy, I guess, seeing their kids

play with us,” he said.

“Probably the best coach for

rugby league would be your mum

and dad. So whatever mum and

dad say is pretty much what you

should do and don’t give up and

keep dreaming.”

Cowboys players Chris Grevsmuhl and Jason Taumololo with Gemma Green.

Birds of a feather on footy fi eld

Cowboys roped in for fun

Dingoes re-enter the fray after year out of the game

37The Mining Advocate | November 2012 2012 Cloncurry Battle of the Mines

to the

Zinc X-Menfor winning The Australian

Workers Union (AWU)

shield for the

second year running

Zinc X-Men keep their shineZinc again proved to be the

hardest metal in north-west

Queensland at this year’s Battle of

the Mines.

It was a combination of Kiwi

size and skill and a seasoned team

that bought them home 22-8

against the CuDeco Eagles in

the fi nal to claim victory for the

second year running.

While all sides had their star

players, X-Men could boast the

likes of Pana Pana Uate who has

returned to live with his father

in Mount Isa after spending a

season in Newcastle playing for

the Knights.

Th at was with his three-time

Dally M winger of the year

brother, Australian and New

South Wales representative

Akuila Uate.

Th e battle also unearthed a few

surprises including a couple of

backs who had never played rugby

league before.

Among them was halfback

Hamish Crisp, who was

mentioned for his contribution to

the team’s success.

Like many of the X-Men,

Crisp hails from New Zealand

and brings the sort of talent that

makes Kiwi coaches wail “we were

robbed” when they cross the ditch.

Crisp has only been in

Australia for two years and

spent 12 months in Perth before

coming east, where he quickly

won a jersey in the Mount Isa

Zinc X-Men

halfback

Hamish Crisp.

Spare a thought for the refs. Cloncurry High School deputy principal Peter Keen and Xstrata raise borer Bernie Maye spent more than three hours each on the oval enforcing standards during the Battle of the Mines.

Th ey were relieved at the grand fi nal by Mount Isa-based Queensland Rugby League development offi cer Scott Kyle.

Th e heat of competition was fanned by temperatures of more than 35 degrees on the Cloncurry Showgrounds. Th e two refs drank an estimated 10 litres of water over the seven hours of competition.

Both whistleblowers have long rugby league careers and the scars to prove it. And both see it as a way of giving back to their communities.

A dyed-in-the-wool “bush teacher” Keen brings to the job a pedigree that is hard to match.

As the son of a soldier, he joined the army early and went into the artillery corps as a soldier before switching career paths and undertaking offi cer training at Duntroon Military College.

Keen’s teaching career came later in life and has developed hand in hand with a continued association with rugby league.

His time as a teacher and footy coach in Hughenden has borne fruit.

Keen taught and coached Cowboys Toyota Cup representative Chris Grevsmuhl, who played for the Kangaroos under-20s team against New Zealand the weekend before the annual Battle of the Mines.

“I grew up playing rugby league and enjoyed it,” Keen said. “In the last eight years teaching I have either coached, reff ed or served on junior or senior club committees. I see it as a way of giving back to the game and the community you live in.

“(As a teacher), it is a good way to connect with kids outside school and allow them to see me in a diff erent setting.”

Maye is also coach of the under-13 Blackstars in Mount Isa.

He came to the Isa on invitation from some footballing mates from Toowoomba who’d already made the move. Twenty four years later and Maye and his wife remain committed to the inland city.

“I look at it as giving back what some old heads taught me,” Maye said.

“It is not just about footy but also about respecting elders and helping develop decent people. Th ey have to behave and make an eff ort at school. If they’re suspended (for example) they won’t get a run.”

Oh and refereeing under the Cloncurry spring sun? Just another day in paradise, they said.

rugby union representative team.

A surveyor in Xstrata’s

underground copper mine, Crisp

said he felt the pressure in his fi rst

ever game of rugby league, where

they won 10-6 against the Ernest

Henry Mine Dingoes.

“It is a bit diff erent and I am

still getting used to it but it is

pretty good,” he said.

“Th ere’s more contact and it

is a bit simpler than union with

the breakdown rules, but I am

enjoying it. It is something new.’’

Th e X-Men failed to have it all

their way, with the Eagles getting

the better of them 14-12 in the

fourth game of the day.

While he put the key to the

campaign down to defence in

the middle, captain and co-coach

John Venz said he expected

continuity to contribute to the

teams continued success.

“Like I said, we are all one -

we all come from the same line;

the Kiwi connection. We work

together at George Fisher (and)

we have a few boys from the

smelter. Other than that it comes

down to playing on the day,

playing for each other and playing

for our charity.”

Refs in a league of their own

It is a long way, and a long time away, from the Blackwater coalfi elds

where Cannington Cougars captain Tony Jaques played football in his

prime.

“Th is is my fi rst year in Battle of the Mines and I am very impressed

with the turn-out,” said 44-year-old Jaques.

“Everyone having a go and everyone enjoying themselves. Th ere’s

been nothing malicious there at all. It has been really good fun. It was

good hard footy but very clean. I would certainly do it again.”

Jaques said he was surprised at the amount of passion that went into

the event.

“Very surprised actually, it is not game of touch football,” he said.

“Th ey were hitting hard but everyone has done pretty well

considering the amount of preparation we had.”

Hard-hitting initiation

Cougars captain Tony Jaques with props John Stanley and Robert Beale.

Weekly

www.worksafeconnect.com

Quality Training

Delivered

Preferred Training Provider

Preferred Training Provider to the

Mining Industry

“We’re delivering training in Townsville and Brisbane”

Sciaccas buys Gladstone fi rm

Brisbane-based Sciaccas Lawyers and Consultants,

which has operated continuously for some 40 years

under the ownership of the Hon. Con Sciacca AO, has

recently brought within its full service legal group one

of Gladstone’s oldest and most respected commercial

legal practices; Klein and Associates, located in the

heart of Gladstone’s CBD at 91 Goondoon Street.

Mr Sciacca said that the purchase of this respected

legal practice would enhance the provision of legal

services in the region, combining Klein and Associates’

strong local reputation with Sciaccas Lawyers’ extensive

Brisbane resources and added legal services.

“We will keep trading as Klein and Associates in Glad-

stone because this is a name that is well respected both

in the local community and the Central Queensland

legal fraternity,” Mr Sciacca said.

“By adding Sciaccas Lawyers’ resources and expertise

in other areas of the law, Klein and Associates is fast

becoming a trusted one-stop shop for all legal require-

ments in the Gladstone region.”

Managed locally by Partner David Sorban, Klein and

Associates practices in the following areas:

• Business structures

• Commercial and residential property purchases

and sales

• Commercial and civil litigation and disputes

• Family Law

• Wills and Estates

For a free initial consultation to discuss your require-

ments please contact:David Sorban on 4972 3889 or

email d.sorban@kleinassociates.com.au.

ADVERTORIAL

One of Gladstone’s oldest and most respected commercial legal practices, Klein and Associates, has been bought by

Brisbane-based Sciaccas Lawyers and Consultants.

39The Mining Advocate | November 2012 Central Highlands Battle of the Mines

We seek no power, no riches, no glory, just the basic right of equality....

07 4669 708807 4662 4288

Th e Callide Crusaders dominated for the third year in a row at the Battle of the Mines tournament in Middlemount.

Th e three-peat competition champions remained undefeated throughout their games - taking down Grasstree 7-2, and Lake Lindsay 4-2.

Th ey secured their win in a close fi nal game against the Kestrel Kings 5-4.

Ex-NRL and State of Origin player Steven Bell played with the Kings, who just missed out on the title.

“You know what, we went really well, you know, the team didn’t know each other before the match and we came together really well and had a few close ones there,” Bell said.

Th e Callide team has been victorious for three years running despite being low on players.

Queensland Rugby League development and education offi cer Andrew Lawrence said their success rested on the support of the other teams.

“Th ey only come over with a small contingent each time so

Th e community spirit of a small

mining town raised up to $2000

for the Central Family Support

Association at the annual Central

Highlands Battle of the Mines

competition.

because of the downturn in the

industry, so if it boosts back

up again next year then we

should get more teams involved.

Hopefully it’s just a matter of

time before more teams from the

Bowen Basin get involved and

I think it should just get bigger

and bigger.”

Crusaders cruise in

they rely on the other teams to

help them out, which is really

good that they do. Th ey did

really well,” Lawrence said.

Only four teams took part

this year, and the winner was

determined in a round-robin

style play-off .

Lawrence said that he hoped

to see more teams sign up to the

battle in future years.

“It depends on the mining

industry itself,” he said.

“We’ve lost teams this year

Supporters from Middlemount and beyond helped to collect the money for the local charity organisation.

Central Highlands Rugby League president Pat Booker said the competition really brought the community together.

“It’s been fantastic, the way that the games were played, and the sportsmanship was brilliant,” Ms Booker said. “One of our community events each year is to raise funds for a charity and this year we’re raising for a respite centre in Central Highlands for children with disability. ”

Anglo American HR manager for Capcoal and Foxleigh mines, Sandra Th omson, was at the event supporting the Grasstree Groundhogs and the Lake Lindsay Battlers.

“We (Anglo American) like to get involved from certainly a sponsoring side of things, we’ve sponsored both of the teams - Grasstree and Lake Lindsay,” Ms Th omson said. “I think it’s (Battle of the Mines) not just important for the guys out there playing, but also for the families who come out.”

Middlemount Panthers vice-president Marni Duff y said the rugby league was a great way to bring together the local mining families.

“Th ese types of tournaments are instrumental in the community,” she said. “A lot of the Central Highlands clubs rely on volunteers and community support, with a lot of families coming and going and FIFO. Th e clubs rely on people that just love their footy.”

Central Highlands Battle of the Mines winners for 2012, the Callide Crusaders.

The Grasstree

Groundhogs lost

7-2 to the Callide

Crusaders at

Middlemount.

Community scores from footy

40 November 2012 | The Mining AdvocateCentral Highlands Battle of the Mines

BRING YOUR HOME LOAN

Eligibility criteria, terms & conditions, fees and charges apply. *Excludes all government charges. Interest rates are effective from the 1 November 2012 and subject to change without notice. 6.14% is for the First Rate Home loan. ^Comparison Rate is calculated on a loan amount of $150,000 over a term of 25 years based on monthlyrepayments. WARNING: These comparison rates are true only for the examples given and may not include all fees and charges. Different terms, fees or other loan amounts might result in a different comparison rate. Maritime, Mining & Power Credit Union LTD ABN 11 087 650 315 AFSL/Australian Credit Licence 240399

Competitive Variable Rates from

6.14%Comparison Rate

6.23%^

Call 1300 36 2000, visit your local banch or mmpcu.com.au

HOME

Broken Hill (08) 8087 3166 Mudgee (02) 6372 0014 Moranbah (07) 4941 9633 Brisbane (07) 3899 4755

Hunter Valley 0407 256 529 Mackay/Blackwater/Dalby/Gladstone/Toowoomba (07) 4951 0868 / 0400 928 819

62354 MMPCU MINING ADVOCATE Ad 245X175 FA.indd 1 24/10/12 11:03 AM

Family alliances and rivalries

made this year’s Central

Highlands Battle of the Mines

tournament personal.

Th e last game of the

Middlemount carnival saw

Anglo’s Lake Lindsay Battlers

go up against local rivals the

Grasstree Groundhogs.

It was a battle of the families,

with Grasstree’s father and son

combo Col and Luke Shackleton

going up against Lake Lindsay’s

father and son duo Boyd and BJ

Vickers.

Grasstree Groundhog father

Col Shackleton said his son had

been showing him a thing or two

on the fi eld.

“He’s teaching me a few tricks

still and he’s getting me running

all around the fi eld,” Shackleton

said.

Meanwhile, Lake Lindsay dad

Boyd Vickers said it was good to

get out on the fi eld as a family

duo and that his son BJ would

be keeping an eye out for his old

man.

“It feels good to be out

playing together, there’s 27 years’

diff erence between us. Th e

opportunity came up for us both

to play so we took it with both

hands,” Vickers said.

Brothers-in-law Joel Duff y

and Ryan Hansell went head

to head in the fi nal game,

well and truly cementing the

rivalries between the Grasstree

Groundhogs and the Lake

Lindsay Battlers.

Duff y’s wife, and vice-

president of the local rugby

league club, Marni Duff y, said

the rivalry was all part of the

game.

“I have to say there is a bit of

a rivalry between Lake Lindsay

and Grasstree because they’re

the two mines based here, and

Joel and Ryan have the rivalry

because they’re brothers-in-law,”

she said.

“It’s good, because this kind of

competition really re-energises

the sport and can really help to

encourage people to be a part of

the community.”

Lake Lindsay Battlers father and son football duo Boyd

and BJ Vickers.

Grasstree Groundhogs family combo Col and Luke

Shackleton.

All in the family

Xstrata Coal smashed its losing streak in the annual charity rugby union clash with BMA, downing its rivals 60-24 this year.

Teams from the two coal groups hit Tieri’s No.1 Oval on September 15.

Xstrata Coal - which last won the clash in 2010 - scored the fi rst try.

BMA hit back with two, but Xstrata quickly retaliated - fi nishing the fi rst half with a score of 19-all.

After half time Xstrata Coal increased their pace and fought solid BMA defence to win the game.

BMA donated $5000 to Xstrata Coal’s chosen charity, RACQ CQ Rescue helicopter service.

Eight junior U-13, U-15 and U-17 representative teams also competed from the Central Highlands, Mackay and Rockhampton throughout the day.

Queensland Rugby Union CQ regional development manager Daniel Hooper said the day was hugely successful and proved a great launching pad for the junior rugby season.

St George Queensland Reds players Jono Lance and Dallan Murphy ran a junior clinic for more than 30 children during the day.

Th e annual Xstrata Coal Rugby Union Charity Day is part of a company partnership with Queensland Rugby.

The Xstrata Coal team (pictured) had a resounding victory over

rivals BMA in their recent charity rugby union match at Tieri.

Xstrata wins Tieri clash

As the leaders in rental and maintenance we provide a one-stop shop solution for your business. With 40 years industry experience in providing fleet services, and experience in maintaining

our own fleet of over 3,600 vehicles, we deliver unrivalled commercial fleet solutions.

Our team of 150 mechanics, 30 detailers, and other qualified staff, are well equipped to meet all your maintenance needs through our network of 17 branches throughout Australia. Combine all that with

our mobile servicing and our on-site maintenance facilities, and it’s no wonder we can do it all.

www.sargent.com.au

To speak with your local Sargent representative call 1800 077 353.

NISSAN FLEET.WE KNOW THE DRILL.

CONTACT DETAILSJoeanne Fox | Fleet Sales Manager, Northern Region

T: 07 3345 0600 M: 0414 625 468 E: Joeanne_fox@nissan.com.au

FLT

00

48

Nissan Fleet understand the challenges of industry and offer turnkey solutions through our extensive dealer network, ensuring vehicles are mine site ready without the hassle. With over 190 dealers and locations that are serviced Australia wide, we’ll keep your Nissan hard at work.

To see how Nissan Fleet can provide a solution that’s right for you, contact Joeanne Fox your Northern Region Fleet Sales Manager.