AusIMM MetPlant 2008 / KCGM Tour!

In August 2008 I was lucky enough to attend the AusIMM Metplant Conference in Perth WA! It was excellent! The conference itself ran for 2 full days and then had specialized workshops on the side including Flotation, Heap Leaching and Sampling Techniques. Because I was already out that way I was lucky enough to organise a tour to the KCGM Super Pit and also got a tour of the Processing Plant! It was great - definately worth a look if you are ever out that way!

Conferences like this can at first look very very expensive - BUT - as a student member of the AusIMM you can apply for a student discount AND if you are lucky (and dont mind running mics in Q time) you can volunteer to help and often get a very cheap registration. These conferences mainly attract Metallurgist and Processing Specialist already working within the mining industry, therefore conferences like this are ideal for students that are serious about getting a job in this industry.

Being able to attend Specialist talks about an extrordinary array of topics including Hydrometallurgy, Pyrometallurgy, Gravity Seperation, and Dewatering processes was amazing and I gained an invaluable insight into the industry, the processes used AND new processes being developed! You dont learn stuff like this at Uni!

I highly recommend to all students that are interested in working in the Mining Industry to check all the upcoming conferences being held by the AusIMM (and become a member if you arent already one - cost is only $11 for students!) and get on board and attend any that you like the look of! You wont regret it - use it not only as a technical learning curve but also a networking event and you might just get some contacts for Vac work / Grad jobs!

AusIMM NQ Branch Charters Towers Conference: NQ MINING 2008

On the 9th of August 2008, the AusIMM NQ Branch held a NQ Mining Conference at Charters Towers. The theme for the day was the Multi Commodity Boom being experienced in NQ and its opportunities. It was an early morning for me and 3 other fellow JCU Engineerings students who traveled to the Towers for the day. It was a great day, with great speakers, great networking opportunities, and GREAT food and drink!

There where a variety of topics discussed, including:

• The discovery and feasibility of the Mt Carlton / Silver Hills Au/Ag/Cu deposit
• New base metal development and discoveries by Kagara.
• The NORNICO nickel – cobalt laterite project.
• The delineation and feasibility of base metal deposits in the Einasleigh region.
• Curtain Bros iron ore and other Mining Projects in the Mt Moss region.
• Citigold gold mining development, Warrior and Charters Towers.
• NQ Metals Pajingo gold operations and Baal Gammon Cu/Sn feasibility .
• The Ben Lomond uranium project.
• The Discovery of the Piccaninny Epithermal system, Tate River, NQ.
• Waratah Coal projects in the Galilee Basin.

It was a great chance for us as students to get a look at what the industry is doing in our own backyards. It was a great day, and hopefully the NQ Branch will hold another in the near future!

2008 AusIMM New Leaders Conference!!

This year the AusIMM New Leaders Conference lived up to expectations once again! The conference was held in Wollongong, which turned out for to be a great adventure! Me and 6 other QRC student ambassadors flew down for the conference, with some staying on to compete in the Mining Games! The conference itself was incredibly diverse and informative, making me excited to get through uni and out into the industry! Some of us were conference veterans; however the majority was fresh new faces. The mining industry is a small world, and the people you meet at these events often appear again. I am still in Uni and already I find myself crossing paths with people / students who work / aim to work within the tight knit community that is the mining industry!!

The days spent in Wollongong were great, the nights were perhaps even better, and the locals took great care of us making it an all round amazing trip! I had never been down that way before, and it’s not your stereotypical Coal mining town as far as lifestyle is concerned! You live right near the ocean, the scenery is green and fresh, the town is right near Sydney for all those big shoppers and the surf looked great! I had no idea! Definitely not a bad place to visit, and definitely not a bad place to work either! I learnt a lot from this trip, and hope to be lucky enough to attend next year’s conference!

Vacation Work over the 2007/2008 Break - Cannington

Over the 07/08 Chrissy Break I was lucky enough to get offered a vacation job out at BHP Billitons Cannington Operation. Located in northwest Queensland, Cannington is a fly-in, fly-out mining and processing operation that has grown to become the world’s largest and lowest cost single mine producer of both silver and lead. I was offered a placement as a student environmental advisor!? This was a bit of a surprise (me being chemical engineering and all), but I m not one to pass up a great offer and took the job!!

It was an awesome experience, I was working an 8/6 roster with 12.5 hr shifts and living in the temporary camp set up for over 300 contractors. The camp was great, with a Gym (and personal trainer :P), swimming pool, footy field, tennis court, mini golf, BBQ and bar. Being an Enviro on site turned out to be a 24hr thing - Whenever an injured animal was spotted on site, cattle snuck onto site, or the goanna at camp was stealing peoples steak off the BBQ, it was our job to go sort it out. I learnt how to chase - and beta yet - actually herd cattle, not get bitten by goannas and snakes, 4wd on all the sites dirt roads (which only enviros where allowed to do), and in general appreciate the impact the mine was having on the area and the animals that lived there.

The environmental dept was a small group of people who took great care of me and made my time at Cannington memorable. Daily activity involved meetings with the HSEC Dept, various monitoring, and constant data collection/analysis/reporting. I attended various inspections at both the Mine Site and Yurbi Rail facility, aswell as data collection and tracking from the Townsville Port facility.

Although the work may not have been directly related to Chemical Engineering, I had an amazing time at Cannington and am grateful that I was given such a great opportunity! If you're ever offered a job that's not quite what you had in mind, remember life is full of surprises - take the chance and use every opportunity you can to try new things!