The Heritage Committee of The AusIMM aims to foster knowledge about the heritage of the minerals industry among members and the public and to identify and encourage conservation of significant sites, documents and objects.  A better knowledge of past achievements can be a source of pride and motivation for members.

Our reinvigorated Heritage Committee is under the Chairmanship of AusIMM President Peter McCarthy.  The other members of the committee at present are Sandra Close, Chris Davey, Richard Schodde, Tony Webster, Tony Weston, Michael Catchpole, Bob Kininmonth, Ray Boyle, Rod Elvish, and John Dunlop. Members interested in joining the committee are invited to contact Peter McCarthy via the feedback form to the CEO Dept.

A new Charter for the AusIMM Heritage Committee was approved by the Directors at their April meeting, as follows:

Vision - That AusIMM members and the population at large recognise the great contribution made by past and present minerals industry professionals to the community, environment and economy in which they worked.

Purpose - To foster public knowledge about and identify and encourage conservation of significant sites, documents, stories and objects relating to the past activities of minerals industry professionals, recognising that better knowledge of past achievements can be a source of pride and motivation for members. The committee will support and encourage the heritage activities of individual members and branches.

Organisation - The Heritage Committee will comprise volunteers from the AusIMM membership who may be located anywhere in the world. The Committee will use modern technology for communications and meetings to overcome geographic boundaries. The Committee will determine its own priorities and activities with regard to the Vision and Purpose stated above.

Below you will find a list of articles that have appeared in past editions of The AusIMM Bulletin, and also external sources.  Coinciding with the reinvigorated Heritage Committee, The AusIMM Bulletin has recently re-established its “Heritage” section (beginning in the January/February edition of 2008 with Paul Gardner’s Chasing Ghosts).  The Heritage articles are intended to examine how operations, techniques or experiences from the past may have relevance in a modern context.   

Articles for this current “Heritage” series of the Bulletin are being sourced by the Heritage Committee.  The Editor of the Bulletin intends to continue this series of regular Heritage articles in future editions, and members are encouraged to submit material to editor@ausimm.com.au 

Articles from The AusIMM Bulletin

1. McCarthy, P, 1985.  Australia’s First Rockdrill – an Historic Note, Bulletin of Proceedings Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Vol 290, No.2. Reprinted with permission of The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.
2. Bannear, D, 2002. Gold ruins and the Victorian way, The AusIMM Bulletin 3:65-68.
3. Boyle, R F, 2002. The legacies of Mount Morgan, The AusIMM Bulletin 4:62-63.
4. Johns, R K, 2002. Recognition of mining heritage in South Australia, The AusIMM Bulletin 5:58-59.
5. Kininmonth, R J, 2002. Heritage in New South Wales coalfields, The AusIMM Bulletin 6:74-75.
6. Gregg, R, Jones, L S, Buckenham, M and Christie, T, 2003, Heritage-The AusIMM and mining in New Zealand, The AusIMM Bulletin 1:74-76.
7. McKeown, M, 2003. Heritage – more than old things, The AusIMM Bulletin 2: 88-89.
8. Whitehead, J H, 2003. The golden pipeline, The AusIMM Bulletin  3:84-85.
9. McCarthy, P, 2003.  W. S. Round and the Patent Flat Chain, The AusIMM Bulletin 6:95.
10. Heritage New South Wales, Mining the evidence of Wollongong’s coal industry, (Reprinted) The AusIMM Bulletin 2006 5:62-63.
    
    Re-establishment of “Heritage” section – 2008
    
    
11. Gardner, P, 2008.  Chasing Ghosts, The AusIMM Bulletin 1: 71-77. 
12. Tilyard, P, 2008.  Historical ball mill migrates to Australia, The AusIMM Bulletin 2: 68-69.

External Sources

• John J Kelly, FA Govett - The Man. PDF 561 KB.
  Related paper: Economically Mineable Resource in an Underground Metalliferous Mine, J J Kelly and I F Bell. PDF.
• Jones, RR, 1913.  Gold Mining in Central Queensland and the Mount Morgan Mine, printed at The Morning Bulletin office, East Street.
• McCarthy, P, 1992.  Address to Underground Operator’s Conference, Ballarat.
• Wade, J, 2006.Coal man, Australian Mining pp 46-49 November.  (7.5 MB)
• New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, 2007.Coal mine under Sydney Harbour, Minfo issue 85 pp18-19 (NSW Dept Primary Industries).
• Australian Mining History Association

Inauguration of AusIMM Branches - 1893 to present

Based on historical records this documents lists the numerous Branches of The AusIMM and where possible key dates for each Branch. It demonstrates the changing nature of The AusIMM to the changing industry. Member feedback is welcome as are additions to the document. Click here to view the document, PDF

Eureka! The Rush for Gold: State Library of NSW collection

“Eureka! The Rush for Gold” is a new exhibition launched last week at the State Library of NSW and also available online.

The exhibition illustrates the story of the discovery of gold in New South Wales in 1851 and the great rush to the diggings in NSW and Victoria that followed.

This new online collection is made possible through the generous support of St Barbara Ltd, and can be found on the State Library of NSW’s homepage at http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au.  AusIMM member Rodney Elvish (FAusIMM), attended the launch and commends the collection, noting that it would be of great interest to those involved in Heritage, as well as to the education community at schools and tertiary level – and indeed to anyone interested in the early settlement of Australia.