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COVER

magazine was interviewing Sandfire Re- up, the feat of identifying mineralisation ried the most boxes or packed the most
sources NL technical director John Ev- in the middle of nowhere and taking an bags during the set-up of Paydirt confer-
ans about something the company had early-stage discovery through the con- ences (Editor’s note: it’s the Editor), the
hit at Doolgunna. ceptual stages to financing and produc- all-hands-on-deck approach extends be-
As Evans carefully explained that tion is something truly admirable. yond the office block on 1297 Hay Street.
Sandfire was encouraged by evidence The adventure mining and exploration The long list of people willing to lend
of Paleo-Proterozoic volcanic and sedi- companies take, and the responsibili- Paydirt a hand is humbling and reflec-
mentary basins, not the more Archaean ties people assume to find a deposit and tive of the spirit and sincerity instilled by
volcanic stratigraphy of other VMS de- make it economic is also something to Chairman Bill Repard.
posits in WA, his excitement was as obvi- be revered. To able to share part of that There’s no task too big or small for Bill
ous as my lack of comprehension of the journey through Paydirt is a great hon- and there is an extreme comfort in fol-
subject. our and to be able to visit places such as lowing his lead knowing a genuine good
One thing I did understand was that Burkina Faso (later this month it will be is being done.
Sandfire was trading at less than 30c/ for a third time) and Morocco with Kas- Thanks for setting the path Bill, and to
share on the day I ventured into the com- bah Resources Ltd (my first ever over- Dominic Piper, thank you for keeping us
pany’s Ventnor Street office. A decade seas site visit for the magazine) makes on it.
on, Sandfire had well and truly arrived on the Paydirt experience thoroughly en- I’m sure colleagues past and present
the back of the DeGrussa discovery that joyable. will attest to the indelible impact you have
year and now with the takeover of Mod While jet setting across the world fol- at Paydirt, not just as a professional, but
Resources the company enters another lowing enthusiastic and brave resources as a mate, which makes work easy.
phase of life. companies has provided so much fun Thank you both for the mateship and to
Discoveries such as DeGrussa have and memories, a true sense of satisfac- all my colleagues:
been elusive and industry continues to tion is seeing the Paydirt family pull to-
lament the lack of exploration success. gether throughout the year. All the best, Mark A.
While world-class discoveries have dried Despite the nuances of who has car-

Michael Iron Ltd, who were the inaugural major in the industry over the past six years,
When I look back at what has unfolded
sponsor of the Perth Scorchers cricket
Washbourne team. I also knew Perth Glory Football the clear standout for me is the emer-
Club chairman Tony Sage had made gence of the Australian mid-tier gold
his fortune through mining, so maybe I sector, led by Northern Star Resources
wasn’t going to be that out of my depth if Ltd and Evolution Mining Ltd.
I could keep making these sporting con- Northern Star made its first big acqui-
nections. sition at the end of my first month at Pay-
While it probably wasn’t my knowledge dirt. A few weeks later, I spoke to Evolu-
wasn’t sure what to expect when I ar-
I rived at Paydirt’s office in West Perth of the sporting interests of mining execu- tion chairman Jake Klein about his grand
for a job interview with Editor Dominic tives that got me over the line, what I can plans to build a “globally relevant, mid-
Piper in October 2013. I knew next to confirm is I’m still at Paydirt six years tier gold miner”. I’ve never been one to
nothing about the magazine and maybe later and have loved every minute of it. boast about breaking stories or predict-
only a tiny bit more about mining. My first interview was with Azumah ing a sequence of events, but what I can
The one thing I did know was I wanted Resources Ltd managing director Ste- say is I had a feeling back then that I
to remain in journalism, having spent phen Stone and I had to sheepishly tell needed to keep in regular contact with
four months on the sidelines following him I knew nothing about mining. I still Klein.
redundancy. I had been a sports journal- vividly remember his witty response: I’d been fortunate to brush shoulders
ist and knew that industry well. I didn’t “Don’t worry, Michael, not many in this with the likes of Adam Gilchrist, Mat-
have to think too hard about what sto- industry actually do.” thew Pavlich, Lleyton Hewitt and Robbie
ries I needed to be chasing or how they At the suggestion of Paydirt chair- Fowler during my time as a sports jour-
should be written. man Bill Repard, I made a concerted nalist. Now I’ve traded them for the likes
Despite growing up in Perth, I wasn’t effort to sit down with as many mining of Klein, Bill Beament, Raleigh Finlayson
“separated by six degrees” to mining like executives as I could during my first two and John Welborn, who coincidentally is
so many others. So, how was I going to months. This was my Mining 101, but it another former sportsperson in mining.
convince the Paydirt crew to hire me? also helped me establish contacts and It might not seem that exciting to some-
I breathed a sigh of relief when Domi- trust with people I would likely need to one outside the industry, but I guarantee
nic said good journalism skills were the interview again down the track. once you get to know these people –
key prerequisite for the position. I was My first site visit was to Victoria with among the many others which make this
confident I possessed those. But, the Chris Cairns who was preparing Stavely sector great – you will quickly change
real breakthrough moment for me came Minerals Ltd for an IPO in early 2014. It your mind.
when he said he himself only knew of was a stinking hot day in the middle of Paydirt hasn’t just provided me with a
three mining companies when he started January and I was expecting to see a big job. It’s been a huge part of my develop-
at Paydirt in 2005. hole in the ground. Instead, all I saw was ment as a person and has opened my
I knew four – Rio Tinto Ltd, BHP Ltd, couple of drill collars on a farming prop- eyes to the rest of the world. In fact, be-
Fortescue Metals Group Ltd and Atlas erty. This was my Exploration 101. fore Paydirt I had never travelled over-

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