Page 16 - gmj142-Jan-Mar2-mag-web

NEWS

Making your

mind up

on Manners

by Mark Andrews

on Manners’ The Lonely Libertarian: Turning ideas into
Rgold – then gold into ideas, was not on the list of books
to read in 2020.
However, after Manners’ Queen’s Birthday Honour and
Ron Manners was included in the Queen’s Birthday Honours
2021 West Australian Senior of the Year nomination, interest List 2020 as Officer (AO) in the General Division of the Order
piqued in what the soon-to-be 85-year old’s latest book of Australia for distinguished service to the minerals and
would deliver. mining sectors, and to youth through philanthropic support
for educational initiatives. More recently, he was one of four
A chapter dedicated to withholding taxes from government
nominated as 2021 West Australian Senior of the Year
through the lens of Arthur Seldon – “one of two intellectual
geniuses, the other being Ralph (Lord) Harris” – and
Manners’ 1990 visit to Russia to explain the idea of free “I find there is nowhere in the education system where we
enterprise, were interesting to read and prompted further are taught about the stewardship of other people’s money; I
engagement with Manners to ask exactly what he hoped think that is bizarre. You can’t do what you want to do without
people would gain from reading his latest book. raising capital and it is other people’s money and part of that
Manners spent seven years in the mid-1970s/early1980s is reporting back to them regularly. So, we pick up the little
working hotels in Bali after leaving Australia because of a missing things in conventional education and focus on those
dispute with the Federal Government over taxes. things at Mannkal.”
Upon a truce – where no apologies from either side were Specific to mining, Manners believes the current generation
forthcoming – Manners returned to Australia and created of miners and explorers are “riding on the coattails of a lot
the consistently dividend-paying Croesus Mining, which of people that came before” and he doesn’t “think there is
produced almost 1.3 moz gold in Western Australia’s enough original stuff happening”.
Goldfields. “Mining gets to be a little bit reminiscent of a factory; a
“Hopefully, people will see that some of the ideas I had production line where every day is the same. It was never
worked; nine out of 10 haven’t, but you have to keep coming that and I think people have forgotten that exploration,
up with ideas, create new ideas. If an idea is any good mining and processing; the whole thing is the most creative
suddenly people will appear alongside you or come along industry in the whole world,” Manners said.
with you,” Manners said. “We forget to use the word creativity in mining, and I say it is
“In the case of the Mannkal Foundation, a lot of people came creative because you go out to the middle of nowhere where
out of the woodwork and asked: ‘What can we do for you?’” there is nothing.”
The Mannkal Economic Education Foundation was Manners spends far less time in industry circles these days
established in 1997 to develop free market leaders of the than after he took over the family business – Mannwest
future and was the brainchild of Manners who is particularly Group Pty Ltd in Kalgoorlie in 1955 – and forged his own
active in encouraging youth to challenge today’s norm. reputation with the company before establishing Mannkal.
A student at the WA School of Mines in Kalgoorlie, Manners However, he plans to pass on the pearls of mining wisdom to
has had little other higher education apart from an economics a group of 40 young people during a site visit around Mount
course completed at Notre Dame in 2019. Monger in January.
“If you are enthusiastic and have some good ideas about The visit may well ignite the same passion within a potential
mining and economics, people are curious and want to know new breed of resources people and in the fullness of time it
your ideas. The stuff that you get in conventional education will be revealed whether ideas have been turned into gold
is pretty stifling,” Manners said. and then gold into ideas.

Page 16