Glencore Australia copper boss Mike Westerman used the Cloncurry C150 Mayor’s luncheon to talk about the region’s rich mining history.
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“Mining has been one of the founding pillars and one of the economic strengths for Cloncurry for well over 100 years,” Mr Westerman said.
“From the day Ernest Henry ventured west from Hughenden station and discovering significant deposits (of copper) at Great Australia, Argylla and Mt Oxide, mining has been central to the Cloncurry story.”
Mr Westerman, who has an association with Ernest Henry mine since he came to manage the operation in 2007, said he found the story of Cloncurry’s founder inspiring.
“Not many have achieved more in his lifetime than him,” he said.
“He probably did more for north Queensland than any other man and it’s fitting our mine (in Cloncurry) is named after him.”
Mr Westerman said several deposits were discovered in the 1880s nad bgooming world copper prices in the early 1900s gave the industry another spur on.
“An extension of the great northern railway line from Townsville stimulated further development,’ he said.
“The township of Kuridala was established in 1911 and the town expanded, you can imagine Kuridala in its heyday it had six hotels, five stores, four billiard saloons, three dance halls and a cinema, as well as two ice works and one aerated waters factory.”
Mr Westerman said both world wars also stimulated demand for minerals in the region.
“And then in 1923 a little place up the road was discovered called Mount Isa and that brought more exploration and investment to the area,” he said.
Mr Westerman said the find at Ernest Henry was discovered in the early 1990s and the mine was opened in 1997, with enough copper to sustain a future expected to 2030.
He also uranium also played a big role in the Cloncurry story with the discovery at Mary Kathleen in 1957, at the time it was largest deposit of uranium in Australia.
“Today mining at Ernest Henry and up the road at Dugald River (MMG’s zinc mine set to open in 2018) still play a significant role to Cloncurry’s economic viability,” he said.
“Key infrastructure like the airport, the piping of water from Lake Julius, and sporting events are a direct result of mining investment in the community”.