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A NEW waterproof boot that offers both comfort and safety is gaining popularity at mining sites. The Crawford boot, designed by podiatrist Penny Crawford, offers a footwear solution for Australian miners that answers many of their problems. Her award-winning gumboot has a specially designed insert that ensures the boot fits without any looseness, and is waterproof. After working in regional NSW for almost 30 years, Penny has treated numerous foot and ankle issues as a result of miners, primarily underground workers, wearing unsupportive boots. "A typical gumboot just doesn't fit. And the Crawford boot addresses that issue with my WedgeTech system, an insert in different sizes, that sits in the pockets at the front of the boot," Penny said. "The...

JUMANJI: THE NEXT LEVEL Dwayne Johnson, DannyDeVito THIS sequel to the well-received Welcome To The Jungle reunites the cast of young friends Spencer, Martha, Fridge and Bethany, who previously entered the mystical video game world of Jumanji by accident and barely escaped alive. The meek and mild Spencer is unhappy ever since leaving Jumanji the first time, having moved to a dead end job in New York and missing his friends. To make matters worse, he’s broken up with Bethany. So he uses the broken Jumanji console from the previous movie and  finds a way to go back in, hoping to resume the life of the hulkish and heroic Smolder Bravestone (Dwayne Johnson), the avatar he was landed with the...

AUSIMM has launched an International Women's Day campaign to celebrate the successes and raise awareness of the challenges women face in the resources sector,  in the lead-up to International Women's Day in March 2020. The campaign will culminate in an event series in Perth, Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Hobart. Expected to attract more than 2000 participants, the luncheons will bring together keynote speakers including former Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and ABC deputy chair Dr Kirstin Ferguson. AusIMM chief executive Stephen Durkin said that as the peak body for resources professionals, AusIMM understands that being a champion of change is about more than one week a year. “At AusIMM we are committed every day throughout the year, to creating...

NORTHERN Star Resources (ASX: NST) has entered into a binding agreement with Newmont Goldcorp to acquire 50pc of the KCGM Super Pit and other tenements in Kalgoorlie, WA, for US$775m, and another US$25m for a separate parcel of tenements close by. Northern Star said it expects its share of the KCGM JV to add 120,000-140,000oz to its 2020 gold production at an AISC of A$1240/oz-A$1340/oz. The US$800m (A$1.16b) transaction is expected to be completed by January 2020, subject to approval from the WA minister of lands, while all economic benefit will transfer from 1 January 2020. Saracen Minerals purchased 50pc of the KCGM JV in November, 2019, from Barrick Gold for A$1.1b. Northern Star’s acquisition will put the iconic Super...

MINING services company NRW has acquired 100pc of BGC Contracting for an equity value of $116.4m and implied enterprise value (EV) of $310m. Essentially, the implied EV is an alternative measure of a company’s value and covers BGC’s market cap including short and long-term debt as well as any cash on the balance sheet. NRW’s chief executive and managing director Jules Pemberton said the company is extremely pleased with the acquisition as it aligns with goals to pursue diverse revenue opportunities. “BGC Contracting has a well-recognised and proud history build around the strong foundations set by the late Len Buckeridge,” Mr Pemberton said. “With an excellent track record supported by a diversified earnings base, extensive fleet and a long history...

LEGO has revealed its biggest ever Technic set, and it’s a replica of a Liebherr mining excavator. Developed in partnership with Liebherr, the 4108-piece model of the 800t, 4000HP Liebherr R 9800 mining excavator comes with an array of true-to-life features and functions, introducing Lego builders to advanced elements of engineering, while the Technic Control+ app puts the builder in complete control of the model. The replica is not only the new flagship of Lego Technic models, but also the first smart device connected kit, which allows programming. The feature enables the user to control the model entirely via a smart device, reproducing the operations and applications of its original Liebherr counterpart. Liebherr-Mining Equipment Marketing Manager Grégory Schuh said it...

IT seems Rio Tinto is getting into the Christmas spirit, announcing a $749m (or A$1b) investment in its existing Greater Tom Price operations to help sustain the production capacity of its world-class iron ore business in the Pilbara. The hub includes Tom Price, Western Turner Syncline Phase 1 (WTS1) and Western Turner Syncline Phase 2 (WTS2) satellite hubs, with main investment in WTS2 expected to facilitate mining of existing and new deposits, and includes construction of a new crusher as well as a 13-kilometre conveyor. The new conveyor system will help lower greenhouse gas emissions from the mine by 3.5pc compared to road haulage and, pending final government approvals, is expected to start construction in early 2020 with first ore...

IN a day and age where the internet is as much a part of our daily lives as food, it`s crucial for every business to have an on-line presence. The mining industry is using digital marketing strategies, including social media, to attract community support, talent and media attention, not only to communicate technical aspects of their projects reactively, but pro-actively as well. Over the past few years, access to information has changed the way the mining business communicates and interacts with their audience. Mining companies in Australia are using stories that connect people and businesses to create a positive agenda for their brand. If you go to Youtube or any other social media platform and browse in any of the...

WA Premier Mark McGowan has jumped on board the Prime Minister’s plans to fast track environmental approvals for resource projects. In his recent speech at the Business Council of Australia annual dinner on November 21, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said environmental approval processes for major projects are overly complex, duplicative and they take too long. “We will partner with the Western Australian Government to develop a system that will reduce approvals times, allow project proponents to submit a single application via a single online portal, track its progress and access a database of biodiversity studies relevant to their project,” Mr Morrison said. “It takes approximately three and a half years for a complex major project to navigate the State and...

DECEMBER 4, commemorated in many countries as Saint Barbara’s Day, celebrates Saint Barbara of Nicomedia (Turkey), the patron saint of miners and geosciences in general. It’s commemorated by the British, Australian, and New Zealand armed forces, and by the United States army and marine corps. Several mining institutions also honour it, such as some branches of the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, and the WA Mining Club. Accounts place the early Christian Greek martyr in the third century in Heliopolis Phoenicia (present-day Baalbek, Lebanon), where she was regarded as one of the 14 Holy Helpers –  a group of saints venerated together in Roman Catholicism because their intercession was believed to be effective, especially against various diseases. Often portrayed...