Regional Oral History Office University of California The Bancroft Library Berkeley, California Western Mining in the Twentieth Century Series Roy Woodall AUSTRALIAN GEOLOGIST, 1953 TO 1995: SUCCESS IN EXPLORATION FOR GOLD, NICKEL, COPPER, URANIIUM AND PETROLEUM Interviews Conducted by Eleanor Swent in 2004 Copyright © 2006 by The Regents of the University of California Since 1954 the Regional Oral History Office has been interviewing leading participants in or well-placed witnesses to major events in the development of northern California, the West, and the nation. Oral history is a method of collecting historical information through tape-recorded interviews between a narrator with firsthand knowledge of historically significant events and a well-informed interviewer, with the goal of preserving substantive additions to the historical record. The tape recording is transcribed, lightly edited for continuity and clarity, and reviewed by the interviewee. The corrected manuscript is indexed, bound with photographs and illustrative materials, and placed in The Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley, and in other research collections for scholarly use. Because it is primary material, oral history is not intended to present the final, verified, or complete narrative of events. It is a spoken account, offered by the interviewee in response to questioning, and as such it is reflective, partisan, deeply involved, and irreplaceable. ************************************ All uses of this manuscript are covered by a legal agreement between The Regents of the University of California and Roy Woodall, dated January 22, 2004. The manuscript is thereby made available for research purposes. All literary rights in the manuscript, including the right to publish, are reserved to The Bancroft Library of the University of California, Berkeley. No part of the manuscript may be quoted for publication without the written permission of the Director of The Bancroft Library of the University of California, Berkeley. Requests for permission to quote for publication should be addressed to the Regional Oral History Office, The Bancroft Library, Mail Code 6000, University of California, Berkeley 94720-6000, and should include identification of the specific passages to be quoted, anticipated use of the passages, and identification of the user. It is recommended that this oral history be cited as follows: Roy Woodall, “Australian Geologist, 1953 to 1995: Success in Exploration for Gold, Nickel, Copper, Uranium, and Petroleum,” an oral history conducted by Eleanor Swent in 2004, Regional Oral History Office, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, 2006. Roy Woodall TABLE OF CONTENTS—ROY WOODALL PREFACE i ROY WOODALL CV xv INTERVIEW HISTORY xxi INTERVIEW 1: JANUARY 21, 2004, HEARST MINING BUILDING, UC BERKELEY Minidisc 1 1 Birth and childhood in Perth, Western Australia, Depression years—education and night school at the University of Western Australia—choosing mining and geology—first job at Western Mining Corporation—mining innovations in 1930s-1940s, mapping rocks—work clothing and safety equipment—increasing awareness of mine safety—summer jobs with WMC as a student—English Speaking Union scholarship to UC Berkeley in 1955—friendship with Professors Ed Wisser and Charles Meyer INTERVIEW 2: JANUARY 22, 2004, HEARST MINING BUILDING, UC BERKELEY Minidisc 2 17 Post graduate studies at UC Berkeley with English Speaking Union and Fulbright—marriage to Barbara Smith with the help of Frank Espie—journey from Australia to Berkeley via Canada— Berkeley research, focus on chemistry, copper—decision to return to Australia and WMC in 1957 with young children Jennifer Anne and John Paul—WMC’s focus on scientific exploration—other mining companies in Australia—Woodall’s vision of mineral exploration—WMC office setup in Kalgoorlie—expanding market for aluminum—discovery of bauxite deposits—environmental concerns—1957 Tarraji River project and experimentation with geochemical prospecting—Flying Doctor Radio Network Minidisc 3 37 Talc deposit in Coodawa farm—assessing the grade of the Mount Charlotte gold mine, 1962—sphere of influence limited to Kalgoorlie—establishment of the WMC’s study leave sabbatical program Minidisc 4 41 WMC study leave program—Kalgoorlie South End project—multi-disciplinary exploration teams— challenges of using geophysics to find gold in Australia—professional rift between Don Campbell and Mr. Brodie-Hall—1964 memo from Woodall to “Brodie” regarding base metal exploration in the Western Australia goldfields—request for small budget for base metals exploration—exploring for nickel, resulting nickel boom—Poseidon Boom—environmentalist concerns at Kambalda INTERVIEW 3: JANUARY 22, 2004 Minidisc 5 61 Unique aspects of Kambalda nickel sulfide deposits—1967 sabbatical—time in Southern Africa with Anglo American and Newmont—travel with the family to California, with stops in Fiji, Honolulu and San Francisco—visits to mines in Canada—return to Australia and becoming Chief Geologist—using aboriginal people as prospectors—missed opportunity for gold at Goanna Patch—discovery of copper in Warburton Range and partnership with aboriginal people—1971 family vacation to Cattle Pool in which toddler Geoffrey is lost and then recovered by an aboriginal tracker—1970 search for uranium in Yeelirrie and subsequent discovery of world-class deposit INTERVIEW 4: JANUARY 23, 2004, THE BANCROFT LIBRARY Minidisc 6 77 Declining government job offer in mineral resource discovery and utilisation—new approaches to extracting gold: carbon-in-pulp and carbon-in-leach processes—the State Committee of the Commonwealth Scientific Industrial and Research Organization, CSIRO—work with Douglas Haynes to discover gold, uranium and copper at Olympic Dam 1974-1976—focus on South Australia—team cooperation and combined scientific disciplines—1976 drilling of hole No. 10 and final success Minidisc 7 89 Disintegration of Olympic Dam discovery team: Tim O’Driscoll, Hugh Rutter, Douglas Haynes, Dan Evans and Jim Lalor—recruiting good scientists and team-workers for WMC—WMC company culture of dedication to discovery of mineral resources for the national good—relations with aboriginal people—ongoing relationship with aboriginals of Warburton, 1960s-early 2000s— Kalgoorlie-Lake View company beset by financial troubles, sells 48% of company to Homestake for $3 million and guarantee of additional $5 million—global price of gold in 1970s and 1980s—WMC’s Exploration Division searches for gold in the mid-western United States—Brazilian government funds WMC’s search for copper in Brazil, 1978 INTERVIEW 5: JANUARY 26, 2004, HEARST MINING BUILDING Minidisc 8 101 WMC tradition of naming mine shafts for drillers, e.g. Whenan Shaft and Lunnon Shaft—Australian state politics and permission to extract minerals—1980s as a watershed decade for WMC—Managing Director shifts from being a technical expert to being a lawyer—new technology: atomic absorption spectroscopy—discovering gold in the St. Ives district—1980 partnership with Alcoa to explore Brazilian copper resources—1983, the Emperor Gold Mine in Fiji—staying abreast of current science, publishing, the lecture circuit—exchange with Chinese—recognition and honors in academia and industry—importance of mine-site documentation—Alcoa withdraws funding for Brazilian copper exploration, 1985—G10 garnets and exploration of diamonds in Canada Minidisc 9 118 G10 garnets and exploration of diamonds in Canada—WMC directors unwilling to invest in Canadian exploration—1992, BHP discovers Lac de Gras diamond field in Canada—WMC technical experts have diminishing influence over company decisions—discovery of Jenipapao gold mine in Brazil, 1992—missed opportunities for gold exploration in the western United States—exploration for gold and diamonds in Liberia disrupted by civil unrest—seeking mineral development opportunities in Western Pacific, New Zealand, and the Philippines—attempt to buy El Indio mine in Chile—research on silicon carbide ceramics—Bronze Wing and Jundee gold discoveries in the Yandal Belt—Camp Bird in Colorado Minidisc 10 133 Exploring for nickel in Northern Ontario, Canada—diamond exploration techniques in Australia— new deposits found near existing mines: nickel sulfide in Kambalda and gold in St. Ives, early 1990s—claim dispute over Ernest Henry copper discover in Queensland—summary of WMC business in 1980s INTERVIEW 6: JANUARY 27, 2004, HEARST MINING BUILDING Minidisc 11 137 Late 1980s and technical innovations to extract heavy metals from water using bacteria— recommendations to WMC leadership to promote current scientific knowledge in the technical ranks—discovery of “Woodallite”—long term vs. short term investment pressures—Woodall and other scientists having less and less influence over exploration as WMC leadership encounters pressure from financial fund managers, 1990s—emerging concern and pressure regarding environmental impacts and rights of aboriginal people—the multidisciplinary International Mineral Exploration Strategy Study assesses 123 countries—changes in recruiting for Exploration Division— the Geographical Guild system—retirement from WMC consulting work INTERVIEW 7: JANUARY 27, 2004 Minidisc 12 153 Visiting Australian and international universities to recruit top graduates as a consultant for WMC— 1972 purchase of Flinders Petroleum in Cooper Basin—1977, petroleum exploration budget reaches $3 million per annum—WMC petroleum interests grow in Australia and abroad during the 1980s and early