PROCEEDINGS of the 25th ANNUAL CONFERENCE In the Footsteps of Moffat Atherton, Queensland 7-14 July 2019 Editors: Jan Wegner, Galiina Ellwood & Ken McQueen th 25 Australasian Mining History Conference 2 © Australasian Mining History Association, 2019. ISBN: 978-1-74088-486-0 Bibliographic reference: Wegner, J., W., Ellwood, G. and McQueen, K.G., 2019. In the Footsteps of Moffat, Proceedings of the 25th Annual Conference, AMHA, Atherton 7-14 July 2019, Australasian Mining History Association, Perth. Editors Galiina Ellwood Jan Wegner, Ken McQueen Review Panel Nicola Williams Mel Davies Nic Haygarth Printed at Cairns, Queensland. Front Cover Image: View of the Vulcan tin mine, Irvinebank, North Queensland 18 (Source: NLA picture) 7-14 July 2019, Atherton, Queensland th 25 Australasian Mining History Conference 3 Sponsors 25th Annual AMHA Conference Loudon House Museum 7-14 July 2019, Atherton, Queensland th 25 Australasian Mining History Conference 4 Message from the Mayor, Tablelands Regional Council It gives me great pleasure to welcome the delegates of the 25th Australian Mining History Association Conference to our beautiful part of the world. Our region has a proud mining history and we are honoured to share our foundations, ancestry and passion for mining. Mining is the core of who we are. Tablelanders have grown from a history of mining and our active and bustling community owes its existence to the pioneers who explored this land for its deposits. Today we are agriculture, tourism, small business, industry, construction, education, forestry, fishing, and so much more. We are multicultural, dynamic and proud of our heritage … all products of our mining beginnings. Welcome to the Atherton Tablelands. Mayor Joe Paronella 7-14 July 2019, Atherton, Queensland th 25 Australasian Mining History Conference 5 Presidents Foreword In the Footsteps of John Moffat On behalf of the Executive of the AMHA it is my pleasure to welcome you to the Association’s 25th Annual Conference. A quarter of a century is a milestone for any organisation. The AMHA held its first Annual General Meeting at James Cook University in Townsville in 1995. It is a little surprising that during the years following we have not until now ventured westward of Cairns to the Atherton Tableland. The theme of this conference is ‘In the footsteps of John Moffat’, reflecting the importance of Scottish-born mining magnate John Moffat in developing the mineral deposits and associated infrastructure of the Cairns hinterland. He was truly a giant of his day. Some will already be familiar with the Palmer and Hodgkinson gold rushes, the legend of a prospector named James Venture Mulligan and the influx of Chinese miners, but the history of mining in northern Queensland also includes pre-contact and post- contact Aboriginal mining. Aboriginal mining across Australia has an enormously long, rich and complex story. During the course of this conference we will also learn about mining in the modern era, and of course the paper and poster presentations will consider mining activity right across Australia and New Zealand. The Annual Conference is vital to the AMHA. People have a chance to present their research, enjoy other people’s discoveries and explore the full range of Australasian mining history. The social component is also important, with old friendships being renewed and new ones established. Putting on a vigorous conference every year is a challenge to which the membership has always risen. I want to thank the team ‘on the ground’ in Queensland, Jan Wegner, Galiina Ellwood and Ruth Kerr, as well as the remotely attached South Australian Peter Bell. Working with the even more remote Secretary-Treasurer Mel Davies, whose legendary skills have been applied to all 25 conferences, they have put together an extremely varied and interesting program. This team has worked tremendously hard to ensure the success of this conference. There are a lot of additional people who have contributed to this event. I want to acknowledge Ken McQueen for editing the conference proceedings, as well as Ross Both and AMHA Vice-President Nick Williams. We appreciate the support of Joe Paronella, Mayor of the Tablelands Regional Council; Tom Gilmore, Mayor of Mareeba Shire; the Herberton Mining Museum (in particular Ivan Searston); the Loudon House Museum at Irvinebank (in particular Peter Shimmin); Mary Bolam, John Nethery and Wendy Hay of the Chillagoe Alliance; Ian Hodkinson, Geology Manager at Auctus Resources Pty Ltd; John and Donna Burton of the Post Office Hotel at Chillagoe; and Mount Mulligan Lodge for allowing us access to Mount Mulligan Township and Coal Mine. Nic Haygarth 7-14 July 2019, Atherton, Queensland th 25 Australasian Mining History Conference 6 Chillagoe Smelters, ca 1918. Source: State Library of Queensland. Irvinebank, 1910. Source: State Library of Queensland. 7-14 July 2019, Atherton, Queensland th 25 Australasian Mining History Conference 7 Transport James Cook University (JCU) is providing us with a 12-seater mini bus and Nightsky Secrets is providing us with a closed in trailer for luggage. Arrival, Saturday 6th July: There will be 4 trips Cairns-Atherton, timed according to arrivals. The trip takes around 1.5 hours. In Atherton: the minibus can collect people from accommodation in the morning. Please ensure you notify the organisers (Jan Wegner or Kal Ellwood) if you need this service. The minibus, and the Atherton International Club booze bus, can return you to your accommodation in the evening. Sunday 7th: There are Trans North bus services as per the timetable below, and one or two minibus collections according to need. Friday 12th: There will be one or two minibus trips dropping people to Cairns in the evening. Sunday 13th: The bus returning from Chillagoe will drop people in Cairns as necessary. Those wanting to return to Atherton will be taken in the mini-bus. Leaving Cairns at 8:45am and 3:30pm. Fare to Atherton $25.30. NB there are no pick ups from Cairns Airport - you will need to join the bus at Platform 1 at the Cairns Railway Station, underneath Cairns Central Shopping Centre. Returning to Cairns: there is an extra charge of $5 to be dropped at the Airport. There is a taxi rank outside Cairns Central Shopping Centre on McLeod St. 7-14 July 2019, Atherton, Queensland th 25 Australasian Mining History Conference 8 Conference Program Summary 7-14 July 2019 Day Times Activities and Locations Saturday Arrival in Atherton Sunday 8:30 am- Field Trip: Mt Mulligan (Ngarrabullgan). Join at the 5:00 pm International Club. Monday 8.30-9.30 am Registration 9:30-9:40 am Acknowledgement of country: Kal Ellwood President’s Welcome Nic Haygarth 9:40-10:30 am Keynote Speaker – Ruth Kerr, In the Footsteps of John Moffat 10.30-11.00 am Morning Tea 11.00-12.00 pm Session 1 Special Address – Jan Godłowski & Monika Dziobek – Motykal, Wieliczka, Poland 12:00-12:30 pm Session 2 Poster Presentations 12.30-1.30 pm Lunch 1.30-3.00 pm Session 3 North Queensland Mining 1 3.00-3-30 pm Afternoon Tea 3.30-5.30 pm Mini Tours – Aboriginal Geology of Atherton 3.30-5.30 pm Advisory Committee Meeting 6.00 pm Reception at the International Club Tuesday 9.00-10.30 am Session 4 Gemstones 10.30-11.00 am Morning Tea 11.00-12.30 pm Session 5 Mining Technology, Methods and Implications 12.30-1.30 pm Lunch 1.30-3.00 pm Session 6 North Queensland Mining 2 3.00-3.30 pm Afternoon Tea 3.30-5.00 pm Session 7 Geotourism, Heritage and Mine Closure Wednesday 8.30 am- Field trip: Herberton Mining Museum and Great Northern 6.00 pm Mine, Irvinebank and Vulcan tin mine. Thursday 9.30-10.30 am Session 8 Mining Heritage 10.30-11.00 am Morning Tea 11.00-12.30 pm Session 9 Ailments, Transport and Song 12.30-1.30 pm Lunch 1.30-3.00 pm Session 10 Mining Personalities 3.00-3.30 pm Afternoon Tea 3.30-4.30pm Session 11 North Queensland Mining 3 Conference Dinner Friday 9.30-11.30 am AMHA AGM (tea and coffee available during meeting) 11.30- 1.30 pm In Memory of Barry McGowan: Lunch and Aboriginal- Chinese Mining 1.30-1.45 pm Close of Conference and Chillagoe trip Information 2.00-3.00 pm Atherton Chinese Temple Saturday - Field Trip: Chillagoe, Mungana, Zillmanton Sunday Return to Cairns and Atherton 7-14 July 2019, Atherton, Queensland th 25 Australasian Mining History Conference 9 Conference Program 7-14 July 2019 Times Activities and Location Sunday 7 July 8:30 am Mt Mulligan (Ngarrabullgan) field trip - - 5:00 pm Monday 8 July 8:30 - 9:30 am Registration 9:30 - 9:40 am Acknowledgement of country: Kal Ellwood President’s Welcome: Nic Haygarth 9:40-10:30 am Keynote Speaker- Ruth Kerr, “In the Footsteps of John Moffat: mining entrepreneur and developer of the Cairns Hinterland.” 10:30 Morning Tea -11:00 am 11:00 am Session 1 Chairperson: Ross Both - 12:00 pm Jan Godłowski and Monika Dziobek – Motyka, “The history of the Wieliczka Salt Mine and the importance of Cracow Saltworks Museum in building an international community of historical mines”. 12:00 Session 2 Posters Chairperson: Jan Wegner - 12:30 pm 1. T.J. Clark, “Mining, Trade Unions and Media: loyalty and liberty during the Great War in north Queensland”. 2. Elizabeth McQueen, Ken McQueen, “Pauline Catherine Speckhardt: The ‘Lady Miner of Kingsgate’, NSW”. 12:30- 1:30 pm Lunch 1:30- 03:00 pm Session 3 Chairperson: Nic Haygarth 1. Ivan Searston, “Herberton: At the Beginning”. 2. Peter Bell, “The Mount Mulligan Coal Mine Disaster, 1921” 3.