Monthly Archives: May 2017

WASMA Alumni > Resources > News > 2017 > May
11May

WASM Alumni Global Fashion Brand

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Stephanie Russo May 10 Kalgoorlie Miner

Bel Capello, is the business of WASM Alumni Holly Kiely,  along with her Mum Jennine Kiely and friend Jes McKenzie.

This coming Saturday May 13 the fashion brand will be launching its second collection at Kalgoorlie Town Hall.

Holly graduated from WASM in 2014 as a Mine Engineer, currently working for Barminco. She has always loved fashion and with her best friend, Jennine Kiely (her Mum) founded Bel Capello. The business moved into millinery design when searching for hats to complete her models’ looks.“We were looking at a minimum of $300 for a custom-made piece of millinery,” she said. Instead, she decided to create her own, together with her mother Jennine, who lives in Queensland. The WASM motto “make it happen” “It’s challenging at times, but we send a lot of photos and we spend hours designing over the phone,” Ms Kiely said. She also teased that several surprise announcements would be made on the night. “We’re really excited to be making the biggest announcement of the business so far, at the event, and about the opportunities and international exposure that we are offering to other local Kalgoorlie girls,” she said. Holly Kiely added she was looking forward to celebrating at the after-party “with all our Goldfields community”. “It’s really important that we stay true to our roots and stay true to our community,” she said. All pieces from the collection will be available for sale after the launch. “We’re going to limit our custom appointments and mainly sell from the collection but we can do variations in colours (for clothes) from the collection,” Ms Kiely said.

10May

WASM Alumni Awards 2017 Life Membership to Founder of WIMWA

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The WA School of Mines Alumni Council is delighted to announce it has awarded the 2017 Life Membership Award to Sabina Shugg.
Sabina Shugg is a 1993 Mining Engineering graduate and has made a significant contribution to the Alumni over a 10 year period of continuous service as a council member and as a prominent member of the mining fraternity.

Sabina has been a very effective at introducing, providing and contributing to:

  • the increase in female WASMA members
  • the increase in female enrolment to WASM
  • an increase in secondary students studying STEM subjects especially females.
  • introducing major sponsors to WASMA programs
  • providing links to political and industry leaders
  • contributing to the mentoring program
  • Forming a long term partnership between WASMA and WIMWA
  • contributing to WASMA matters using her extensive external network
  • Very effective at helping and guiding members of the council and the COO.

Sabina has almost singlehandedly been a beacon and pathfinder for women in mining which is extremely important to the function and success of the Alumni.

In addition to her contributions to WASMA she has been widely recognised by her peers and other institutions

  • 2008 MBA @ UWA
  • 2003 Founder and Director of Women in Mining WA. A Partner with WASMA
  • 2010 Inaugural Women in Resources Champion in the Chamber of Mines and Energy of Western Australia Women in Resources Awards, for being an outstanding role model to people in the resources industry and the broader community.
  • 2011 One of the first 100 women to be inducted into the WA women’s Hall of Fame
  • 2013 Woman of influence award winner by the Australian Financial Review
  • 2013 Named as one of the 100 Global Inspirational Woman in Mining
  • 2015 Awarded an Order of Australia for her significant service to the mining industry through executive roles in the resources sector and as a role model and mentor to women
  • 2016 Curtin’s Alumni Professional Achievement Award
10May

2016 Graduate follows in big brother’s footsteps at WASM

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Josh Chiat Kalgoorlie Miner Monday May 8

Fifty years ago Max King graduated from the WA School of Mines, ahead of a career that saw him become a lecturer, one of the most respected prospectors in the State and a pioneer in the local drilling industry.

In fact he literally wrote the book on drilling — the Australian Drilling Industry Training Committee’s Drillers Manual to be precise.

But there were few more special moments in the mining industry for Coolgardie’s King than on Friday night, when his youngest brother David graduated for the first at the same ceremony his 1967 graduating class was honoured.

David, the youngest of 10 children born to acclaimed local historian and Kalgoorlie-Boulder Walk of Fame award recipient Norma King, was just five when former Amalgamated Leaseholders and Prospectors Association president Max graduated.

Now he holds a diploma all of his own, a graduate diploma in Mineral Exploration Geoscience awarded at the WASM graduation ceremony at the WMC Conference Centre on Friday night.

The mine foreman, who works at Pantoro on the Nicholsons Find Gold Mine near Halls Creek, said his journey started with fish fingers at his brother’s prospecting leases in the early 80s.

“He used to get me out to dig all the holes for him. He’d offer me as many fish fingers as I could eat and I’d dig a hole for him,” David said.

“Him and his partner Frank they used to mash up the potatoes and give me fish fingers and I’d keep digging all day.

“When we started I used to visit his shows out there, you’d getdigging underground and start looking for the little veins of gold.”

Having his older brother at the ceremony was the icing on the cake for David, who initially planned to be the black sheep in a family of academics driven by their late mother’s thirst for knowledge.

“It meant the world, he’s been driving me through all these years like all the other members of the family,” David said.

“Coming out of the Depression mum drove everybody to be academics and I just showed her my hands and said ‘I’m going to be like dad, earn a living with my hands’.

“After a while I thought looking at mum, she wrote a few books around the place and kept active in the mind, and she said to me ‘you’ve got to keep your mind active’, so I followed that lead.”

The moment enhanced the nostalgia trip for Max, who was honoured alongside fellow 1967 graduates Cecil Pearson, Adrian May, Eugene Dombrose and Geoff Carroll.

“It was very special, a lot of memories came back today … but walking around the old school where I used to work and where I studied was quite special and having my brother here as well was very special,” he said.

03May

Teachers say major change needed to stop students drifting away from STEM subjects

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ABC Goldfields

By Sam Tomlin

Posted

In an era where children and teenagers are using technology at unprecedented levels, why are they no longer keen to study the subjects that underpin it?

It is a question that has baffled education authorities, with high school enrolments in science, technology, mathematics and engineering (STEM) slumping to a two-decade low.

WASM’s Dr Guang Xunow spends time in primary school class rooms helping teachers excite the students with practical scientific projects.

Read More

01May

WASM geology student shoots for the stars with NASA

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A WASM Curtin University geology student will study interstellar dust with NASA after being selected for a three-month internship at the Johnson Space Centre in Houston Texas.

Nicole Nevill, who is currently studying a PhD in Applied Geology, will head to Houston in June to research whether there is a potential link between interstellar organic compounds and the origin of life itself.

Ms Nevill said the internship was an exciting opportunity and she was honoured to be selected to contribute to the upcoming research project with NASA.

“I have always been fascinated with the concept of space and the mysteries and challenges that surround it, so when the internship with NASA came up it seemed like a once in a lifetime opportunity.” Ms Nevill said.

“Throughout my internship, I will have the opportunity to study the link between these organic compounds and life on Earth and present my findings to a team of NASA researchers after the three months is up.”

“Being able to work alongside NASA researchers is a dream come true and I look forward to using the skills and knowledge I learn from this internship in my future career.”

Ms Nevill is currently studying primordial components within primitive meteorites at Curtin, which can determine the early formation of the environment, evolutionary processes and the formation of our solar system.

Ms Nevill’s PhD Supervisor, Professor Phil Bland of the WA School of Mines, Curtin University, said it was a fantastic opportunity for Ms Nevill to conduct research into organic compounds in space.

“Not many students get the opportunity to spend three months working directly with top NASA researchers and we wish Nicole all the best during her time in Houston.” Professor Bland said.

Ms Nevill was also awarded the Victorian Space Science Education Centre-NASA Australian Space Prize for top planetary sciences honours in Australia for Geology.

You can listen to the ABC interview here

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