It’s Kenya, 2011. I’m 23.
The smoke was thick in the ‘enkaji’ or mud hut. But after a while, I had gotten used to the smoke from the acacia, and my eyes stopped burning. Sitting down in the small 2m x 2m space, myself, two of my founding friends Helen and Lakota and four Maasai family members would cram in to eat chapati and tea for dinner. For good measure, I would add a nip of Jameson in the tea for the cold walk at night to the school. “Holy chai” was the name the kids (19 of them, one dad, four wives) gave it.
I’ll never forget that first night. We had finished wiring up the solar panels earlier in the day after a few weeks of rebuilding parts of the deteriorated school, and it was “opening night.” We called the school Ewangan, which means “the light” in the Maasai language of Maa – and it was created for those who never had the opportunity to get an education.
Three volunteers and one qualified teacher sat down with about 10 inaugural students, and we started working through the alphabet. There were men in the room of all ages. Most spoke English and Maa, but none knew how to read and write. As I moved around the room to each student, one grabbed hold of my hand tightly and said, “Please. Teach me more.” His name was Josphat.
After a month of night school, Josphat came into class one evening and, with a gleaming smile, said to me, “I can understand what it says on all the street signs now.” It was in that moment that I realised how important education is. Josphat continued to come to school every single night after herding cattle for 12 hours during the day. He finished the entire Kenyan curriculum to Year 8 in just two years.
This is the power of education to transform lives and the power of opportunity. Is this not the transformational opportunity that WA School of Mines (WASM) has also offered most of us? Education and the opportunity to have the best education in Kalgoorlie is at the heart of why WA School of Mines Alumni exists.
When I came back from Kenya in 2012, Bill Beament asked me to join Council. I had no idea what I was getting into. A year later, I lost my dad to cancer. It hit me like a freight train – but Council took me under their wing. It was the love and support of this community that got me through the turbulence that came with it, and I’ve always felt the need to give back.
This has been the apprenticeship of a lifetime – and I’ve had the chance to work with titans of the industry and emerging titans through four Presidents before me (Tony James, Bill Beament, Raleigh Finlayson and Christian Price ) and their Councils.
But there is nothing like being in the hot seat yourself – and I want to draw your attention to our 2024/25 WASMA Council (Jessica Bennison, Dean Vallve, Pearl Martin, Darren Stralow, Andrew Bell, Jo Barron-Perry FAusIMM, Rohan Bose, Brendan Tritton, Ron Ellis, Jennifer Neild, Phil Plaisted) along with our Kalgoorlie Committee (Ron Ellis, Corin Arcaro, Tim Campbell, Chris Gianatti, Brianna Reid, Vinh (Austin) Nguyen) and our volunteers in Perth and Kalgoorlie, who make this organisation tick.
Nothing we have done in the last three years has been done because of any one person – it has taken a team. Everything has been done following a meticulously curated strategy where everyone has had a hand in making it (thank you, Maurice Argento – you will be called up out of retirement for the next three-year strategy too).
We took advantage of the opportunity we saw in a post-pandemic world to move quickly and invest ‘counter-cyclically’ for our members. After all, this is when our members need us most. So, the team set out to create events that cater to the needs of our very diverse membership base. We have started new events as a result of this strategy; The Resources Leadership Summit (which will hopefully get large enough to one day cover the fixed administration costs of WASMA); The Executive Mentoring Program (which was the brainchild of Dean Vallve which has already produced six (6) executive appointments); The Better Together Quiz Night (who we are now partnering with the CSM Alumni Australia Council to talk about ‘wellbeing’ in a relaxed environment and MineChats are back. Importantly, we wanted to create an opportunity for everyone – and I think we have done that.
But the aggressive strategy is one thing – execution and delivery is what this team has hit for six. It is hours and hours and hours of work – often after a long day’s work, going home, putting a meal on the table for the family, putting them to bed and then getting the laptop out for WASMA. It goes largely unnoticed – and I’m getting a tear in my eye just thinking about what you have all done to deliver. So, to our Councillors and Volunteers in Perth and Kalgoorlie – THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART. I will be hard-pressed to work with a team like this again – and perhaps that is the saddest part of stepping down for me.
To Johanna Gastevich, Tim and the kids. You came on board just after Maddie was born. I was navigating a whole new life – a new baby, running a new charity in a new and different post-pandemic environment and a new job. You helped us create our strategy. You didn’t hesitate to dive in and do what you had to do. You have turned this organisation on its head, and it’s evidently clear from all of the feedback we are no longer the organisation we were. You have brought members back in Perth and Kalgoorlie, we have record sponsorships and a system of governance that has made us a trustworthy partner. You have elevated our brand and helped us create a community that prioritises empathy, compassion and kindness. And your ability to spot ‘dick heads’ has created enough discomfort (to them) that they don’t show up at our events anymore! You have been my rock during some really tough times over the last three years; you’ve protected my time and my sanity and been patient around the demands of my actual job. Thank you, Johanna Gastevich. The scary part about Johanna – she is only just getting started!
We have had incredible success over the last three years – and whilst we have taken a risk to do a lot of things, our sponsors and partners have taken the biggest risk in funding them.
To the management at Curtin University – Vice Chancellor Harlene Hayne, Provost Matthew Tonts and Pro Vice Chancellor Mark Ogden, Head of WA School of Mines (WASM) Mark Buntine FRACI CChem, GAICD and Director of the Kalgoorlie Campus Tanya Chambers – thank you for all of your support and for being open to the view of the WA School of Mines Alumni. We don’t always have to agree, but the interaction of industry and academia is why this school has always been held in the highest regard globally – and I hope this continues. I look forward to working closely with WASM and Curtin University to enhance the university’s standing. Long may this relationship continue, and we look forward to celebrating WASM’s 125th Anniversary in 2027.
To Stuart Tonkin, Simon Jessop and the Northern Star Resources Limited team – you have gone above and beyond as a Platinum Sponsor, taking on three years’ worth of sponsorships to give us the runway to plan and execute without the stress of ‘rattling the tin,’ and showing up to support students in Kalgoorlie and Perth. It still amazes me how you (and others in your senior executive) manage to find time in your busy schedules to show up for our events and programs. Thank you.
To Wayne Scrivens, Kate Bills, Elle C. and the team at Sandvik, who are also Platinum Sponsors – thank you. Kate, you helped us curate a sponsorship package that included events that will build a stronger sector globally. Your three-year sponsorship has also allowed us to take the risks we did with events like the Leadership Summit and bringing the Sandvik Gala Ball to a seated event. We look forward to working closely with you in the future – both on the surface and underground. After all, aren’t WASM graduates bred on orange?
I also want to thank the team at Euroz Hartleys Limited for giving me the space to do what I had to do in this role– especially Tim Bunney our MD and Head of Research, Gavin Allen. Euroz Hartleys has been one of the largest contributors to scholarships at WASM for some time – and their contributions go largely un-notice – and I’m lucky to work for an organisation that has the same values as me personally, but also WASMA.
Lastly, but most importantly to my wife Jamie-Lee. Thank you for understanding my ‘why’ and creating the space for me to answer it. This role has taken a lot of time away from you and Maddie – and the one thing I’m looking forward to most about stepping down is more time with you both.
This job is hard. But there are so many wonderful moments that make it a pleasure. Seeing someone graduate who has been given a hardship scholarship; watching old class mates re-unite after 50 years; watching mentors and mentees turn into good friends. This role is also a delicate balance of managing expectations of members, industry, academia, public policy and diplomacy. It adds stress to your personal and professional life; and takes up the space that was once free time. To our members, sponsors and stakeholders – I hope you will continue to support what this organisation does and our incoming President, Darren Stralow.
Darren has been a shining light for many of us navigating life as young professionals and then into corporate life. For me personally, he has “helped me get back on the horse” after coming off a few times. I feel incredibly humbled to hand over the reins to someone with a reputation as strong as Darren’s, who also has extensive experience on WASMA Council and various subcommittees to ensure the continuity of relationships and our strategy. I am really excited to see what Daz does in the coming years, and I wish you all the best.
There is no other institution like the WA School of Mines (WASM) – and there is no other community stronger than the WA School of Mines Alumni.
I’ll see you all on the dance floor at the WASMA Sandvik Gala Ball on Saturday 8 November 2025. If you haven’t bought a ticket yet, you can do so here.
Be humble. Be kind.
Da Dextram Comitibus.
Kyle De Souza
Outgoing President
WA School of Mines Alumni