Unprecedented.
A word that is used a lot to describe what is happening in the world right now. I want to reiterate my commitment to members through this period of uncertainty and my availability to those who are struggling through it. Whilst the world around us changes, I do believe our WASMA strategic plan (you can read it here) adequately prepares us for everything, and Council and Johanna have not had to defer from this plan to date. If there was any doubt about gold as a hedge for uncertainty – I think that recent moves in the gold price to record highs are a clear demonstration of its utility in protecting wealth. It is also a timely reminder how valuable it is having a mining school at the heart of the Gold sector in Australia. We have a big six months ahead of us as I plan my exit and handover in October to the new WASMA President (to be elected). I will however, remain on Council to support an orderly transition, through the role of Immediate Past President. Here is Council’s active to-do list (we have a dormant list also!):
Kicking off the 2025 WASMA Mentoring Program. We have been overwhelmed by the response this year. If there was ever a time we needed to support the next generation – it’s now. Teaching them how to navigate uncertainty through our lived experiences of previous recessionary environments. My heartfelt thanks to all those who applied and to our sponsors Bellevue Gold, Sandvik and MMS whose support covers all costs, allowing us to keep this industry-leading offering of high caliber and also free.
Development of the new WASMA website. The draft is looking fantastic, and we thank Andrew and Lerica from Team Agency Marketing for the incredible work. The site has a heap of new functionality and is much easier to navigate. This is the first stage of the website, which we will launch mid-year. Our next stage is to introduce an Alumni only area and also sell merchandise. We have big things planned!
A drive to update our membership database. More on our Membership strategy coming soon. If you would like to help us track down old university friends please get in touch.
Continue to work closely with Curtin University to better the research and educational outcomes of WASM.We have tried to operate in a ‘nose in, hands out’ capacity through our advocacy – but at times, we need to be ‘hands in’. We have seen WASM ‘erode’ over time by small incremental changes. Incremental changes over time add up and whilst we support change – we don’t support it where little thought, proper consultation or accountability follow it. We have a constructive relationship with Curtin University where we debate our ideas openly. Dialogue which is critical in ensuring the needs of academia, industry and policy are met. Next week I will be meeting with Curtin’s VC Professor Harlene Hayne to celebrate our combined success, but also share the concerns our members have.
- Bringing geology back into WASM is something we have in our 3 year strategic plan – and we are working on understanding why it was removed – and how it gets reinstated back to its true home at WASM. The removal of Geology is a disconnect which has severed the interdisciplinary bonds instrumental to WASM and the industry’s success for decades. The longer it continues, the worse it will get for the School and the mining industry. We (Council) cannot see a scenario where Geology remaining in Earth and Planetary Sciences (EPS) is better for our Alumni and industry any longer. After all where do most geologists end up working? It’s not in a laboratory – it’s in the field, in mining operations. There is little crossover with the students anymore – and the only way I can describe this is tragic. It seems illogical that Petroleum Engineering was added to WASM, but geology was removed. Considering Geology is the one thing where there is a cross-over between Mining and Petroleum and Gas in the first place – the decision in our view is non-sensical. Supporting companies corporately is what I do for a living – and a key part of that is leaning on my friends from WASM from other disciplines. The ability to lean on each other is very unique to WASM and recent graduates don’t know how valuable it is, and how important it is when you get into a corporate role. Someone at the university told us “it will never move”. To which I answered “challenge accepted”. Members will get an opportunity to share their view on this matter in a survey set to be released over the next few weeks.
- Curtin University is changing the name of the Metallurgy degree to Minerals Processing from next year. We have rejected this suggestion and have also confirmed with the AusIMM that they were not informed of the change. Minerals Processing and Metallurgy are not the same. There are subtle nuances to both. We see this as yet another blow for WASM (and something which will erode the University brand in industry) if it goes ahead. The decision was based on a theory that a name change will see more students enter the discipline which has struggled to attract students. This move will essentially remove the last remaining metallurgy named degree in Australia – marking the death of a unique skillset that is essential for the extraction of minerals and metals. Further, we do not believe other options have been tested to market such a wholesale change (i.e. significant marketing, scholarships for Metallurgy students, government engagement) to stress test the real reason for low enrolments in metallurgy. Members will also get an opportunity to share their view on this matter in our survey.
We will increase our advocacy at State and Federal levels for the Schools recognition and funding to ensure the needs of industry and academia are adequately met. Recent visits to the School by Hon David Michael, Minister for Mines & Petroleum, Ali Kent MLA, Minister for Kalgoorlie (arguably our biggest champion in politics) and Senator Fatima Payman are just the start. We will be stepping up our advocacy of the School at a State and Federal level as well.
We continue to work closely with other resource groups to strengthen our Alumni brand. In Kalgoorlie, Engineers Australia members now have the opportunity to join our Sundowners for free and in return we receive complimentary use of EA facilities in the Perth CBD. Thank you Susan Kreemer Pickford and team for generously allowing us to use these incredible facilities at no cost. We have also partnered up with the Camborne School of Mines Alumni in Australia for our upcoming Better Together Quiz Night – which is a commitment to strengthen ties to another mining school who is also facing its own challenges. We remain in active discussion with Get Into Resources (Chaired by Jade Singleton), CoRE Foundation (Chaired by former WASMA President, Christian Price) the WA Mining Club (led by Dani Tamati) and the AusIMM (Chair of the Perth Branch, Tony Tang).
Continue to bring all stakeholders of the resources sector to WASM. I was recently in Kalgoorlie with some the largest resources investors in Australia. As one Fund Manager pointed out after seeing all the names on the wall “we have to do everything possible to protect this Institution”. Director of the Kalgoorlie Campus, Tanya Chambers took us around Campus – and it’s amazing to see the changes under Tanya’s leadership and we look forward to supporting you Tanya. You’re making changes which directly affect the quality of student outcomes in Kalgoorlie.
Strengthen our position in Kalgoorlie. The Kalgoorlie Branch members, led by Ron Ellis have also been extremely busy and I just want to give them a shout out for the work they are doing to bring industry to the School. The recent Kalgoorlie Sundowner kindly sponsored by Normet attracted over 170 people and is the largest turn-out at an event we have had outside of our Graduation Dinner and Diggers & Dealers Sundowner.
Changes to tax legislation will also make things more complicated for the WASM Social Club Inc. and there has been a suggestion that it could fall under the Guild. Whilst this issue is not within our remit – we know this news will upset the generation(s) of Social Club members who are members. The Social Club is 100% student run and independent of the Guild (which is a student advocacy body). The Social Club is a critical part of the ‘risk taking’ behaviours, licence to operate, brand and maturity curve that strengthens the graduates who come out of WASM in Kalgoorlie. We feel there is an opportunity to support Students in navigating these tax changes – particularly as the Social Club sub-committees are made up of 4th year students whose tenure is only for one year.
We have started organising the Resources Leadership Summit for March 2026. Building on the success of the 2024 event. It is our long term vision that this will grow in time to be Australia’s pre-eminent annual leadership focused event for resources middle management and Executives. If you know or want to hear from anyone in particular, please let us know. If we get this model right, outside of the holistic benefits of this type of training, the summit will cover the fixed costs of the Alumni in time. This will firm up our balance sheet to survive the cycles and also give us the surplus funds required for Alumni Scholarships. Wouldn’t sending a member on the Harvard Management Course once a year be amazing? Or to WASM’s world-class, Mineral Economics MBA?
We will be conducting a member wide survey The aim is to get feedback on how we are going, and where you want us to go under new leadership. With our elections set for October it’s an apt time for Council to reflect on our plan and adjust it where necessary to meet the expectations of the Alumni.
On downside projection, your Council has a robust continuity plan which sees everyone on Council multi skilled – this starts with a requirement for every Councillor having at least two years on a subcommittee before joining Council. For the first time, we invested in our board sending Dean Vallve, Jessica Bennison and Pearl Martin on the AICD Governance Foundations for Not-for Profits Directors course last year, and Jo Barron-Perry, Brendan Tritton and Jenn Nield will go on this course this year. Ensuring we have good governance in the organisation as we continue to grow protects all of our reputations on the downside whilst also offering our volunteer Council an opportunity to take away valuable skills applicable in their professional careers too.
I want to close by saying a big thank you to someone who recently departed from Curtin University – Niklas Mittmann. Nik was instrumental in deciphering ‘academic’ talk and bridging the gap between Alumni, industry and university. We wish Nik all the best in his new role at the Perth Zoo.
Nik was a great champion for the introduction of Endowed Chairs. If you don’t know what an Endowed Chair is – it’s effectively a Fund in Perpetuity which tops up the salary of a Professor with the interest generated on it so we can get the worlds best teaching at the School. Harvard has US$40b (yes Billion) which generates enough interest to run the entire university.
Do you know how many Endowed Chairs Curtin has (let alone WASM)? 0 (yes, 0).
I think it’s both shocking and disappointing that we have not had this setup before, particularly with an Institution like WASM (an Institution to the State and Country’s success) which is the bedrock of the $200B resources sector in Western Australia. Neil Warburton is spearheading this, with Gabrielle Iwanow, and I hope companies generating significant profits will be open to contributing.
These may be unprecedented times, but protecting the WASM brand and legacy is why we exist. It’s not just beneficial for our members, but also for Curtin University and the whole resources sector.
We move forward confident the combined dialogue of industry, academia and Alimni will create a stronger, safer and more productive sector.
Kyle De Souza
President, WA School of Mines Alumn