An industry born of rocks and rugby

Never a more natural fit has been plaited. From rugby fields in Mount Isa to Charters Towers, to university research stations to Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, there will be miners. The recent Noosa Mining Investor Conference was a case in point. At least two Wallabies from the great days of Australian Rugby were represented. Nick Farr-Jones. Captain and scrum half in the 1991 World Cup-winning side Nick Farr-Jones was there representing Taurus Funds Management. John Welborn was in the Wallabies scrum after Farr-Jones retired and played six internationals between 1996 and 1999. He is the most capped Waratahs player, with 63 games between 1994 and 2000. Mr Welborn represented Fenix Resources at the conference as executive chairman. Another hulking forward Simon Wensley represented both Metro Mining as managing director and Welsh Rugby at the conference. The conference also hosted Ballymore Resources, represented by managing director David A-Izzeddin and his rugby-loving mining engineer and company director Andrew Gilbert. That’s just the start. John Welborn – Fenix Resoruces The link between the rugby and mining was clear, said John Welborn - who describes rugby as a passion, a pastime and an ambition. Fenix Resources executive chairman John Welborn “What I do at Fenix (Resources) is not unrelated to how I would describe rugby to people who don't perhaps value the benefit of the sport in that it is designed to cater for lots of different types of athletes,” Mr Welborn said. “We've got these geologists, they're incompatible with mining engineers in the same way as there's forwards and backs and you've got the accountants and the miners and the financiers and the investors. “The job I love is bringing all of those different aspects together. You need all of these different elements. “And I think, look, rugby's helped me meet people. It's obviously shown me the world. It imbibed a passion for travel that I've used in my mining experience, but I think also a bit of resilience.” Related: Vale Barry Sullivan, mentor, miner and rugby enthusiast Simon Wensley – Metro Mining Welshman Simon Wensley has played rugby on three continents and learned French and Japanese in line with his career with Rio Tinto industrial metal. Metro Mining chief executive officer Simon Wensley. “Look, there're a lot of parallels that you can draw,” Mr Wensley said. “Rugby is very much a team sport and you very much rely on your teammates to back you up all the time. And I think the same goes for the mining business. “I think in safety, particularly in a mature safety culture, you're looking for your mates to watch out for you and to back you up in what can be dangerous, hazardous conditions. “So, there’re a lot of parallels you can draw and certainly the best teams that I've worked with do stand out like a rugby team. And I think it's something that, as a leader, I try and draw on quite often.” David A-Izzeddin – Ballymore Resources Could the love of the game they say ‘is played in heaven’ be more obvious? Directors went with their hearts in paying tribute to Queensland’s spiritual home of rugby when considering a name for their company. Ballymore Resources managing director David A-Izzeddin and company mining engineer Andrew Gilbert. Managing director David A-Izzeddin worked under former Xstrata boss Charlie Sartain in his early days at what was then the Carpentaria Gold Ravenswood operation. Charlie ‘encouraged’ them to play in the Burdekin Sevens each year, Mr A-Izzeddin said. “Charlie was a very big believer and he loves his rugby as well, and so there was always a pretty strong culture at Mount Isa of people playing rugby up there. “It was great. Rugby has been a big part of our lives and careers, basically running through it … and Andrew Greville, who's our chairman, he's also a mad keen rugby follower and lives just down the road from Ballymore.” Ballymore mining engineer and director of operations, retired player and ACT Brumbies supporter Andrew Gilbert joked he would have played for the Wallabies but wasn’t good enough.

An industry born of rocks and rugby

Industry Queensland

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