“If there is no way, we will make a way,” Henty Gold Mine general manager David Pelchen concluded after the pouring of the mine’s first gold bar under Diversified Minerals on Monday.
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The quote, from mining and railway investor Bowes Kelly, described the will and drive to build the Abt railway from Queenstown to Strahan in 1899.
Channelling the pioneer spirit, the company is pushing forward and building its operation at the Henty Gold Mine site which was in care and maintenance for several months.
In just under eight months, the operation has gone from a short term plan to a tangible reality – its first 300 ounce bar of gold.
“In June there was a plan to start, in August miners were on site and in September we had our first blast – to do that in two months was a fantastic achievement,” Mr Pelchen said.
“It is a credit to everyone on site and the ownership that has been taken [of the process] to make it a success.”
Mr Pelchen said the operation needs to produce 1600 ounces of gold per month to get ahead and cover costs.
“It produced 1.5 million ounces in its 20 year mine life, and from my experience of mining, there is nothing to say that this isn’t just the start,” he said.
By June 2017, the company hopes to have a year plan in place.
Mr Pelchen said success in the operation was about running as efficiently as possible to save on costs.
Premier Will Hodgman and Minister for Resources Guy Barnett welcomed the pouring of the first bar from Diversified Mineral’s operation, describing it as a “great occasion symbolically”.
“It also marks the beginning of the mine providing a return on the company’s strong investment,” Mr Hodgman said.
Mr Hodgman said jobs were a top priority of the government and he was pleased to see the creation of more than 100 jobs in a regional community
“We commend the company for its investment and also its commitment to employing local workers, which is ensuring the benefit is shared across the community,” he said.
Resources Minister Guy Barnett said the resurgence of the mine showed that “mining and mineral processing has a great future in Tasmania.”
“Commodity prices are on the up, and as we can see at Henty, the West Coast forms part of one of the most mineral-rich districts in the world,” Mr Barnett said
“Through our Mineral Exploration Investment Attraction Plan and our new $1.4 million Geosciences Initiative, the government is working hard to encourage investment to create more jobs.”
Mr Hodgman thanked the company for a “significant investment” and its “confidence and commitment”.
