The Sydney Mineral Exploration Discussion Group (SMEDG) and the Australian Institute of Geoscientists (AIG) are organizing a one-day symposium in Sydney later this year to honour the contribution of Terry Leach to mineral exploration.

Geologist Terry Leach passed away last year but has left an indelible mark on the mining industry owing to his 20 year contribution to geology and mineral exploration.

The Terry Leach Symposium, Application of Petrology to Geological Models in Mineral Exploration, will be held at the Kirribilli Club, Milson’s Point, on Friday, October 17.

During his geology career Terry worked around the world and particularly in Asia. He had many major mining companies on his client list.

He was managing director of Chartered Mineral Services (CMS) NZ from 1985 to 1995 and of Terry Leach & Co from 1995 to 2007. He was involved in establishment and management of these companies of geologists and petrologists which serve the mining and mineral exploration industry.

Terry was a consultant for more than 100 mining and mineral exploration companies operating in more than 25 countries, mainly around the Pacific Rim. He was a consultant for the United Nations in the Philippines in 1985 and Vietnam in 1986, which saw him involved in upgrading the capabilities of the geological surveys in these countries.

Terry was involved in the development and teaching of in-house company and public training programmes on alteration and mineralization in hydrothermal ore systems. This included an extremely successful short course on structure, alteration and mineralization in Southwest Pacific copper-gold systems in conjunction with Dr Greg Corbett. This course was presented more than 30 times in 12 different countries.

He was co-founder and manager of Asian Mineral Resources (AMR) from 1987-1992. This company carried out exploration for gold, nickel-copper-cobalt and replacement lead-zinc-silver deposits in northern Vietnam. He was also general manager of a joint venture company established between Vietnam government organizations and AMR to carry out exploration and development of the Ban Phuc nickel-copper-cobalt deposit in Son La Province.

Terry was a contract research scientist for the Epithermal Research Unit, Geology Department, Auckland University in 1991; a research associate, Department of Earth Sciences, Waikato University from 2001-2004; and from 1980-1985 was senior geologist/petrologist for Kingston Renolds Thom and Allardice Ltd (KRTA).

Speakers at the symposium are likely to be Greg Corbett, Ray Merchant, Ian Plimer, David Heberlein, John Baldwin, Adrian Fleming, Peter Grieve, Dale Simms, Anthony Coote, Roy Kidd, Mike Erceg, Trevor Neale and Mike Smith.

www.smedg.org.au