The demanding nature of mining seems to make many involved in the industry tough hombres, scornful of governments and regulatory bodies. A journalist friend who once worked underground in a mine said the experience of pitting himself against the earth to yield its riches changed his nature . Down the mine, he , like the rest of the shift, swore like a trooper and there was a distinct, though hidden , element of fear. Listening to the shaft “talk” – make noises- put him on edge as it could be an indication of a looming rock fall. After work, at boisterous sessions with fellow miners, he drank more than he did when a member of the white collar brigade. Mining, he said, with a shake of his head, was a hard, bastard of a life .
Over the years , this writer has had contact with several top miners , including a long session with Lang Hancock in the Wentworth Hotel, Sydney. At the time , he was advocating the controversial view that nuclear explosives should be used in Australia to open new ports in the north and free vast quantities of ore. Only nukes could make some large , low grade ore deposits economically viable, he said .
During the interesting interview he proudly showed me a photograph of himself standing next to the head of a nuclear explosive built by Dr Edward Teller, father of the US hydrogen bomb and a leading light in development of the Cold War Polaris nuclear missile submarine, at an underground testing range in the US. Dr Teller visited Australia as a guest of Hancock and reportedly said a dose of Strontium 90 from nuclear testing fallout could be good for you.
Hancock was in the throas of launching the WA Paraburdoo iron ore project at the time . As a result of a newspaper article I wrote about him , I received a telephone call from an investment company saying it would be willing to lend him many millions of dollars , in several tranches, for the venture, information which I passed on .
Hancock’s annoyance with politicians was such that he backed a new political party , strangely called the Workers' Party, and flew into Darwin in his private jet to campaign for the local candidate, a miner. Hancock said the government no longer ran the country , claiming the expanded bureaucracy in Canberra , communist controlled unions , the manufacturing lobby and the media dictated Australia's course. Australia, he said, should open its doors to all foreign invesment and all restrictions on mining should be removed.
Over the years , this writer has had contact with several top miners , including a long session with Lang Hancock in the Wentworth Hotel, Sydney. At the time , he was advocating the controversial view that nuclear explosives should be used in Australia to open new ports in the north and free vast quantities of ore. Only nukes could make some large , low grade ore deposits economically viable, he said .
During the interesting interview he proudly showed me a photograph of himself standing next to the head of a nuclear explosive built by Dr Edward Teller, father of the US hydrogen bomb and a leading light in development of the Cold War Polaris nuclear missile submarine, at an underground testing range in the US. Dr Teller visited Australia as a guest of Hancock and reportedly said a dose of Strontium 90 from nuclear testing fallout could be good for you.
Hancock was in the throas of launching the WA Paraburdoo iron ore project at the time . As a result of a newspaper article I wrote about him , I received a telephone call from an investment company saying it would be willing to lend him many millions of dollars , in several tranches, for the venture, information which I passed on .
Hancock’s annoyance with politicians was such that he backed a new political party , strangely called the Workers' Party, and flew into Darwin in his private jet to campaign for the local candidate, a miner. Hancock said the government no longer ran the country , claiming the expanded bureaucracy in Canberra , communist controlled unions , the manufacturing lobby and the media dictated Australia's course. Australia, he said, should open its doors to all foreign invesment and all restrictions on mining should be removed.
Hancock announced a plan to build a railway line across Australia taking WA Pilbara pig iron to the coking coal of Queensland. In 1979, his book, Wake Up Australia , was launched by Joh Bjelke-Petersen.
Clearly, Hancock thought he could move heaven , lots of earth and governments. There is no doubt that he achieved the earth part of his ambition and undoubtedly influenced some governments. He eventually made his mark in the heavens when a new planet , discovered in 1993 by a Dr Candy , was named after Lang Hancock.
Whatever you might think about Hancock , the WA mining boom of the past 12 years , which recently helped shield us from the global downturn caused by the GFC , owes a lot to the single mindedness and vision of the man.
Frequently the media describes mining magnates and mine managers as tough, hard headed, ruthless, some with a take- no- prisoners style. The manager of a large NT mine had a reputation for being a no- nonsense kind of person. When I called on him and explained what I was about , he brusquely told me to sit down and I was privy to him firmly dealing with contractors, making himself abundantly clear in telephone calls , issuing precise instructions to the front office, swiftly dealing with paperwork . Much to my surprise, the manager announced it was lunch time and to come home with him.
There, away from the juggernaut mine which demanded constant attention and instant decisions , he was another person: urbane, effusive, with an interest in Australian history and literature . Any information I wanted then and thereafter was willingly provided once he had been able to judge me on the spot. My involvement with another powerful mine manager in Queensland involved informing him that his footloose teenage son , missing for some time, had turned up in Cairns and was fit and well .
Clearly, Hancock thought he could move heaven , lots of earth and governments. There is no doubt that he achieved the earth part of his ambition and undoubtedly influenced some governments. He eventually made his mark in the heavens when a new planet , discovered in 1993 by a Dr Candy , was named after Lang Hancock.
Whatever you might think about Hancock , the WA mining boom of the past 12 years , which recently helped shield us from the global downturn caused by the GFC , owes a lot to the single mindedness and vision of the man.
Frequently the media describes mining magnates and mine managers as tough, hard headed, ruthless, some with a take- no- prisoners style. The manager of a large NT mine had a reputation for being a no- nonsense kind of person. When I called on him and explained what I was about , he brusquely told me to sit down and I was privy to him firmly dealing with contractors, making himself abundantly clear in telephone calls , issuing precise instructions to the front office, swiftly dealing with paperwork . Much to my surprise, the manager announced it was lunch time and to come home with him.
There, away from the juggernaut mine which demanded constant attention and instant decisions , he was another person: urbane, effusive, with an interest in Australian history and literature . Any information I wanted then and thereafter was willingly provided once he had been able to judge me on the spot. My involvement with another powerful mine manager in Queensland involved informing him that his footloose teenage son , missing for some time, had turned up in Cairns and was fit and well .
