TH ATUM POST : TODAYS VOICE OF THE APLA · truest sense or are we simply gold removalists? _...

Copyright 2016 © Amalgamated and Prospectors and Leaseholders Association. Contact [email protected]

Date 08/12/2016 Issue Number 36

THE DATUM POST : TODAYS VOICE OF THE APLA

WHAT’S INSIDE Merry Xmas

Table of Contents APLA UPDATE FOR 2016 ....................................................................................................................................... 2

Whats the latest for APLA

SECTION 40E AND APPLCANTS OBLIGATIONS ........................................................................................................ 4

Section 40e rumblings

ARTICLES SUBMITTED BY MEMBERS ..................................................................................................................... 6

Safety and the Prospector Electrical problems Snake Warning

The annual Saint Barbara's Festival .. EGPA

Tips on detecting

REASONS FOR JOINING THE APLA ....................................................................................................................... 23

BRANCH NEWS .................................................................................................................................................. 25

Perth open day

WESTERN AUSTRALIAN GOLD MINING GHOST TOWNS ....................................................................................... 27

ADVERTISING ..................................................................................................................................................... 30

mailto:[email protected]


APLA UPDATE FOR 2016

What’s going on in APLA lately?

In the past few months APLA has received numerous requests for assistance from members

and non-members alike. If our APLA technical people feel they can assist, one of the first

things we do is to ask people to join! We recently gained a few new members this way.

However, if we feel we cannot help then APLA explains the reasons why and leave

membership option up to them.

There’s not too many issues where we can’t help and all these problems add to our

knowledge base and provide our representatives with case histories which we can present

to various government departments. So keep ‘em coming!

Current issues under discussion, assistance or resolution by APLA:

Three cases of disputes and lack of knowledge over conversion of a Prospecting

Licence to a Mining Lease.

Two cases of Objection to Grant of an Exploration Licence.

Exploration Licence holders expressing concerns that prospectors are not abiding by

the conditions on their Sect 40e permits.

Similarly with regard to private access agreements with various companies and

individuals. No reports are being returned in some cases.

Degazetting and closure of the Mulgarrie Road, north of Kalgoorlie that would

provide a mining company with sole and exclusive access. This is an increasing

problem that’s resulting in companies denying access to what was once a public road.

Excess tonnage applications taking far too long. Under discussion at the Mining

Industry Liaison Committee at which APLA has representation.

Establishing a relationship with the Pastoral and Grazier Association to discuss the

proposal by a privately funded, global institution that has billions of dollars with



which to purchase huge parcels of Western Australia in order to convert them into

National Parks.

.Those are some of the things that chew up our time! But there are plenty of good

things as well:

Bill O’Connor is still with us and doing the vital job of improving the APLA website and

our membership system both of which fell into disrepair a few years back.

Kurk Brandstater has taken over the APLA Treasurer’s job from Bill O’Connor to

reduce the heavy load that Bill was suffering doing both jobs.

APLA’s membership is increasing as our improvements are becoming seen.

At last, we may soon have a “For Sale” column in the APLA Newsletter.

The APLA Newsletter is returning to its roots and we have once again taken up the

title of “The Datum Post” for our APLA journal. I remember it well! Our thanks go to

those who found the old logo for us.

APLA is looking to attract corporate and private advertising once we get our new look

“Datum Post” up to scratch.

A top effort by the Perth Branch of APLA at the APLA Open Day on the 26th

November. I was amazed at how many people were there.

Les Lowe

President, Amalgamated Prospectors and Leaseholders Association (APLA),

Phone 0428679782 or 95009500



SECTION 40E AND APPLCANTS OBLIGATIONS

Sect 40e system rumblings.

As APLA President I get a lot of incidental complaints and brickbats. Some are from

members and some from our industry counterparts. The latest one, only last month was

from a member that I’ve known for decades but is a major leaseholder and player in the

mining industry. He holds a lot of Exploration Licences and is thus the target of a lot of Sect

40e applications. He has no real problem with these providing he gets the exact gold

location reports. Right there, is the problem.

During this season he’s had fourteen Sect 40e application on his ground in the Laverton

area. That’s 42 people across his ground for over two months. However, of those 42

detector operators he’s had only one return report and that was only “forced” by sending a

request to the permit applicant by Registered Post. The other thirteen permits have simply

not produced any report and just ignored the tenement holder. That’s a poor response to a

system that was initiated by APLA several years ago to open up ground for detector

operators. I know the ground concerned very well as I was detecting up there as a

youngster, It’s a prime spot. I find it very unlikely, nay - impossible that no gold was found

by 42 people over two months. It took a long hard battle with the DMP and corporate

miners to get that change to the Mining Act. But here we are now, undermining our own

rights and privileges by ignoring our own obligations and responsibilities. As in things in life,

having a civilised society brings with it an obligation to be civil to others. If we want our

rights respected we must respect the rights of others.

In my opinion as we are undermining the Sect 40e system ourselves by this careless and

inconsiderate attitude. APLA fought long and hard to get this system accepted by the

corporate mining industry. But if we maintain this poor response rates, those corporates

will take it to the DMP to have the system removed from the Mining Act. If that happens we

lose a big chunk of ground that’s available to detector operators. I was talking to a

corporate mining lawyer about another topic only last week and this matter was mentioned

as a rising concern amongst mining companies.

It is our duty to protect our own interests as well protecting the rights of other tenement

holders that are part of the Sect 40e system. If we don’t abide by the conditions explicitly

outlined in the 40e permit system then the tenement holders, both corporate and private

will have every right to campaign to have the 40e system shut down. As APLA President I



fight to obtain, retain and improve our rights under laws, such as the 40e. But if we don’t

do the right thing I won’t have a leg to stand on if I ever try to prevent the industry getting

rid of the 40e. If they start really getting serious then we’re gone. No more Exploration

Licences on which to camp and have a swing

The same points apply if you have a private agreement with a mining company or tenement

holder. If no reports are forthcoming, those companies will stop the practice of allowing

you on the ground. They may even go as far as prosecution but it would be drawing a very

long bow to make a case for illegal mining under such circumstances. Tenement holders are

paying rent & rates for that ground, often hundreds of thousands of dollars per year. They

are allowing us on the ground for almost no cost to us. The least we can do is to provide

them with some useful data and expenditure in return. That data, perhaps only the tiniest

speck of gold could lead to a major gold mine yet we have removed one of the vital clues

which is the alluvial nugget that could be close to a reef. Such a nugget could have been

found in an area that was never considered to be a gold producing area. But we didn’t let

anyone know. As a prospector and a leaseholder myself, I reckon that’s unforgiveable. But

this is not just in terms of financial loss but also in terms of “are we prospectors in the

truest sense or are we simply gold removalists?”

However, the DMP could easily make a case that any Sect 40e permit holder that doesn’t

make a follow up report is barred from obtaining any further such permits. All it takes is a

stroke of the pen to police and apply that condition. No report equal no permits. That

section of the Mining Act already exists but so far it hasn’t been monitored or policed. That

may change if we don’t lift our game.

So to all APLA members, can we please take a little time to knock up a simple report about

any gold found and the time spent looking for it. Even if none was found it’s still an

indication that a tenement holder or a geologist can use when figuring out the jigsaw puzzle

that we call “prospecting”. Even the tiniest nugget or indication could be a vital clue in

searching for an orebody. Nothing is “too small” to be valueless when it comes to clues.

Similarly, the knowledge that nothing was found is also a clue that could rule out any

further exploration funding by a company, thus saving them time and money that could be

better spent elsewhere.

You can assist tenement holder more by making use of private permissions and agreements

rather than Sect 40e. This allows the tenement holder to use your time on his ground as

expenditure which is required under the Mining Act. Having said that, some Exploration

Licence holders are not helpful in giving out such private permits. In that case, use the Sect

40e as your fall back system. Skinning cats can be done in many ways, as we know!



I can send out a pro-form report or a pro-forma private Prospecting Agreement if anyone

can’t do their own. All it needs is for you to enter the data, hard copy or digital. You can

contact me via the email contact on the APLA website at apla.com.au

Les Lowe – APLA President.

ARTICLES SUBMITTED BY MEMBERS

Safety and the Prospector pt3

Before you go bush

Having bitten the bullet getting to know your vehicle and honing your 4WD skills, as well as

developing checklists in such detail that not even an unplanned pregnancy will occur,

you’re feeling fairly confident ahead of the next expedition… but wait!

Are you certain all the bases are covered before departure? Missing anything important?

No? Well my friends, the Department of Petroleum and Mines (DMP) may beg to differ!

DMP’s Resources Safety Branch is developing… “a suite of online guidance material to assist

those who work in these environments in understanding the hazards and managing the

risks”.

You can google this, but one of the many DMP posts for working in remote areas has to do

with, and is in fact entitled, “Staying safe whilst prospecting and fossicking”. Part of this

post – “Before you leave” - is reproduced below:



Before you leave:

Plan your prospecting trip according to your experience level;

Let people know where you are going and how long you expect to be away;

Have a reliable person to act as a contact at home;

Leave behind a copy of maps for the area in which you intend to operate;

Mark the roads you are likely to use and possible camping and prospecting areas;

Leave details of the vehicles and people involved in the prospecting or fossicking trip and telephone/satellite numbers;

Consider having scheduled calls and agree on a back-up plan if the call is missed so it is clear when the alarm will be raised, and

Familiarise yourself with your chosen communication devices before leaving home.

At the risk of value adding to the above, DMP should advise us to develop an emergency

contact list, which you can put together quite easily by accessing relevant numbers on

the internet – numbers which as a minimum should include police, emergency services,

ambulance, and local shire. Check these before you leave.

In addition, you should also have contact details for the relevant person if you are on a

pastoralist lease and those of the leaseholder, if either is applicable for the areas in

which you are legally entitled to detect and/or have permission to do so.

Personally, I like to know where I am at all times, so I study the area before departure

and carry, as far as possible, a paper map. Call me old fashioned, but I have an

unrelenting fear that the device upon which so many of now rely to get us to site and

back might well throw a wobbly at the most inopportune time – let alone the chance of

you blithely following the vehicle in front only to see the driver, who is the IT guru of

your expedition, seized by an alien and thereby leaving you stranded without any idea of

your location. Perhaps the last example here is slightly imaginative, but you get the

idea…



All this, of course, will lead nicely into the next article, which deals with communication

and navigational devices, as well as putting forward some simple ways to navigate

without any of these if the situation is dire.

In signing off, please remember my old commercial diving mate, Paul’s mixed idiom

“You can lead a horse to water but you can’t shoot him”, which is only surpassed by

“Moss does not grow on green rocks”!

Regards,

Fred Roberts (aka Fred Woods)

Safety and the Prospector pt4

Safety and the Prospector

Communication

Let me test a proposition that the APLA mob is a very intelligent bunch by posing a simple

question – what are three things that Phar Lap, Nancy Wake and Russell Crowe have in

common?

If you responded by claiming they all received awards in their respective fields, well done.

If you also happened to know they were all born on the South Island of New Zealand, you

are both correct and oddly aware of seemingly useless facts.

Phar Lap is arguably the best horse ever to grace our racetracks and before you beg to

differ with stories of Black Caviar and Winx, let me quote from Banjo Patterson’s “Old

Pardon, The Son of Reprieve”:

Three miles in three heats: - Ah, my sonny,

The horses in those days were stout,

They had to run well to win money;

I don’t see such horses about.



Your six-furlong vermin that scamper

Half-a-mile with their feather-weight up,

They wouldn’t earn much of their damper

In a race like the President’s cup.

Nancy Wake was the most decorated Allied female in the Second World War, earning

international recognition and acclaim from the USA, France, Great Britain and, somewhat

belatedly, Australia.

Russell Crowe is obviously an accomplished, Oscar-winning actor on the big screen.

So, two out of two, but any ideas about the third common aspect amongst the three?

Well, they all went on to become famous AFTER being polished up in Australia. Hardly

surprising when you consider that like the missionaries of yore bringing Christianity to the

heathens, it is Australia’s God-given duty to help our cousins across the Tasman reach their

full potential.

Let’s test the APLA collective intelligence with another question – what is the common

factor between Anthony Bradanovich, Bradley Richards and Mac Bevan Cody?

All sadly perished after getting lost in the unforgiving West Australian outback and, with the

utmost respect to the men and their relatives, none were in possession of a functioning

satellite phone and/or an EPIRB that may have otherwise saved their lives.

Think about the importance of communication and how you would fare in an emergency

situation. And don’t for one moment think that being lost is the only situation in which an

undesirable outcome might occur – vehicle breakdown or accident, snake bite, serious

injury, bush fire, floods and ‘Blair Witch’ situations are just a few amongst a great many

incidents for which we should all be well prepared.

Being well prepared includes the means to communicate both within your prospecting

group and externally to family and emergency services.

I recently canvassed three luminaries within the APLA family to ascertain their thoughts on

communication. All three carried a sat phone and an EPIRB, with two also carrying a

signalling mirror. By the way folks, in another time and another place a signalling mirror

played a major part in saving my bacon.



All have a family communication plan, with one calling in on a nightly basis and giving his

camp coordinates on arrival night. The other two also call home on arrival, at least once a

week during the trip, and the night before departure.

All carry a UHF radio for onsite communication, and two carry waterproofed matches or a

cigarette lighter for raising a smoky fire for signalling during the day and a fire for warmth

at night. One of the prospectors also carries a whistle.

Common sense I hear you thinking, but how much does common sense play in you

prospecting life? How well prepared are you? No, don’t dismiss it… Think, my friends,

think – do you have all bases covered?

Now is the time to take stock and prepare for next season; within APLA there is a great

wealth of knowledge and experience to assist you in making the right choice. By simply

asking other experienced users, you will (1) be surprised by what is available and (2) be able

to compare the relative merits of all communication options.

To illustrate this, let me take the liberty of including (almost verbatim and at the added risk

of loosing your attention due to the length of this article) an additional post from a

prospecting friend explaining what he carries in addition to his satellite phone.

The system I use is "Find me Spot"

The unit has 4 channels:

Channel 1 is "I am OK". This I direct to up to 10 Emails of my choice. I send this every day

to let the family know I am safe, so they can put my will

back in the safe. They receive a Goggle map with my location;

Channel 2 is similar but give an interval update to emails of my

choice( not too good when walking since the location arrows are too closely

spaced. Also it chews up the battery power pretty quickly;

Channel 3 is " I am in some strife but not life threatening" this

could be used if I have run out of petrol, breakdown or something similar, and

Channel 4 (the Red Button) No matter where you are in the world it



goes to US Rescue Centre and from there it is redirected to the relevant

local authority - you use the red button when you want to see the bottom of a

Helicopter!

It was used just recently on the Bibbulmun track and the Police

were there within the hour.

With Channel 4, an annual fee can be paid for insurance. This can be

claimed to cover rescue cost i.e. police, search rescue, flying doctor etc., it can only be

claimed by recognised groups and not families.

Costs about $350 for the unit (no ongoing costs unless insurance

is used – about US$120 p.a.)

Works any where in the world with the exception of the usual blind

spots, such as in very thick overhead scrub, overhangs and down mine shafts, etc.

Find me Spot is a GPS based tracking device.

In signing off, I leave you with a well-known Tony Abbott observation, “No one is the

suppository of all wisdom”. So canvas widely and come up with a communication plan

before you head out on the next prospecting trip.

Regards,

Fred Roberts (aka Fred Woods) also known as Greg Eller’s Offsider



Electrical problems

Burn outs in the bush – an instructive article from our travelling

correspondent, Wheelbarrow Willie.

I had several daunting challenges from this year’s tour clients in the WA Goldfeilds. One or

two had the potential to cause serious injury and in one case, death. All caused by a lack of

awareness and knowledge and in this example, dangerous incompetence.

The first began last year by a client, whose real name shall be “Brian” for this article. He

came out with us last year and made a booking for this year as well. Repeat business is the

best business!! On his first trip, he had problems with his fridge wiring set-up in his new

ute. With all the fruit on the back, racks, boxes and canopy, it looked a picture. But the

fridge was constantly running the dual battery system flat. I had a look at it and told him

that the wiring wasn’t correct and it needed modification and a battery switching isolator

such as a Redarc. It had all done by an auto-electrician by the way. But we kept his fridge

going with my Honda generator. After showing him how it should have been wired in the

first place, he returned to Perth after the tour saying he’d get it fixed up properly.

Now we come to this year. We were well off the beaten track on this tour with nothing

between us and Darwin except the Great Victorian Desert and three more deserts before

Darwin itself. This is my kind of prospecting and we were doing OK. Brian was with us and

really enjoying himself as he’d found his first piece of gold the previous day after two years

of looking. One evening he came over to my camp with handful of melted wire and red &

black plastic looking a bit sad. By his own admission, Brian would make a good comedian if

he ever tried to be an electrician!

The whole wiring harness for the fridge had short circuited against the chassis of his ute and

I nearly had a fire with which to contend and it could have been a death. The auto

electrician that revamped the wiring did a worse job than he did at the first attempt. There

was no fuse or circuit breaker in the fridge power circuit and even 12 volts will start a fire if

the battery is big enough – and a car battery is big enough! So that’s mistake number one.

Mistake number two? Have a look at the photos and see if you can spot the error.



You can see the melted mess which is what became of the wiring loom. Have a look at the

red wire, i.e the positive wire that was connected directly to the 2nd battery. Whoever

wired that up should get The Queen’s Award for Arson. The “push in” connector live, red

wire was used in such a way as to leave an exposed live 12 volt terminal should it become

disconnected. The “eye terminals” were connected to the 2nd battery on the vehicle. To



start a fire or burn his new ute to the ground, all Brian now had to do was “unplug” the

connector and casually drop it somewhere whilst he worked on something else or removed

the fridge etc. The exposed red live wire snap connector touched the metal tray of the ute

and BINGO, the wiring was drawing huge amps from the 12 volt battery and within seconds

became hot enough to melt. There was no fuse or circuit breaker to shut down the flow of

current. If this wiring had also been in contact with something such as clothes, rags or

anything combustible the whole ute could have gone up in flames! Be thankful it isn’t next

to a can of fly spray or aerosol tin of any kind as they make excellent flame throwers! Even

just normal wear and tear on the insulation could have caused this meltdown if it bared the

conductor wires.

It is simple to use those types of “push in” snap connectors as they come ready made but

we need to either revise the way we use them such that the live wire is not exposed on

disconnection. That needs some thought but it can be done quite simply once you work it

out. Alternatively, ALWAYS fit a fuse or circuit breaker when wiring up your vehicle. I’ve

seen the remains of several burnouts in the bush, one of which resulted in a death many

years ago. It can be long walk home without a car or even worse,,,,,,,,if the fridge wiring

burns out and your beer is warm! Now that wouldn’t do at all, would it?

I would recommend using an auto-electrician if electrics aren’t your thing, but in Brian’s

case he did use a tradesman. Sometimes you just can’t take a trick eh!

Repairing the trayback camper with whatever we could get our hands on!

Other challenges on this tour were many, varied and whilst very worrying at the time, we

managed to get ‘em all running again. These included two simultaneous flat batteries on a



brand new Landcruiser for no apparent reason, a vehicle that was serviced only weeks

before but ran out of clutch fluid so became undriveable and finally a ute trayback camper

being totally ripped off when it was driven under an overhanging tree branch. All in a day’s

work for a tour operator I suppose.

Take care,

Wheelbarrow Willie

SNAKE WARNING

King Brown attacks Prospector

I suppose eventually it had to happen – an encounter with a snake. After nearly 20 years of prospecting, hundreds of days in the bush and thousands of kilometers on foot a 2+ metre King Brown decided to have a go at me! A surprise start to a 33°C March morning at 0745 am. I had stopped briefly to check my GPS as I was making my way towards a fault line intersection. Out of my left vision I instantly became aware of a long snake less than a metre away. It must have crept up while I was stationary. Some primordial sense kicked in and recognized “snake” followed by the realisation that this one had reared its head ready to strike. Adrenaline surged and almost instantly my grip on the detector and swing arm turned into a two arm weapon that hit the snake sending it sideways. It recovered amazingly quickly and struck at me hitting me on the left kneecap. Fortunately it was not a bite but seemingly rather a warning. King Browns “dry bite” or “bluff strike” 80% of the time to conserve venom Again I swung, this time hitting it mid body with a thwack that sent it flying. Fortunately it considered that enough and slithered off and so did I. One warning I missed was a bird giving an alarm in the nearby bush, could have been a nest but also quite possibly a snake alert. While most snakes sense humans approaching and either freeze of move off depending on the time of day, season and temperature etc some snakes can be protective of their location and become aggressive. Many of us may have seen Dugites on Rottnest and



stood still while they move away or slither past, seemingly oblivious to our presence. King Browns or Mulgas are known for aggression and have been reported to bite a sleeping person at night. I called my prospecting mates on the radio and one came quickly to check that I had not actually been bitten and suggested I move back to my vehicle – in case. No puncture marks, no pain – 2 hours later confirmed it was a near miss. That evening around the camp fire we discussed actions in case of a real bite and also resolved to check with others. AMSA, RFDS, Perth Zoo, Meekatharra Police and Hospital were consulted. The FIRST AID is clear: Bandage firmly over the untouched bite site and both above and below the bite site. Immobilize the limb with splint and keep patient calm. Seek medical help ASAP. Practically in the bush this would mean bringing a vehicle to the patient and evacuating to the nearest hospital. In more remote locations use a Phone or Sat phone to call RFDS for medical advice and evacuation assistance. Provide Lat Lon rather than UTM cords. RFDS can advise, depending on their resources and case severity of the quickest solution. Either to drive to a hospital or airstrip of their choice where an aircraft carrying a broad spectrum ant venom would meet. Also all parties suggest to activate your EPIRB in the event of a snake bite as this launches a second follow-up involving Police who coordinate land Search and Rescue involving SES, RFDS etc. RFDS are called by AMSA if an EPIRB is activated. Use voice communication where possible. Note: Ambulance may be a voluntary service, not 4WD and may be otherwise occupied. Importantly learn ahead of time the limitations/access of your Sat Phone as this depends on whether it is TELSTRA, Inmarsat or Iridium, for example the second two cannot call 000, 1800, 13 and need country codes such as 0061 or +61 for Australia.

Key BUSH EMERGENCY phone numbers. RFDS : 1800 625 800 or +61 8 9417 6389 this is your best first call. EPIRB Launches AMSA, otherwise 1800 641 972 or +61 2 6230 6811 000 – probably end up with the nearest voluntary ambulance service – may be limiting.

DKitson March2016

Researched by David Kitson 22 March 2016.



St BARBARA’S FESTIVAL

The annual Saint Barbara's Festival has become an integral part of the Goldfields events calendar. The festival celebrates mining in the region and the local community.

The Miners Memorial Service is held in the square on the Thursday (1st December) to honour the men and women who have lost their lives servicing the mining industry over the past century.

THE St Barbara's Festival, Miners memorial Service and wreath laying held last Thursday evening to remember the many hundreds of miners killed in the mining regions of WA since the very early days. EGPA Secretary Peta Osborne laid the APLA wreath this year on behalf of APLA, amongst some 30-40 other wreaths around the St Barbara's statue in St Barbara's Square. Some 200 people attended the 30 minute ceremony. There was a single additional death for this year added to the frighteningly long list.

EPGA Secretary Peta Osborne laying APLA wreath at memorial service



Miners memorial statue

Miners memorial wreaths



Undoubtedly the showcase of the St Barbara's Festival, the Parade, is a fun-filled extravaganza for the whole family! On Sunday (4th December), thousands of people gather for the Parade to watch enormous pieces of mining equipment rumble down historical Hannan Street including an enormous KCGM Cat 793 Haul Truck standing six metres tall, eight metres wide and thirteen metres long!

Along with mining equipment, you can expect to see community organisations, schools, animals, prospectors and mines rescue demonstrations.

Held on Sunday 4th December 3.00pm to 4.30 pm. There were 71 floats. EGPA branch has been busy again to get an APLA presence in the parade. Many thanks to the helpers and participants. 4 members spent the full weekend, firstly working on a percussion drill rig. Many thanks to Stuart Hooper for supplying the percussion drill rig. This old rig could possibly double as a hoist for kibble. The tasks undertaken, freeing the wheels that were frozen on the axle; the axles and geared shafts were rusted and seized as well; the dog clutches and levers still need freeing up, maybe next year. We were close to putting an engine on the rig to get it somewhat functioning but ran out of time. There was also a dozen or so bolts needed replacing and panel beating and repairs to the hitch and turntable. On sunday priority was for loading up and dressing up the float. Many thanks to Elvis, Gil Foal, Bob Fagan & Peter Vosper for giving up their precious time and chipping in. The public response was very positive to our float. Edwards family supplied photos and were taken from the balcony of the Palace Hotel.

Cheers Cranston Edwards



Peta sitting with gold and Bob Fagan at the rear

working a dry blower and dolly mill.

Elvis holding a replica Golden Eagle nugget, and Peter Vosper with a

Victorian nugget, most likely a replica also.



TIPS ON DETECTING

Other than the fact there just may not be any gold where you are detecting, the biggest

reason you may be missing those elusive pieces is time.

If you think you are sweeping your detector slowly, the chances are, you are not!

A slow sweep speed is about 4 seconds from side to side.

Yes 4 seconds, that’s saying out loud “higgledy piggledy 1, higgledy piggledy 2, higgledy

piggledy 3, higgledy piggledy4. (don’t ask why higgledy piggledy is used. I was told it by a chemistry

teacher it gauges I second)

Just try swinging your arm and count of the seconds and you realise just how fast you have

been sweeping.

Slowing down the sweep speed allows other factors to come into play.

Keeping the coil parallel to the ground, especially at the end of each sweep suddenly becomes a lot easier.

Keeping the coil close to the ground without scraping the surface happens naturally.

Less speed allows you to overlap each sweep, making sure you do not miss any gold.

It’s easy to get to a site , grab the detector and take off. Again time plays an important

part.

Before you turn your detector on, take the time to walk around the site and select the most

likely places gold could occur. Select a potential site , mark a set area (pick some trees or

rock for markers) then and only then , methodically sweep with your detector.

You have more chance of success by a methodical search of a specific area than wandering

around in a random manner trying to find that elusive nugget.

Spend some time clearing the site. Especially areas around trees, I bet you have all heard

stories about big nuggets being found under tree roots. Remember your detector is not a

front end loader, wear gloves and use your hands to shift branches. It’s a long way to come

home for a snapped coil or pole.

Change your coils. If you find some reasonable sized gold on a site with a large coil spend

the time finishing off with a smaller coil sensitive to the very small bits of gold.

Lastly use your time to research areas you want to go, and after detecting spend time filling

out any expense sheets or send out a section 40e report to the tenement holder. The



report is a requirement of sect40 e and can be as simple as time on lease, gold found at GPS

point such and such. If prospectors do not send in these reports access to exploration

leases could be stopped.

If you have spent the time to read this article there is hope for you yet. Good hunting.!

REASONS FOR JOINING THE APLA I’m repeating this article because of the large number of applicants to join APLA at the Perth open day. If you only remember one or two points on advantages of becoming a member you can possibly persuade others to join.

REMEMBER APPLICATION DETAILS ARE Available ON THE FOLLWING SITE APLA WEBSITE: www.apla.com.au

There are many reasons why leaseholders and Recreational Prospectors should be members of APLA. I do not think that the average person has any idea what APLA does to protect leaseholders and their prospecting interests in WA for Example: Benefits of join APLA for Leaseholder 1. Being part of a Strong lobby group. 2. APLA having two seats on MILC (Mining and Industry Liaison Council) this group vet changes to the Mining Act and other things that affect Gold prospecting and Mining before it gets to Parliament. Membership is regarded as being on a par with AMEC and the Chamber of Mines and Energy in terms of industry profile. 3. Representation on numerous other mining industry committees and representative bodies: a) Actively fighting the Mining Amendments Bill 2015 currently before parliament b) Consultation on Work Health and Safety (Resources and Major Hazards) Regulations (WA) c) Native Title Act - a Commonwealth law administered by the State of WA on behalf of the Commonwealth. d) Commonwealth Environmental Protection Act The Environmental Protection Act - State of WA e) Department of Environmental Regulation. f) Aboriginal Heritage Act - g) Land Administration Act - WA


http://www.apla.com.au/


h) Mining Act 1978 additional changes beyond the Mining Amendments Bill i) Continual extensive and enforceable new Guidelines servicing the Mining Act j) Mining Legislation Amendment Bill 2015 –the new regulations to service the Mining Amendments Act 2015 k) Biodiversity Act - WA ?? l) Pastoral Lands Act – WA Pastoral & Graziers Association m) The Department of Environmental Regulator n) The Environmental Protection Agency. o) Monitoring Aboriginal Land Councils such as The Goldfeilds Land & Sea Council, The Yamatji Land Council, The Kimberley Land Council, The Martu people, the people of Yandeyarra p) Department of Aboriginal Affairs q) The Wilderness Society r) The Office of the Environmental Defender s) Department of Parks and Wildlife t) Commonwealth National Park laws u) The Great Western Woodlands v) Increasing green activism in government policy, the media, community, education, and industry w) Monitoring policy developments from all political parties and interest groups x) All these are just a selection of what the future holds for our industry sector 4. Wide community recognition and respect. 5. Representation and established links in all major regional and metropolitan centres. 6. Ready and regular access to the Mines Minister, government ministers, politicians and decision makers of all persuasions. . 7. Long term relationship with the DMP and access at the most senior levels. 8. A 100 year history of fighting for prospectors and miners rights and interests and offering the ability for members to remain anonymous while APLA enjoins the battle against powerful entities. 9. Well established web site and regular newsletters and media releases and exposure on topical issues of concern. 10. Widespread recognition and acceptance in the mining community and in regional WA 11. A considerable pool of expertise and experience in all relevant areas. 12. A proven track record as an effective industry lobby group with backbone and more than a bit of the mongrel. 13. An existing experienced leadership structure. 14. Bargaining power in relation to negotiating members rates, and access to some commercial and industry concessions. 15. Promoting and running of short courses and technical training sessions. 16. Social and other facilities for members available to members. 17. Access to Senior members experience when facing difficulties with departments like the Department of Mines, Aboriginal Heritage Groups The Wardens Court, Environmental Lobby Groups. Article written by Bill O’Connor



BRANCH NEWS

PERTH BRANCH Perth Branch recently held a very successful open day at Duncraig.

Many thanks to the all the helpers on the day , without your help the event could not go

ahead.

A special thanks our sponsor… Minelab



A great day was had by all those that attended. Guest speakers gave members valuable

information about gold detecting, with special mention to the DMP, RFD, and Tony Bullen.

With our exposure at the 4WD Show and the Open Day we have brought APLA to a fairly

broad audience this year. Hopefully this will increase membership.

Once again many thanks to all the helpers on the day.

Our December Meeting has been brought forward to the Wednesday 14 December commencing at 7:30 pm at the West Australian Lapidary and Rock Hunting Clubrooms located at 31-35 Gladstone Road Rivervale.

In keeping with the Xmas theme it is requested all attendees bring a plate so we can have a feed and a chat after the meeting. Special Guest will be from WA solar. The President will not be there, so our Vice Pres will preside. Five Dollar tickets in the GPX 5000 will be on sale. Hope to see as many as possible for our last meeting of the year.

SOCIAL DATE A date to put on your calendars for next year is the social event for members and partners which will be held on the 12th March 2017 at Whiteman Park. Full details of this not to be missed event will be circulated to members early in the New Year.



WESTERN AUSTRALIAN GOLD MINING GHOST TOWNS

Western Australia’s gold rush was from the1880’s through to the 1930’s and resulted in more than 120 town sites. Of which approximately 20 are still in existence. The progression from gold find to town site followed a similar pattern each time. Firstly the miners establishing their 50 foot by 50 foot claims, usually within 48 hrs over a 100 miners were working in the area. Hotel and shop keepers would follow and within two weeks a community of canvas, burlap sacks and flattened kerosene tins would exist divided roughly into miners camps and commercial area. A mining surveyor would soon arrive and mark out business areas and residential areas into some resemblance of order. A progress committee was formed and application made to the local Warden to have the site declared a town. This process could take up to 3 years, thus many places were deserted by the time the application was granted because the gold had run out. The town was usually named after the finder of the gold. Following are some of the towns now ghost towns. .

DAVYHURST - Earlier known as - DAVYSTON - and - MACE'S FIND. LOCATION Latitude 30° 03' south by Longitude 120° 39' east. South west of the current town of Menzies. HISTORY = The Waihi mine was discovered by "Watty" DAVYS in November 1899. Other nearby mines were the Golden Pole, the Great Ophir and the Callion. When it was proposed to declare a town site there in 1900 the site was referred to as Davyston, better known as Mace's Find. Warden OWEN of Menzies then advised the Department the place was known as "Davyhurst", and this was the name used when the townsite was gazetted in 1901. It was named after "Watty" DAVYS. By September 1915 the adult population was down to thirty males and eighteen females. The Police station was operating by March 1902. A Police building appears to have been erected on Siberia Street 7 in 1906. The station was closed in October 1915.

DOYLES WELL - Originally called - CUTMORE'S WELL.

LOCATION .. Between Leonora and Agnew at the confluence of the Turkey and Wilson Creeks. Latitude: 28° 31' 29.3" (28.5248°) south

Longitude: 120° 57' 34.2" (120.9595°) east

INDUSTRY - Wayside in and coaching stop.



In 1903 there was a coach service from Leonora three days a week. There were stockmen

working for the stagecoach lines stationed there until at least about 1912

HISTORY = The first reports of gold in the area were made in January 1893 by E. BOWDEN

and L. SULLIVAN, but the well was probably dug as a water supply for William CUTMORE,

Jack DOYLE and John LEYLAND who were in the district prospecting for gold in what was

known as the Diorite area in late 1894. By 1895 the name Doyles well seems to have won

out and in December 1896 the 5,000 acre reserve 3741 for travellers and stock was created

around the well to serve the traffic to the gold fields to the north. In December 1912 Jack

DOYLE perished from thirst within thirteen kilometres of Doyles Well.

HOTELS & ACCOMMODATION-= A place for rest an recreation was set up, but the date of

establishment is not certain. Certainly in July 1896 Richard LEVINGE applied for a Wayside

Inn license, but this may not have been granted. The earliest known successful licence was

for 1898 in the name of John HOLEHAN trading as the Doyles Well hotel. The 1920 postal

directory lists Fred STAUNTON there. The business continued trading under several

managers until about 1944/45 when the licence was suspended. The license was re-issued

in 1947 and the business continued to trade until it was surrendered in 1950. At one time

DOYLES WELL was apparently the source of supply for several illicit inns in the settlements

to it's north. The configuration of the original buildings is not certain, but by about the early

1900's there was thought to have been a bar, six bedrooms, a sitting room, a dining room

and a kitchen. The building was in a parlous state by about 1937 and the manager Angelo

POLETTI had it pulled it down and erected a mud brick structure with a bar, four bedrooms

a dining room, plus the managers rooms. Under his stewardship which lasted until about

1943 there was a swimming pool, electric lighting plant, skating rink, four tennis courts, a

bowling alley and a large bough shed added. There was also a big sports oval alongside and

two large windmills for the water supply.

ERLISTOWN

LOCATION- North of the present town of Laverton -27. 98 122.34

ERLISTOWN HOTEL - The 1905 postal directory lists Daniel KEANE at the hotel. The 1905

postal directory lists Joseph DOUGLAS operating a general store and as the mail receiver.



FIELDS FIND

LOCATION - road between Paynes Find and Yalgoo

HISTORY - Gold was first discovered there by James J FIELD in 1895.

The old town site ran along parallel with, and about thirty metres distant from the South

boundary of the Reward Claim.

In 1901 there were eighty four houses, one hundred and thirty nine males and thirty three

females in the town. By early 1918 this had dropped to twenty five males and one female.

The figure plummeted down to one male and one female in February 1919.

However there was a resurgence back to twenty males and seven females by 1922, due

probably to the development of Browns Reward mine from 1921 and the treatment of

tailings.23 Although by 1928 mining in the old mines had virtually ceased there was

another resurgence in 1929 with the opening of the Fremantle mine. Browns Reward

officially closed in 1930, but the Fremantle continued to operate and by February 1932

there were forty males and eighteen females in the town.

There was another resurgence of activity in 1940, and for a short time there were about

one hundred people in the area. The original camp for the police constable, his wife and

three children was canvas quarters near a Government well. The station closed in June

1905

CEMETERY = There is an un-gazetted cemetery containing ten known burials on the Fields

Find Common.

A mail run awarded to John CAMPBELL was begun from Yalgoo in January 1896

The CLUB HOTEL - This was the westernmost business in the main street of the settlement.

The licence for this hotel was taken out by E. W. EDWARDS in 1896, making this the first

licensed premises in the town. Mrs Elizabeth W. EDWARDS is listed at the hotel in the 1900

postal directory. William R. EASSON was the publican in 1901. The hotel was taken over by

Edward WAYLACK in 1905, but closed it's doors just prior to the closure of the mines in

1911.

FIELDS FIND HOTEL- From maps this would appear to have been the largest building in the

business centre and was erected on the west side of the bakery. The building was actually

the former Joker hotel from Bilberatha, which was moved there in September 1898 and

renamed the Field's Find Hotel. This was operated at that time by George HIGHAM. Michael

NESTER was listed as being there in the 1900 postal directory and was still the publican in

1901.



In about May 1906 Alexander B. GLOSTER closed the store he was also operating and

moved the merchandise into the hotel in which he continued to run both businesses. The

1906 postal directory indicates that this arrangement was still in place at that time.

The next records are for the NEVILLE family, who owned the hotel until they sold it to Jack

CLARK in 1919. He leased it to Patrick TOBIN, but returned to run it from about Christmas

1924 in an arrangement that saw himself, TOBIN and Walter SAUNDERS alternate as

managers to suite their other pursuits. By 1927 TOBIN was probably out of the business

altogether and Jack CLARK was the sole operator until the hotel burned to the ground in

November that year on the same day that the license was renewed

OTHER BUSINESSES - baker, butcher, 2 stores, billard saloon, blacksmith, green grocer and

wheelwright . A stone, Miner's Institute was also built alongside the Fields Find Hotel

ADVERTISING

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name on the pocket.

Makes it easier for people to talk

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name.

$5 for name embroidered on your

shirts.

Contact linda on 0409971438.

SIGNS…

Need signage for you lease?

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Your name/ch num on the back

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Call… ALL TYPES OF SIGNS,

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FINALLY A CHRISTMAS GREETING TO ALL APLA MEMBERS

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Bugger Christmas! Too busy looking for gold!

For hire – tri-axle semi trailer and tractor unit, 27 tonne carrying capacity for dozers, loaders, machinery, etc. Operates around the Leonora/Menzies/Laverton/Leinster areas and across the WA Goldfeilds. Good rates, reliable delivery. Call Alec on 0458163423. Leave a message as he’s often out of phone

range.



Ooops sorry, what I should have said is........ Happy Holidays!

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non-addictive, gender neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all... and a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2016, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make AUSTRALIA great (not to imply that AUSTRALIA is necessarily greater than any other country or is the only "AUSTRALIA “ in the world ), and without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith, or sexual orientation of the wishee.

This wish is limited to the customary and usual good tidings for a period of one year, or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first."Holiday" is not intended to, nor shall it be considered, limited to the usual Judeo-Christian celebrations or observances, or to such activities of any organized or ad hoc religious community, group, individual or belief (or lack thereof).

DISCLAIMER: By accepting this greeting, you are accepting the following terms: This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal, and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher at any time, for any reason or for no reason at all. This greeting is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. This greeting implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for the wishee, him/herself or others, or responsibility for the consequences which may arise from the implementation or non-implementation of same.

This greeting is void where prohibited by law.

DISCLAIMER

APLA and the Editor take no responsibility for the comments an opinions expressed by contributors to the newsletter. Every attempt is taken to avoid offensive opinions and personal attacks. The Newsletter

acknowledges that on some issues views are strongly felt and that there are a range of opinions across the membership. If you have contrary views then you are encouraged to express them and argue your case

through this NewsletterAPLA and the APLA Newsletter editors take no responsibility for any decision taken by members or others on the basis of technical other content featuring in the Newsletter. It is the readers

responsibility to take full responsibility and exercise due diligence in their Actions and decisions.Because this newsletter is a periodical publication we cannot guarantee that all the items inserted for inclusion are

current. In some instances advertised dates and events may have already occurred at the time of publication. To Minimise the likelihood of outdated items it is suggested that such items be submitted for publication

at least a month before the event.


TH ATUM POST : TODAYS VOICE OF THE APLA · truest sense or are we simply gold removalists? _...

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Transcript of TH ATUM POST : TODAYS VOICE OF THE APLA · truest sense or are we simply gold removalists? _...