Catching up in London after 26 years

Helen-Louise, 1989

I was in London a few days ago for an important journal meeting with Elsevier, and having a couple of hours to kill, I decided to spend some time in the Science Museum. In the event I spent two very enjoyable hours in the coffee shop talking to one of my favourite past students Helen-Louise Colbourne (née Leach), CSMs 3rd female mineral processing graduate, who graduated in 1989 and then did a post-graduate Diploma in Mineral Processing, before leaving for South Africa and Impala Platinum. She had some fascinating anecdotes about her time as the only female mineral processor on the mine, and I hope that she will share these with us soon.

In 1997 she and her husband, CSM Mining Engineering graduate Chris Colbourne, moved to Tasmania, then in 2000 to Kalgoorlie, where she began lecturing and became regional AusIMM Secretary. She then moved into iron ore mining, at Tom Price in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, where she continued lecturing and then contracting part time for Rio as a Process Engineer. She opened up the Tom Price AusIMM chapter and had a very active calendar for a couple of years, designing, developing and delivering an online Rio Tinto Iron Ore Pilbara Operator curriculum of learning.  

She moved to Perth in 2006 working full time with Rio Tinto, where she joined the old Technology & Innovation Group as a Principal Adviser delivering development workshops across all Rio's major hubs and started a new job last month as Principal Advisor Processing in the Growth and Innovation group, supporting the whole of RT. Her latest 'project' is the 'Ride for Rights Challenge 2017' a cycling adventure in Northern Vietnam, where she will participate in project site visits with UN Women field staff who are working with local communities to prevent violence against women and improve services to women survivors of violence.

Whenever I talk to past students I always feel proud of what they have achieved, and almost without exception they have led fulfilling and interesting professional lives, Helen-Louise definitely not being an exception.

With Helen-Louise in the Science Museum

As to the important journal meeting- more on the outcome of that soon!

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