Memories of IMPC 2003 Cape Town: The Gala Dinner

The banquet dinner at IMPC 2003, twenty years ago this month, was sponsored by Anglo American Platinum Corporation, and featured Barry Davidson, Chairman of Anglo American Platinum Corp. as the guest speaker and the Stellenbosch Libertas Choir with an outstanding rendition of a selection of African songs.

Entertainment by Malcolm Powell and friends

The highlight of the proceedings was the presentation of the IMPC Lifetime Achievement Award to Prof. Peter King, one of the great names in mineral processing, who sadly passed away only three years after the Cape Town IMPC.

Peter was Professor of Metallurgical Engineering at the University of Utah for many years, and prior to that was Professor of Metallurgy at Wits University, South Africa. He made major contributions to flotation modelling and liberation analysis, was the editor of International Journal of Mineral Processing, and authored a number of state of the art books. I first met him at Wits in 1978 and suggested that he might spend his upcoming sabbatical at Camborne School of Mines to work on his pioneering research into liberation analysis. This he duly did, accompanied by his wife Ellen and their son. 

In the early 80s, CSM was the proud owner of one of the early image analysers, the monochromatic Quantimet 720, capable of performing linear scans on mineralogical specimens, and together with CSM's Alan Bromley Peter made full use of this machine.

The photos below are testimony to how Peter was so highly regarded and liked by everyone who met him.

Peter and Ellen King with the IMPC's Cyril O'Connor and Eric Forssberg

With Douglas Fuerstenau and John Herbst

With Jannie Van Deventer and Amanda Wills

The gala dinner provided a fitting climax to a memorable IMPC. The local organising committe must be highly commended. We look forward to the 2nd Cape Town IMPC in 2026. The organisers of that one have a hard act to follow, but knowing them I am sure they will come up with the goods!

@barrywills