July Cornish Mining Sundowner: some good and some sad news

The hottest day of the year so far drew a good turn-out for last night's Cornish Mining Sundowner at Falmouth's Chain Locker.

There was some good news and some sad news. At the UK Mining Conference in Falmouth last year Camborne School of Mines (CSM) Director Pat Foster discussed the problems in finding the future mining workforce internationally. There were no undergraduate mining degrees in the UK, as the CSM degree had been 'paused' by the University of Exeter from the 2021-22 academic year, such that the last students graduated in 2023.

The controversial decision to pause effectively brought an end to CSM's proud record of training graduate mining engineers, which has its origins back to 1888. However, good news came from the CSM Alumni Australia Gala Dinner in Perth earlier in the month, when the University of Exeter Vice Chancellor Lisa Roberts gave the keynote speech updating over 180 guests on developments at CSM and how important it is to the University. She delighted everyone by announcing that Camborne School of Mines, University of Exeter, will be resuming its full-time undergraduate degree in Mining Engineering in 2025.

This is great news not only for the global industry but particularly for mining in SW England, with good progress on re-opening the South Crofty tin mine in Camborne and with lithium production at British Lithium and Cornish Lithium. And just across the border in Devon, news that Tungsten West has received its final permit from the Environmental Agency for the mine processing facility, completing the suite of permits needed to process tungsten, tin, and aggregates. 

On a more sombre note. since the last sundowner it has been sad to hear of the death of Bernard Ballard (1954-2024) who has been very much a part of the Cornish mining scene since 1988 when he joined Carnon Consolidated Tin Mines Ltd based at Wheal Jane, where he was engaged in various diversification projects, estate management and other management roles until 1998.

During that 10 years with the company he was also involved with events such as the closure of Wheal Jane mine in 1991 and the closure and sale of South Crofty Plc and the mine in 1998.

Following the closure of South Crofty he was one of five managers at South Crofty Plc who completed a management buyout of the subsidiary businesses and assets of that company and the formation of the Wheal Jane Group. This new company took over the Wheal Jane site where those businesses continued to grow as part of the development of the site as a specialist business cluster with a particular focus on mining, minerals and renewable energy, the Wheal Jane Earth Science Park.

Bernard was Secretary and a Director of the Cornish Chamber of Mines and Minerals for 23 years and became Chairman in 2016. He was also a member of the Cornwall Mining Alliance (CMA) Steering Group. The CMA was launched at the October sundowner in Penryn in 2016.

The CMA Steering Committee in 2016: Bernard Ballard, Kim-Marie Clothier,
Kathy Hicks, Frances Wall, Jean Taylor and Tony Bennett

The next Cornish Mining Sundowner will be at the Chain Locker on Thursday August 15th from 5.30pm.