June Summary: activity in Falmouth and sad news from Egypt

Early in the month it was good to have Sunday Lunch with Tim Napier-Munn and his wife Goeorgie, who were visiting Falmouth on an extended holiday from their home in Brisbane.

Now semi-retired Tim is a former Director of the JKMRC in Brisbane and was my co-editor of the 7th edition of Mineral Processing Technology. He was the first person that I interviewed for MEI's In Conversation series.

Lunch overlooking the Penryn River, Falmouth

Three days later I was at the UK Mining Conference in Falmouth, and caught up with a few familiar faces, including my old friend Alan Butcher. We go back a long way since we were both lecturers at Camborne School of Mines in the 1990s, before he moved to Australia in 1998 to aid with the development of QEMSCAN automated mineralogy with CSIRO. In 2003 he became part of Intellection Pty Ltd, incorporated specifically to bring QEMSCAN to market. During his 5 years with Intellection Alan and I organised three annual conferences on automated mineralogy in Brisbane, which evolved into MEI's current process mineralogy series. Alan is now Chief Scientist and Technical Director with Hafren Scientific Ltd, UK and is an advisor to MEI's Process Mineralogy '26 and Critical Minerals '26.

With Alan Butcher in Falmouth

And another three days later Falmouth was gridlocked due to the weekend's Sea Shanty Festival and a Cornish Gig Regatta on a beautiful Saturday at Gylly Beach.

Amanda with Gig rowers on Falmouth's Gylly beach

Just four days later, I was in my office tuned in to Jon’s biweekly three-hour show on ARA City Radio Luxembourg. During the broadcast he mentioned that John Fogerty, one of the founding members of the iconic 1960s band Creedence Clearwater Revival,would be performing at the Glastonbury Festival the following week. He then played his favourite CCR track, Bad Moon Rising, a song I can’t help but associate with the cult classic horror film An American Werewolf in London.

Hearing it also reminded me how Jon is carrying on a family tradition. Fifty-five years ago, my old friend Pete Love and I ran a discotheque in Chingola. Among our vinyl collection was Proud Mary, my personal favourite CCR hit. We had dreams of striking it rich with that disco, but alas, we never quite had the DJ flair that Jon clearly does!

Zambia 1970 and Luxembourg 2025

Jon’s next show airs on Wednesday at 9:00 AM BST. Tune in if you're into alternative and indie music, it's always a great listen.

I've spent a lot of time in my office this month, working on the provisional programme for Flotation '25, aided by our consultant Prof. Jim Finch. 

Due to the record number of abstracts received this was hard work, but rewarding as we are now drafting a superb programme for November and registration is now open.

Four days ago, I received the sad news of the passing of Professor Tawfik Refaat Boulos, a distinguished Egyptian mineral technologist affiliated with the Central Metallurgical Research and Development Institute (CMRDI) in Helwan, Cairo. Over the course of his long and impactful career he made significant contributions to mineral processing, particularly in the beneficiation of industrial minerals such as silica sand, feldspar, phosphate and talc. In 2020, Professor Boulos mentioned that he had retired, though he continued to serve as a consultant research professor at CMRDI.

I first met Professor Boulos in 1981, when I was invited to CMRDI to provide guidance on their fledgling pilot plant. During my week-long visit, I was warmly welcomed and taken to see the sights of Cairo, including the Pyramids at Giza. The hospitality extended further with a generously arranged trip to Luxor and Aswan in Upper Egypt, complete with airfare and accommodation, an unforgettable experience.

Fourteen years later, Professor Boulos, then serving as Professor of Mineral Technology at CMRDI, hosted Barbara and me during a goodwill visit to Cairo (posting of 23 April 2020). This visit, which included visits to cultural sites in both Upper and Lower Egypt, underscored his commitment to fostering international academic collaboration.

During that memorable trip, we had the pleasure of sharing a delightful meal with Tawfik and his wife Brenda, overlooking the Nile. We hold fond memories of their warmth and hospitality, and of the time we spent in their fascinating country 30 years ago.

Cairo 1995