ROD DAWNEY - GEOLOGIST

Principal of AUSMEC GEOSCIENCE

Mr Dawney has over 40 years experience as a geologist in exploration for mineral & energy commodities, including gold, base metals, coal, uranium, petroleum, and to a lesser extent tin, industrial minerals, platinum, mineral sands, bauxite, opal & other gemstones - as well as geological experience in other land uses such as rural, environmental & land development.

He has physically worked extensively throughout Australia, as well as in China, Kalimantan (Indonesia), Burma (Myanmar), Sweden, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Botswana (Africa), French Polynesia and both North and South Korea, and has undertaken desk-top studies from his home base for PNG, India, Turkey, Peru, Chile, Argentina, and Irian Jaya (Indonesia), as well as completing a compilation of global geology.

Since 1983, Mr Dawney has operated as an independent consultant, and has broad experience at all levels and phases of exploration from project generation and "grass-roots" exploration through to resource delineation. Currently he is the principal of consultancy company AUSMEC Geoscience which has been operating since 1993.

His fields of special competency include:

• Geological terrain analysis using digital data and GIS - involving capture, compilation, integration and interpretation of exploration related datasets, leading to exploration target generation - from national to prospect scale.

• Mineral project evaluation, including literature research, field investigation and due diligence-type studies.

• International aid projects in developing countries - involving formal training (both abroad and home base), on-site assistance, development and implementation of sustainable methodologies, mineral and administrative policy - for mineral exploration, government data provision and exploration promotion.

• Government-industry liaison - from Australian Federal and State governments to aid recipient governments - for standards, policy, methodologies and products related to the exploration industry.

• Application of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), terrain modelling, 3D visualisation and imagery for mineral exploration, rural, land development, engineering and environmental industries.

• Analysis and interpretation of exploration geochemistry - including advanced statistical and graphical (thematic) spatial analysis.

• Hands-on field geology operations in a range of environments including remote, rugged and extreme environments. Specialising in stream, rock, soil/RAB, glacial till sampling programs, drilling programs and geological mapping.

• Geological data capture in digital GIS format (including point, line, polygon and image data - particularly vector spatial data), and publication quality map production - predominantly in the MapInfo software environment.

• Training - courses, seminars, workshops, phone support services and in-service training - related to mineral exploration, MapInfo software and GIS.

• Geological interpretation of remotely sensed images, including air photo, satellite and geophysical images - formally trained as an image interpreter and tutored by some of the most respected interpreters in the world.

• Alluvial exploration.

Specialised experience in operating in developing countries has been gained from his work in Indonesia, China and Kyrgyzstan, and from two Australian International Development Assistance Bureau (now AusAID) assistance programs in Burma (Myanmar) and Pakistan which provided on-site exploration assistance and training. Through this overseas work, Mr Dawney has gained experience in the cultural and religious sensitivities necessary for effective working and training relationships in these and similar countries.

Apart from Mr Dawney’s hands-on, project-oriented work, he has delivered a number of formal and informal courses, workshops, seminars and project displays related to the AusAID Pakistan project, and has been a course presenter for three Australian Mineral Foundation (AMF) training courses on mineral exploration and two AMF sponsored in-service training courses for photogeologists. He is also a co-author of a manual for early-stage, integrated, regional gold exploration. He has presented conference & seminar papers, given workshops on GIS applications for exploration based on his practical experience, carried out MapInfo software training, and has contributed to articles in national resource industry magazines as a respected professional.

He has previously been involved in the management of a number of private and public exploration companies and is currently an executive director of Lake Gold Pty Ltd, which commenced exploring in Australia (predominantly Queensland) in 1985, and is now involved part-time in investing in emerging exploration/mining companies.

Mr Dawney has also acted as an expert geologist in preparing reports and arguments for use in Queensland courts, and has appeared on the stand in these courts as an expert witness. He also advises government through his activities with industry support groups (predominantly the Queensland Resources Council).

Although a specialist user of computer programs for geology and exploration, he maintains very good field fitness and engages in field programs at all levels whenever possible, so as to remain grounded by geological reality.

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