Obituary: James Robert Coleman
James Robert Coleman graduated from the University of NSW in 1968 with a BE Hons (Mining).
His first job (1967-1969) was working for Coal Cliff Collieries underground coal mine in Wollongong as a Senior Mining Engineer in charge of ventilation. Before leaving there, Jim had his first exposure to long term planning when he was asked to develop satellite mines including undersea mining to expand production. This was to become Jim’s forte as his career took him on to develop new mining operations around the world.
From 1969 to 1972, Jim was one of the few Aussies to have the experience of working with a very successful American company, Utah Development Company, which was responsible for the establishment of the best coking coal mines in the world, even today, in Queensland’s Bowen Basin. He worked as a Dragline Foreman in the Blackwater Mine on the first draglines to be introduced into Australia.
After qualifying for his First Class (Coal) Mine Managers Certificate, Jim then got to design and establish his first coal mine, the Saraji Coal Mine for Utah from 1972 to 1976.
Jim then moved on to work in South Australia’s for the Electricity Trust of South Australia (ETSA) where he was responsible to the GM of ETSA for production at Leigh Creek mine and the evaluation of the state's coal resources for future power generation.
Coleman & Associates was formed in 1980 when Jim Coleman, Fred Parker, Paul Westcott and Andrew Scott left Longworth and McKenzie and established their own company. Jim was the leader, major shareholder and Managing Director. It was initially located in Milsons Point and later moved to the Northpoint building in North Sydney.
Coleman & Associates provided engineering and consulting services primarily to the open cut coal mining industry in all the operating coal mining regions in Australia.
Jim was early to recognise the potential for computers to assist with data driven decision making in mining, developing in-house tools for reserve optimisation, haulage efficiency and cost modelling. These formed the basis for the strategic planning that Coleman & Associates was known for.
In the early 1980s, Jim focused on securing an Australian Government-sponsored project in Thailand. This involved partnering with the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) in developing Thailand's lignite deposits at Mae Moh in the northern province of Lampang and the southern province of Krabi for electric power generation to replace oil-fired electric power generation.
This project, called the Thailand Australia Lignite Mines Development Project (TALMDP), was successfully secured in 1983 and became the core underpinning basis of the Coleman & Associates business for the next eight years. The TALMDP provided technical knowledge transfer and mentoring of EGAT staff in the technical disciplines of geology, geotechnical engineering, long-term and short-term mine planning, mine operations management, maintenance planning, maintenance management, maintenance supervision and warehouse management. During this period, the company's business grew, with up to 20 mining professionals employed in Australia and Thailand. The TALMDP was viewed by the Australian government and the Thai agencies, including EGAT, as a model project for technical knowledge transfer and the development of technical capability in human resources of the sponsored country. In 1988, it won the Australian Government Bicentennial Award for Excellence in Development Assistance.
Using this successful business model, Jim was also able to grow the Coleman & Associates business in all of Australia's coal-operating regions, e.g. Bowen Basin, Hunter Valley, and Collie, Western Australia, and in other regions of the world, like India, New Zealand, and Indonesia. The Coleman & Associates business continued to operate successfully until its closure in 1998.
From 1995 to 2000, Jim served as a director of Oceanic Coal Australia, who had extensive mining operations in the Hunter Valley. Working closely with long-term friend Bruce Corlett, he was able to recommend very practical solutions to a number of challenges, creating substantial value for shareholders.
Jim moved to Western Australia in 2000 to work with the Griffin Coal mine where he was appointed Executive General Manager Business Development and was responsible for new mine development including coal supply to Griffin Group mine mouth power stations. He was a Member of the Board of Management of Centre of Research for Coal in Sustainable Development, where he managed a research project for the carbonisation of a low-grade coal to increase its rank to become an anthracitic coal used for mineral processing.
His had a vision for Western Australia to convert two coal operations into one large open pit, which proved to be economic. However, when he realised others did not share the same vision, he took up a position in 2008 as Project Development Manager at Riversdale Mining which had a large coking coal project in Mozambique.
Not only did Jim plan and develop the greenfield Benga coking coal mine in Mozambique, but managed the social development program to enhance medical and education facilities for the local villagers, as well as introducing a program for successful farm food production. Jim was responsible for imparting skills to the local workforce to enable them to participate in the mine construction and operation and learn how to manage the money from their salaries, a new concept for most.
During his time in Mozambique, Jim managed a new logistical concept of transportation down the Zambezi River for 500kms in “Mississippi” style shallow river barges.
In 2018, Jim moved on to a similar remote coking coal project, Cokal’s BBM project in Central Kalimantan, where he took up the position of CEO to develop an opencut mine in a very rugged area, 700kms up the Barito River. Once again, Jim was heavily involved in establishing a shallow river barging solution to ensure the coal was delivered to the market in a timely manner.
Over Jim’s long career in mine consulting, mine operations and mine management, there is no doubt that he was acknowledged as one of the best minds in the game by his peers. When it came to formulating solutions to new challenges thrown up by the global mining industry, Jim was the man who would think outside the box and find a way, not only how to tackle it, but he wouldn’t stop until he found a way to do it better.
RIP Jim Coleman.