45th Sir George Fisher Lecture 2025

Join the North Queensland Branch for their 45th Sir George Fisher Lecture.

About this event

The Sir George Fisher Lecture series was initiated by the AusIMM North Queensland Branch in 1977 and endowed with a grant by MIM Holdings Limited. The Lecture, held annually, is in recognition of the contribution made by Sir George Fisher to the development of North Queensland in general and Townsville in particular.

Sir George Fisher spent 50 years in the Australian mining industry and was Chairman of Mount Isa Mines (MIM) Limited during the company’s major expansion of copper and silver-lead-zinc production in the 1950s and 1960s. He is also closely identified with the development of Mount Isa from a small town to a major inland city.

This year’s lecture will be delivered by Joe Luxford, a member of the AusIMM since joining as a student in 1971. With a career spanning over five decades, Joe has worked across the full spectrum of underground mining - from wielding a 10lb hammer on the 1150 level grizzly at the Peko mine in 1970, to holding senior operational roles in both hard rock and coal mining. Notably, he is one of the few Australians to have served as both a Miners Federation Union Lodge president and a certified manager in multiple mining disciplines. Joe’s enduring connection with the Cannington mine - beginning with its early development in the 1990s and continuing through to his current consulting role in 2025 - offers a unique lens through which he will reflect on the evolution of the mining industry and the lessons learned along the way.

The North Queensland Branch are proud to continue this series and hope you can join us to celebrate the legacy of Sir George.

Speaker/s

Joe Luxford

FAusIMM(CP)

Principal Mining Engineer, Luxford Mine Management Services

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Joe joined the AusIMM as a student member in 1971 soon after starting his mining engineering studies at RMIT and has been a member ever since. After graduating in 1974, he has spent his career associated with many aspects of underground mining. He is on of the few people in Australia to have been a Miners Federation Union Lodge president and then gone on to hold the ticket (at different times) as both a hard rock and colliery manager. His career has spanned the construction, commissioning and operation of both UG hard rock and coal mines.

Joe will reflect on his time in the mining industry and the changes he has lived through, starting with his first vacation job breaking rocks with a 10lb hammer on the 1150 level grizzly at the Peko mine in 1970. The highlight of Joe’s UG odyssey has been his involvement with the Cannington mine dating back to managing the initial site establishment and first kilometer of decline development in 1993/4, followed by stints as project manager for the main construction in 1996/98 and various projects in 2003/4 and 2017/18 and is currently consulting to Cannington in 2025.