Annual Dinner - A night to connect & celebrate

Mike Wort graduated in Mining Geology in 1963 and gained four years’ experience with assignments in Ghana, UK, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands before returning to London for an MSc in Mineral Process Design, gained in October 1968.

He then migrated to Australia to work for AMDEL in Adelaide and then at Mt Isa at the lead-zinc-silver mine in N W Queensland before switching to the heavy mineral sands industry south of Perth.
He then returned to UK to do a PhD on heavy mineral sands, returning to Australia in January 1980.

Since then he has worked across Australia for many companies including BHP, Rio Tinto , WMC, SNC-Lavalin and Bateman Engineering with his main focus on process plant design.

Mike has been fortunate to work with most of the major mineral commodities with the exception of bauxites and alumina. Overseas assignments during his career have included projects in Turkiye, Malaysia, Iran, India, Indonesia, Ukraine, USA, and Sierra Leone.

Today he operates as an independent mineral processing consultant.

Matt commenced studying Engineering and Commerce in 2022 and is currently in his penultimate year at the University of Western Australia. Majoring in Mining Engineering and Finance, he is passionate about the mining industry, as it offers him unique challenges and allows for innovative problem-solving. Post-graduation, Matt endeavours to combine knowledge from both his majors to better the mining industry on an operational scale.
He has undertaken work experience with IGO's ventilation team at their Nova Operation and has recently finished a winter program at Agnew with Barminco as a Truck Operator.

Matt joined the AusIMM in 2024, and has been actively involved with the AusIMM UWA Student Chapter. He now serves as the 2025 Mining Games Coordinator for the APAC Mining Games Competition to be held in Perth this year.

Furthermore, Matt was a recipient of the 2025 AusIMM Education Endowment Scholarship, providing him with an excellent opportunity to receive expert mentoring from a mining professional and learn invaluable knowledge about the mining value supply chain while interacting with other students from around Australia on an annual field trip.

Outside the mining industry and study, Matt works as a bar manager. He also gives his time to charity organisations, recently raising over $5000 for Variety Australia.

Alison Muir commenced at AusIMM in 2019 in a newly created role to grow the organisation’s presence and oversee the establishment of AusIMM’s WA office.
She led stakeholder engagement and the partnerships program for AusIMM in the west liaising with industry, government, universities and other industry bodies. She then spent 2 and a half years at mining contractor Thiess before returning to AusIMM in July as Head of Strategic Relationships, based in Perth.
Alison has over 25 years of diverse industry experience from roles within the utilities industry, finance, business ownership, consulting, resources media, tourism and hospitality.
Alison graduated from University of Western Australia in 1994 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree and completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Communication from Edith Cowan University in 2012. She will attend the INSEAD Managing Partnerships and Strategic Alliances programme in France this October to deepen her knowledge of collaboration strategies, alliances, and partnerships.
Alison has deep-rooted connections with the mining sector, spanning four generations. She possesses a solid understanding of the industry's significance and the crucial role it plays in delivering economic and community benefits to society.
Alison is dedicated to advancing education and fostering a greater understanding of the importance and impact of collaborative social value. She is also deeply committed to promoting diversity and inclusion within the resources sector.
She is a member of the 100 Women Giving Circle, IAP2 (the peak body for community and stakeholder engagement practitioners) and a past mentor with AusIMM’s national mentoring program.