AME names 2016 award winners

The Association for Mineral Exploration (AME) has announced the recipients of its annual awards.

The winners will be honoured at the AME Awards Celebration of Excellence Gala on Jan. 25, 2017, during the Roundup conference in Vancouver. For more information and tickets visit www.amebc.ca/roundup.

“It is our honour to recognize with these awards those in our industry who through their leadership, resilience and innovation have contributed at the highest standards of excellence in exploration and mineral development,” chair of AME’s board Diane Nicolson said. “What they have attained is an inspiration to all and we look forward to celebrating their achievements.”

The winners

Chris Rockingham, Carl Edmunds and Wade Barnes, are recognized with the H.H. “Spud” Huestis Award for excellence in prospecting and mineral exploration for their discovery and resource definition of AuRico Metals’ (TSX: AMI) Kemess East deposit in north central B.C., 250 km north of Smithers.

Don Parsons and Steve Robertson are this year’s recipients of the E.A. Scholz Award for excellence in mine development in B.C. and Yukon. They are honoured for their pivotal role in advancing Imperial Metals’ (TSX: III) Red Chris copper-gold project to commercial production in northwest British Columbia.

AME has selected Terry Salman for this year’s Murray Pezim Award recognizing perseverance and success in financing mineral exploration. Terry has been a leader in the junior exploration financing space for 40 years through his career at Nesbitt Thomson, Salman Partners and Salman Capital.

William Lamb and Lukas Lundin will both share the 2016 Hugo Dummett Diamond Award for excellence in diamond exploration and development in recognition of their work in developing Lucara Diamond’s (TSX: LUC) Karowe diamond mine in Botswana.

This year’s Colin Spence Award for excellence in global mineral exploration is going to David Broughton and Sello Kekana in recognition or their work that led to the discovery of the Tier One Flatreef underground deposit at Ivanhoe Mines’ (TSX: IVN) Platreef PGM-nickel-copper-gold project in South Africa’s Bushveld Complex.

Jim Cooney is the recipient of the 2016 Robert R. Hedley Award for excellence in social and environmental responsibility. He receives the award for his role as a leader and mentor who has led and shaped the integration of environmental and social values into the mining industry.

The late Graham Ennis will be honoured with the David Barr Award for excellence in leadership and innovation in mineral exploration health and safety, for passion and dedication to the well-being and safety of workers in the diamond drilling industry.

JoAnne Nelson, a 30-year veteran of the B.C. Geological Survey is the recipient of a Special Tribute in recognition of her distinguished career in geoscience work, focused on the tectonics, structural geology and metallogeny of the Northern Cordillera spanning B.C., Yukon and Alaska.

Susan Craig is recognized this year with the Gold Pan Award for her exceptional meritorious service to the mineral exploration community through AME.

Barb Caelles, Alex Christopher and Diane Gregory have been chosen for the Frank Woodside Past Presidents and Past Chairs Award for their distinguished service to the association and/or contribution to the mineral industry.

The two recipients of AME’s Outreach Education Fund are Britannia Mine Museum for its education programs and MineralsEd for its Kids & Rocks program.