Two years ago, in this column, I reminded readers of The Northern Miner that the mining industry has a patron saint, Barbara, whose feast day (Dec. 4) is observed by miners and tunnellers around the world, especially in continental Europe.
You might recall that Saint Barbara was an early Christian martyr, with accounts placing her in third century Nicomedia (in present-day Turkey) or in Heliopolis (present-day Lebanon). Although Barbara was declared a saint in 1568 by Pope Pius V, doubts about the authenticity of her legend (there is no reference to Barbara in early Christian writings) led to her removal from the General Roman Calendar in the 1969 revision, although not from the Catholic Church’s list of saints.
According to legend, Barbara was the beautiful daughter of a rich pagan named Dioscorus, who kept her locked in a tower to preserve her from the outside world. Having secretly become a Christian, she escaped. The legends diverge at this point, although the most persuasive, at least for mining engineers, is that she hid in a silver mine. Unfortunately, Barbara was beheaded by her father when she emerged. (Incidentally, Dec. 4 is also memorable as being the date, in 1154, when Adrian IV became the only Englishmen to be elected Pope.)
Dioscorus was promptly struck dead by lightning, and this association has caused Saint Barbara to be invoked against fire and explosions. Indeed, her feast day is celebrated by the artillery in many armies, including those of the U.S., Canada, Australia and England. Less obviously, she is also the patron saint of mathematicians and the Italian navy.
Saint Barbara’s remains are reportedly buried at Saint Vladimir’s Cathedral in Kyiv, although relics are claimed by numerous Catholic churches around the world. Of all places, the capital of Ukraine is deserving of Saint Barbara’s protection through her artillery associations, although it is to be hoped that she can also maintain a watching brief on mining endeavours.
Our industry is under intense social and political pressure from those ignorant of, or ill-informed about, mining activities. The public needs reminding that (with very few exceptions) we are one of the three primary industries (the others being farming and fishing) necessary for economic growth in developing economies, and also for the materials required to deliver a low carbon future for everyone.
Mining faces an uphill battle, with our industry remaining bewilderingly unappreciated. We do not help ourselves, however, and the regular occurrence of serious mine accidents is catastrophic for our cause. Recent avoidable calamities that come to mind include landslips at Vale’s Córrego do Feijão iron ore operation in January 2019 and at the Hpakant jade mine in July 2020. The former killed 270 people near Brumadinho in Brazil, and the latter killed 180 people in Kachin State, Myanmar.
With no fatalities, but devastating consequences for the reputation of mining companies, the sacred Juukan Gorge Aboriginal site in Western Australia was destroyed in May 2020 by Rio Tinto. The subsequent resignation of the company’s CEO, Jean-Sébastien Jacques, was four months too late to make any difference to public opinion. To reflect the seriousness of this abomination, the whole board should have resigned before the dust had settled.
Senior management still do not fully appreciate the hole that we’ve dug for ourselves. Yes, conferences proliferate about ESG (environmental, social and governance) issues, and about the imminent shortage of those metals and minerals critical to a sustainable future. However, these gatherings still do not properly embrace all of the stake holders, with relatively few local communities, environmentalists and union officials in attendance.
Although undergraduates are increasingly being invited to mining trade shows, where are the school children? They are our future, but a frighteningly high percentage aren’t being taught why mining is important. Children need to see our awe-inspiring mining equipment, and read in the popular press and on social media about the care we take to protect the environment and keep people safe.
A proper conversation needs to start with people that don’t understand us, and with those whom we disagree. I wrote two years ago that the mining industry needed Saint Barbara rather more than did mathematicians and the Italian navy. It still does; we remain in need of a miracle.
Keep on the excellent works & contributions