The excitement, the endless possibilities to explore visit new communities. Growing up in Sheffield, England surrounded by coal mines, the ancient lead mines of Derbyshire and the new oil and gas discoveries in the North Sea demonstrated that the opportunities were endless. Prior to heading off to university I was sure I was going to have a career in agriculture due to my love of being outdoors! Through my early years in Canada, I edited countless geoscience manuscripts which provided a wealth of knowledge and when opportunity presented itself, I was ready to work on the Laurentian University “Sudbury Soils Study” which piqued my interest in the environmental side of mining. From there I moved into gold exploration work developing 3D models of mineral deposits and back to the environmental field in the hydrogeology sector
In the environmental field, a relatively young and developing aspect of mining, I now find myself protecting the quality and quantity of groundwater through the Planning Act, the Lake Simcoe Protection Plan and the Clean Water Act. Since the Walkerton Crisis in 2000, it has been recognised that maintaining clean, uncontaminated sources of drinking water is very important. Through years of urbanisation and the development of thousands of drinking water supply wells together with the consumptive extraction of water it has become necessary to ensure that recharge and quality of groundwater is maintained such that groundwater aquifers are maintained, improved, or restored. Together with protecting the natural heritage system and its associated features. I love the variety of positions that I have occupied, all of them have built on skills developed previously, I have experienced throughout my career and am continuing to adapt to new challenges and demands.
There is the challenge of balancing the familiar with the new and to be involved in developing new technologies. Many skills are transferable between the various disciplines. No two projects are the same and require an individual that has skills and knowledge in many different disciplines and is able to integrate them to ensure successful projects. The ability to learn is ever present. Working as part of a multidisciplinary team is challenging, exciting and makes for an intellectually fulfilling career.