Exploration geologist Mark Bennett joins us for a conversation on his journey finding world-class ore bodies, from his start at Western Mining, through discoveries at Thunderbox and onto the staggering story of the Nova-Bollinger discovery.
Mark shares stories from WMC, getting a taste for success at LionOre, the disaster at Apex that taught him how boards really work, and his deal with Mark Creasy that birthed Sirius. He relives the white-knuckle Nova discovery, drilled on the last holes they could afford, the 18-month dance with circling predators, battling Glencore on an offtake, and the IGO takeover.
We get into:
• Why big companies create the openings for small explorers
• Riding LionOre from $40m to $7B
• How disaster at Apex shaped the next steps
• The iconic Nova-Bollinger discovery
• Dancing with predators, tussling with Glencore, and the culminating takeover
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TIMESTAMPS
(0:00) Why Mark Matters
(8:30) Explorer Mindset Secret Sauce
(16:40) Small Companies, Big Bets
(25:20) LionOre Discovery Momentum
(31:10) Apex Disaster Board Lessons
(38:30) Meeting Mark Creasy
(44:20) Nova Discovery Rollercoaster
(55:40) Takeover Dance and Reflections
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DISCLAIMER
All information in this podcast is for education and entertainment purposes only and is of general nature only.
Please ensure you read our full disclaimer.
Ireland