QGESS
Geological Consulting
MEET THE QGESS TEAM
TROY SAUNDERS
DIRECTOR
Troy is a mining engineer with 16 years of experience in both Queensland and New South Wales coal mining operations. During Troy’s career he worked with a variety of mining operations in Queensland and New South Wales. Troy has worked with all aspects of coal operations from exploration through to concept, mine design, operations, to rehabilitation and closure. Troy’s main interest is working with existing operations to improve performance and challenge outdated assumptions to find more, economic tonnes.
BARRY SAUNDERS
PRINCIPAL GEOLOGIST
Since graduation from QUT in 1976, Barry has established a sound knowledge in coal mine development and exploration. He has experience in small open cut, large strip mines bord and pillar and longwall mines. Exploration, resource estimation and mine development experience has been gained in the Bowen, Ipswich, Surat and Moreton basins of Queensland. Geotechnical experience was gained in slope stability work in Central Queensland strip mines and underground mines at Ipswich and Blackwater. Barry has operated a small scale sapphire mine at Inverell. For almost 40 years, Barry has been involved with coal mine geology, coal resource estimation and audits, and coal deposit valuation. Barry has been using Vulcan software since the mid-eighties. He is a Certified Practising Member of the AusIMM and a member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists. Barry has been an active participant in the Bowen Basin Geologists Group since it’s inception.
DEREK HATCHER
SENIOR GEOLOGIST
Derek completed his Bachelor of Applied Science degree at QUT and is now in his thirteenth year working for QGESS. Currently working in a production role at a Central Queensland Mine, Derek has been involved with various exploration and mine development projects in the Bowen, Tarong and Perth Basins.
When not actively pursuing geological endeavours for QGESS Derek will more than likely be found in his ‘tinnie” on a body of water casting a lure.
GLYNNE OWEN
SENIOR GEOLOGIST
Originally from the UK Glynne graduated from the University of Manchester in 2008 with a MEarthSci.
Glynne has worked for QGESS since 2010 working on both Exploration and Mine expansion projects. He is currently based at a central Queensland Mine working on Exploration and various projects which include streamlining of fugitive emissions reporting through innovation of current modelling techniques.
He is also working towards a second Masters degree in Coal Geology. .
ANDREW WHEELER
SENIOR GEOLOGIST
Though only being a part of QGESS since May 2013, Andrew has over 30 years experience as an exploration geologist in the fields of coal exploration, diamond search, base metals and heavy minerals exploration that has seen him travel from Southeast Queensland to Central and Northwest Queensland and Western Australia with mentoring roles in Mongolia, Nova Scotia and Mozambique.
In parallel with this, Andrew have always maintained an active involvement in Planetary Sciences with a research interest in Martian surface (sand dunes/regolith) processes and a more recent interest in the economic potential and opportunities in Off Earth mining. See Andrews poster here from the last ASRC conference
MATT WALSH
GEOLOGIST
Matt grew up in Melbourne suburbia, completing his BSc (Hons) in Rockology at Monash University. Over the last 7 years Matt has garnered experience across a range of coal deposits throughout Central and Sth Eastern Queensland as well as an international venture into the Moatize Basin of the Zambezi Rift, Mozambique.
Outside of work Matt immerses himself amongst everything AFL related, more specifically the mighty Tigers. He necessitates his time in the offseason with local and international travel, long distance running and building Ikea furniture.
Matt has been part of the QGESS unit since 2014 and in that time has benefited from working alongside the experienced QGESS geology team; developing numerous professional relationships and more importantly a number of long lasting friendships.
GILL OWEN
SPECIALIST SCIENTIST
Originally from the UK. Gill graduated from the University of Manchester with a BSc (Hons) in 2006 with a semester on exchange with SUNY Stony Brook on Long Island.
Has worked for QGESS since moving to Australia in 2012. Doing administration, technical data entry and analysis as well assisting the geologists with various tasks. Gill has experience working with LogCheck and CoalLog as well as in house data systems for various Mines
SION PRETORIUS
GEOLOGIST
Sion Joined the QGESS team in 2016 from UQ where he worked on projects including thermochronology on the yarabee tuff for the ACARP Rangal Supermodel and a small study on Splint coal. Sion has previously worked on greenfields exploration for oil shale and aerial mapping in Spain and Guatemala. During his free time Sion likes to travel to new and interesting places
NORMAN HECKSCHER
GEOLOGIST
Norman is a mining professional who has accrued over ten years of experience in the mining and resources industry. He is an enthusiastic Geologist with experience in a range of exploration, mining & mineral processing activities.
Outside of work Norman maintains a firm grasp and understanding of Linux computer systems. In the spirit of Miller-Urey, Norman also has an active interest in using massively parallel computers to evolve artificial intelligence in computer memory.
Working in remote and challenging environmental conditions is not an issue for Norman, as he has previously spent extended periods of time working in regions from the freezing highlands of Tasmania to the sunburnt Australian outback. Presently Norman would most likely say "No" to an air conditioned corner office in a modern high-rise building as he still yearns to spend time in the great outdoors.
TRAVIS MACKAY
GEOLOGIST
I completed my Bachelor of Geology from James Cook University in 2018 and have had experience working in Central Queensland coal mines throughout my degree. In my second year of university I studied abroad in Oswego, upstate New York, for 6 months where I got involved in rowing. I continued to row for a couple of years when I came back to Australia. I have also played Ultimate Frisbee for 6 years and in 2018 I represented Queensland in the under 22 Australian Ultimate Disc Championships in Perth. In my spare time I will generally be found working on the family farm or out in the vegie patch.