B.C. & Yukon Chamber of Mines’ awards

This year’s recipient of the annual H. H. “Spud” Huestis Award for excellence in prospecting went to Chisholm. Millar is the recipient of the Edgar A. Scholz Medal, presented annually to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to mine development. Both awards were presented at the annual Cordilleran Roundup.

Born and raised in British Columbia, Millar earned an engineering degree in geology and began his mining career in drilling and blasting. In 1965 he formed Afton Mines, partly with the view of creating some work for a British Columbia percussion drilling company he then owned. But because the consulting geologist recommended diamond drilling instead, he didn’t get around to drilling where he wanted on the Highland Valley property until 1972.

His first percussion hole (the 92nd drilled on the property) intersected 300 ft of 0.6% copper and Afton became a success. The company was eventually bought by Teck Corp.

Moving to Arizona after the NDP government came to power in 1972, Millar began wild-catting with his own drill rig in the western states. He soon discovered a large, low- grade gold property near Glamis, Calif., and in 1975 began the first heap leaching operation in that state.

Although he eventually lost ownership of the Mesquite mine, Millar picked up the nearby Picacho mine which was later brought into production by Glamis Gold, a company of which he is currently president. Along with a partner, he also placed the American mine in California into production.

Edward Chisholm joined Prospector Airways in 1953 after completing a masters degree in chemistry, mineralogy and geology in Toronto following his service in the Second World War. Continuing an interest in geochemical prospecting he first developed in Ontario, Chisholm immediately began work on claims he helped prospector Alan Kulan stake in what was to become Yukon’s major lead-zinc- silver camp.

Chisholm concluded that geochemical water and soil sampling would aid in the tracing of the original showing in Vangorda Creek as well as the discovery of additional deposits. Touched by luck in that the area tested was a window in a region otherwise covered by permafrost and glacial overburden, his efforts contributed greatly to the exploration and discovery of the Faro, Grum and Vangorda deposits now owned by Curragh Resources.

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