OBITUARY — Orval Leigh was active in industry

A longtime member of the Canadian mining fraternity, Orval Leigh died recently. He was 58.

Toward the end of 1987, he joined Battle Mountain (Canada) as vice-president and managed the company’s Canadian exploration program. While with the company, he participated in a program in Kirkland Lake, Ont., which resulted in the discovery of new mineralization on the Amalgamated Kirkland property (now being explored by Cyprus Canada).

Prior to Battle Mountain, he worked for Lacana. Although he performed valuable evaluation work on several gold deposits, a particularly significant achievement was the development of the Suzorite mica deposit in Quebec. “During his life, Orval set a professional standard for thoroughness and integrity which led to the respect of all who knew him,” said colleague Robert Ginn. “Blessed with a kind, even temperament, he made many friends.” A graduate of the University of Toronto in 1958 in geological engineering, Leigh gained experience in exploration work and property evaluation in Canada and Australia through his employment with Ventures Ltd., Kesagami Syndicate and Consolidated Gold Fields (Australia).

A member of the Toronto Society of Financial Analysts, he joined Newconex Holdings in 1962 to focus on property and corporate evaluation. In 1965, he joined Canadian Superior Exploration and was active mainly in the assessment of mining companies. When the consulting firm Derry, Michener and Booth was formed in 1969, he joined his friend and senior colleague James Booth on staff.

He was a founding member of the Prospect Club, a Toronto investment club. Elected to the board of the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada in 1982, he served on many of the association’s committees. He was a 29-year member of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum. He served on the mining and energy minerals committee of the Association of Professional Engineers of Ontario for 13 years, chairing it for five, and was inducted as a member of the Order of the Sons of Martha in 1990. He was also a member of the Engineers Club for many years.