PDAC honors John Felderhof as Prospector of the Year

Only two months after being named The Northern Miner’s Mining Man of the Year for 1996 (an honor he shares with partner David Walsh), John Felderhof will receive the Bill Denis Award for Prospector of the Year.

The senior vice-president of Bre-X Minerals will receive his trophy at the annual awards banquet of the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) on March 10 at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto. The ceremony is one of numerous events planned for the PDAC’s annual international convention and trade show.

Felderhof is being recognized for his involvement in the discovery of the massive Busang gold deposit in Indonesia. Previously, he helped find the OK Tedi gold-copper deposit in Papua New Guinea.

Other industry leaders who will be honored at the ceremony include Peter Munk, chief executive officer of Toronto-based Barrick Gold, who will receive the Viola R. MacMillan Developers Award for his role in developing that company into an internationally renowned gold producer. Barrick’s stature has grown over the years as a result of such projects as the Meikle mine in Nevada, the expansion of the Lac properties in Chile, and the development of its gold properties in Peru, which it acquired from Arequipa Resources.

The PDAC will award two Distinguished Service Awards this year.

John Hansuld, a past-president of the PDAC, will be recognized for his service and commitment to the organization, including his 3-year term as president. He is also being cited for his contribution to the Association of Exploration Geochemists, which he founded in 1970.

The other Distinguished Service Award will be presented to John Cooke in recognition of his support of Canada’s mining industry through his role as executive publisher of The Northern Miner. The award also recognizes Cooke’s ongoing contribution to the administration of the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame, which he helped launch in 1988.

The Environment Award will be presented to Rio Algom and Denison Mines for their reclamation and rehabilitation of former uranium mine sites in Elliot Lake, Ont.

Also, a Special Achievement Award will be presented to Eileen Wykes, former manager of Keep Mining in Canada, a support group aimed at promoting awareness of this country’s potential for mineral exploration.