Gold medal highlights: Diggers & Dealers

Cannings Purple’s Investor Relations team have returned from Kalgoorlie, bringing with them the gold-medal highlights from the last three days.

This week, Kalgoorlie’s Goldfields Arts Centre hosted more than 2,400 registered delegates for Diggers & Dealers 2021.

The turnout was among the highest in Diggers & Dealers’ 30-year history. The pandemic may have kept most of the east coast and international visitors away, but the Sandgropers made up for it in sheer numbers and enthusiasm.

Diggers & Dealers Chair, Jim Walker shares his thoughts on the success of the event.

An upbeat ⁦@diggersndealers⁩ chair Jim Walker at the halfway mark of this year’s event. pic.twitter.com/D2dpsAQlJi

— Investor Insight (@cp_investor) August 3, 2021

Kick-starter award

Gold goes to BASF for supplying delegates with juice to kick-start the morning routine. How much juice, you may ask: however many litres are produced from squeezing 750kg of oranges, 650kg of apples and 550kg of carrots. The silver medal goes to aggreko, sponsors of the coffee stand, which was always busy.

Digging deep award

Bronze goes to Lynas Rare Earths, which announced ahead of upstream boss Kam Leung’s presentation that it had drilled a 1020m deep hole to tap mineralisation beneath its Mt Weld pit near Laverton.

Silver goes to Gold Road Resources, whose boss Duncan Gibbs reminded delegates that the company was hitting serious gold, at a depth of about 1000m, beneath the world-class Gruyere deposit.

Gold Road Resources boss, Duncan Gibbs talking about Gruyere and gold exploration

But gold goes to Terra Drilling, which used Diggers & Dealers to highlight it was offering rig offsiders a $1000 swing bonus.

Sustainability award

Sustainability was heralded as one of the key themes at this year’s conference and lived up to expectations. But for an investor conference it was great to see Stuart Tonkin kick off Northern Star’s Business First presentation with not one, but three ESG slides before delving into his gold business. An easy gold medal.

Connected award

Gold goes to the team at CorpCloud for keeping us all connected. No mean feat and a reminder of how reliant the world is on being able to be a virtual one.

Booth prize award

Bronze goes to the team at Mader Group, who enticed delegates to its booth with mini golf.

Joint silver goes to Aeris Resources, whose booth prize of a super-powered remote-operated car attracted huge interest, and The Perth Mint for its gold chocolate bars.

But the winner has to be Sandvik for the you-beaut cheese board-with-utensils set. Great idea. Get me some Västerbotten.

Rare earth award

The gold has to go to Hastings Technology Group, whose shares gained 10% during Diggers & Dealers on the back of positive news on the Onslow hydromet plant site and a bullish corporate presentation. Hastings’ market cap was $382 million last night – its highest ever. The smart punter knows there’s more upside to come.

Media award

A conference like Diggers & Dealers does not work without a vibrant media contingent. This year was no exception and – in a repeat of 2020 – a hybrid affair with a strong gaggle crowding into the John Langford media room at the Arts Centre complemented by reporters who stayed in their home base/State and watched the live-stream. Gold this year goes to AFR reporter Peter Ker, one of the most experienced resources journalists in the country.

Next up @diggersndealers Media award – congrats to @pgker. Top bloke pic.twitter.com/b84Qns3aPq

— Peter Klinger (@_peterklinger) August 4, 2021

Emerging Company award

Chalice Mines could have won it in 2020 but was pipped by the slightly more advanced exploration success, De Grey Mining. This year Chalice’s success – with the Julimar platinum discovery – was deservedly recognised with gold.

Digger award

West African Gold poured first gold in March last year and was a contender for the 2020 title, which went to Ramelius Resources. But a steady ramp-up and seemingly smooth operation at the Sanbrado mine put West African back in medal contention – gold this year.

Dealer award

The gold medal goes to IGO, not just for selling out of a gold mine (Tropicana) but buying into Tianqi’s Australian lithium business (Greenbushes mine and Kwinana hydroxide plant). It completes IGO’s transformation under boss Peter Bradford.

And on to the #Dealer of the year …. IGO. pic.twitter.com/3euBwI8JoV

— Peter Klinger (@_peterklinger) August 4, 2021

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That’s the end of the road for the Cannings Purple Investor Insight team at Diggers & Dealers 2021. If you would like to read more updates from Diggers & Dealers, check out Investor Insight.