People With Purpose Creating Prosperity at the CSA Mine

The CSA Mine has been an important part of the metalliferous mining industry in central western New South Wales for the last 40 years. Indeed, it is an icon of the community of Cobar (Fig. 1), some 10km distant, to the south of the mine and processing facilities. Since its beginnings in 1871, the mine has had a colorful history, often beset by technical problems, experiencing intermittent industrial unrest during the 1970’s, 80’s and 90’s, and subjected to a series of corporate changes which often prevented the operation from consistently achieving its full potential. Despite all this, the operation has been an important contributor to the community of Cobar for many years, producing over 25 million tonnes of ore since 1965, and yielding $1.5 billion of revenue over that period. A watershed in the mine’s history occurred in 1999, when Cobar Management Pty Ltd (CMPL) took control of the operation, following its closure by Ashanti Gold, in 1998.