Resource World Magazine

EPILOGUE David D uva l Industry loses a unique personality in John W. Stollery T he minerals industry lost a unique personality recently with the passing of John W. Stollery who, with Albert (Bert) Reeve, founded Cordilleran Engineering in 1967. Both men graduated from the Haileybury School of Mines in Ontario and later as geological engineers from Michigan Tech. They subsequently took temporary employment with Québec Cartier Mining Company on iron ore exploration in the Labrador Trough before heading west. According to Reeve, the magic ingredient for the future success of Cordilleran was regional exploration for new mineral deposits in remote areas of Western Canada. That strategy followed a time tested approach that is perhaps even more relevant today given the increasingly heavy emphasis on technology rather than "boots on the ground." Geochemist, and former classmate, Bill Bondar, of the newly incorporated Bondar Clegg & Co., provided technical support. Cordilleran's emphasis on geological research, reconnaissance and systematic helicopter-supported stream sediment sampling, cemented its leadership role at the time in that largely ignored exploration segment. Backed by seasoned exploration professionals over the years, Stollery contributed a remarkable level of organizational and logistical support to Cordilleran's various projects, an ability that characterized his leadership role throughout the company's history. "John had an uncanny ability to organize a complicated task or project, put all the pieces together, figure out the logistics, and make it happen," recalled Michael Hamilton, a former member of the Cordilleran team. The diverse skill sets that Stollery and Reeve brought to the table proved to be highly complementary, especially on the 54 www.resourceworld.com all important corporate financing side of the business. Not surprisingly, Reeve emphasizes that "fund raising was an important requirement, particularly for junior explorers because this was expensive, pioneering work that was not well known in the industry." He also notes that raising money in both good and lean times "required evangelistic salesmanship based on 'geological potential'" which in the end was left to him – something he mastered with considerable success. Having a broker-father who worked on Toronto's Bay Street suggests that Stollery himself had a good feel for the financing end of the business and its potential rewards. "We both agreed that the highest objective of the exercise was to make money" in what was very much "a risky, stimulating business," Reeve concedes. During Cordilleran's active lifespan of nearly 30 years, it had recommended and/ or managed over $110 million of exploration expenditures for numerous clients including several large resource corporations such as AMAX Minerals, Canadian Superior, Getty Canadian Metals, Pan Ocean, Placer Dome, the Hunt Brothers' Procan Exploration, Rio Tinto, Texas Gulf, and US Steel Corp. In one case (circa 1980), based on Cordilleran's reputation of integrity, an optionee paid $200,000 up front for a new discovery prior to conducting any site visit! In the early days, Cordilleran's regional exploration projects resulted in the discovery of the Harper Creek Copper deposit in southern BC, many new copper prospects in the Churchill-Racing River district in the north and new zinc deposits at Robb Lake in the Rockies. New zinc deposits were also found in the Yukon and NWT. Up to 1975 these regional projects covered more than 30,000 square miles, representing one stream sample per square mile. My first exposure to Cordilleran and John Stollery transpired in the early 1980s when I was working as Western Editor for The Northern Miner. Of the many unique people I met during my 10-year tenure at the weekly newspaper, Stollery stood out for several reasons. He was an imposing, broad shouldered individual who stood well over six feet in his prime and whose physical stature was accentuated by a gravelly voice that was more reminiscent of an army drill sergeant than a contemporary mining executive. Beneath that gruff exterior, however, stood a remarkably fair but hard driving individual whose word was his bond and who never took personal credit for the numerous successes his field crews achieved over the years. He was demanding but also generous with his staff, recognizing that their long sojourns in isolated regions tested their mettle – not to mention their family lives. In 1991, Stollery was awarded the H.H. "Spud" Huestis Award for excellence in prospecting and mineral exploration by the BC & Yukon Chamber of Mines (now AME BC). As was his nature, he refused to take personal credit for the award but graciously accepted it on behalf of former and then current members of the Cordilleran Engineering team. At a recent reception held in Stollery's honour at the Capilano Golf and Country Club, Ed Balon, a 25-year veteran of the company and H.H. "Spud" Huestis award winner himself in 2005, ended his eulogy with this evocation: "May his spirit rest in peace, and travel in peace amongst the stars." John Stollery is survived by his loving wife of 46 years, Linda Jennie and three devoted sons, Christopher (Alana), Geoffrey (Chanelle), and Mark (Melanie); and grandchildren, Malia, Mason, and Ciara. n SEPTEMBER 2013

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