“Effective, efficient and reliable.”
Justin is an effective, efficient and reliable operator. I would recommend him and his company to other explorer and miners without hesitation.
They were the deepest drill holes Ken O’Reilly had worked on in his four decades in the exploration industry.
The exploration geologist – now the Principal Consultant at Kore Consulting Pty Ltd – engaged Justin Connellan as a driller to work on the Fairhill Project in central Queensland’s Bowen Basin from 2012 to 2014. This involved chip and HQ core drilling to depths of 350 metres to more than 600 metres.
“The main challenges at Fairhill were the thick tertiary cover and depths of the holes,” he said.
“Some of the holes we were drilling were in excess of 600m deep. When the drilling gets that deep you need to have capable people doing the job.
“I’ve been in the exploration industry since 1981 and they’re the deepest holes I’ve ever drilled. They were drilled successfully, too.”
Mr O’Reilly, an independent geological consultant who has worked with a range of leading mining companies, said the Justin’s team was safe, methodical and productive.
“Justin’s technical capability is excellent,” Mr O’Reilly said.
“He is very conscientious and as far as I was concerned, very highly skilled as a driller. As far as being a manager of a company, he is very approachable and very easy to get along with.”
Mr O’Reilly had already worked with Justin Connellan as a driller at the Lake Vermont project, where work included chip and 4C core drilling to depths of 200 metres. He commended Justin’s work, notably the approach to safety, efficiency and productivity.
“You don’t get a project unless you get the exploration drilling right,” he said. “Without the data you get from the holes that are drilled, you don’t have a project.”
Darren Walker can’t think of a mine or exploration site across central Queensland’s mining areas where Justin Connellan hasn’t done some drilling work.
The General Manager of Resource Development for U&D Mining Industry has known Justin Connellan for more than two decades, both working in the industry throughout the peaks and troughs of mining business conditions.
He employed Justin’s drill team at Meteor Downs South to complete open hole, diamond and casing operations, as well as completing licensed water bores, for both operational and environmental requirements.
“Justin’s team has always conducted themselves with professionalism, respect and experience with jobs completed on time and on budget, even in difficult drilling conditions,” he said.
“There has not been a challenge that has been too hard that Justin and the team could not work out a solution.”
He said the work performed was excellent, efficient and value for money – as well as being accommodating and easy to work with. This includes an “industry-leading” focus on safety, environmental impact and assessing risk.
“Justin cares about his people,” Mr Walker said. “He understands that if you put the time and effort into being industry-leading for safety, changing that mindset ends up saving you time and money down the track as well.”
He said undertaking project work with the crew was easy because of their “one-stop-shop” capabilities. Their versatility of experience, licences and qualifications enabled exploration companies to focus on the geology.
“They’ve got the rehabilitation and site preparation and everything else. Justin will just turn up and do the job he says he is going to do, get good production and look after it for you.”
“If you’re just a small exploration company you can get someone like Justin and he will look after the whole thing for you. He’s got good systems.”
Moreover, he said Justin understood the business need that drives the drilling and project management work. He said their effective drilling capabilities meant quality data.
“Definitely having that stuff done right at the start saves you money in the long run,” he said.
“Jobs completed on time and on budget.”
Justin has always conducted himself with professionalism, respect and experience with jobs completed on time and on budget, even in difficult drilling conditions.
Darren Walker
U&D Mining Industry (Australia)
General Manager – Resource Development
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