Laurence Brodie-Hall

Sir Laurence Charles Brodie-Hall (10 June 1910 – 1 October 2006) was an influential figure in the mining industry of Western Australia (WA).

Early life

Brodie-Hall was born in London and emigrated to Australia in 1924, leaving his parents. He worked as a farm hand in New South Wales and moved to WA in 1927. He co-bought a garage business but went broke during the Great Depression.

Early mining career He was an underground gold miner in WA's Murchison. In 1934 he joined Western Mining Corporation's Triton mine near Cue as a machine miner. Next he went to Kalgoorlie, took a shift job at the Kalgurli Ore Treatment Company's plant and began a part-time course at the WA School of Mines. On the goldfields he played the violin, sang and was involved in amateur theatricals. In 1939 he worked at the Emperor Mine in Fiji. When World War II started he returned to WA and worked as plant superintendent on Claude de Bernales' Baileys Mine at Coolgardie. When Japan entered the war in 1941 Brodie-Hall enlisted as a sapper in the Royal Australian Engineers. By the end of the war he was a captain. He returned to Kalgoorlie after demobilisation and completed mining and metallurgy degrees at the WA School of Mines under the Commonwealth Rehabilitation Scheme. In 1948 WMC's managing director, (Sir) Lindesay Clark, offered him a job as junior mine geologist at Norseman. He was soon transferred to Melbourne as technical assistant to Sir Lindesay.

Family Brodie-Hall married Dorothy Jolly. Dorothy supported Brodie-Hall and their young family while he was studying geology at the Kalgoorlie School of mines. They had five children. After her death he married Jean Verschuer.