PDAC President Raymond Goldie started his two-year term on March 8, 2023. We sat down with Raymond to learn more about his decades of experience in the industry.
Born and raised in New Zealand, Raymond holds a B.Sc. from Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand, an M.Sc. from McGill University, and received his PhD from Queen’s University in Canada. The topic of his doctoral thesis was the geology of the Archean rocks in the Noranda area of Quebec.
You were born, raised, and received your B.Sc. in New Zealand. What brought you to Canada to complete your Masters and PhD?
A redhead.
Was there a specific moment (or people) in your life that inspired you to follow mineral exploration as a career, or have you always had an interest in this space?
In my last year in high school in Wellington, New Zealand, I discovered that my favourite subject was geography. It was also the subject in which I earned my best marks in the year-end, nation-wide exams, which was astonishing because the geography teacher had been on sabbatical that year. In fact, his absence allowed me to pursue a growing interest in the geology of the Wellington area. Although Wellington is blessed with astoundingly boring rocks, its landforms are some of the most interesting on the planet: bold coasts and captured rivers; faults major, minor, reverse and normal; terraces marine and alluvial; grabens, half-grabens and horsts; peneplanes dissected, buried and partially exhumed. Everywhere, the shape of the land told stories. I wanted to learn how to read those stories. After I’d enrolled in geology at university, I learned that I could actually make a living understanding those stories, if I were to work in mineral exploration.
Before becoming PDAC’s President, you were First Vice President, a member of the Board of Directors, and active on various PDAC committees over the years. How did you come to volunteer and be so involved with the association?
While at Queen’s University I went to my first PDAC Convention, and I was so impressed that I have been to every Convention since. I learned that PDAC is so much more than just a Convention, too, and that it is populated by helpful, friendly people. I wanted to be helpful and friendly as well, so I began to join PDAC committees. I also chaired a sister organization – the Toronto Geological Discussion Group (“TGDG”). In the 1980s, I ran a TGDG field trip to the burgeoning Hemlo gold deposit. Once I realized that everyone on the trip loved to look at drill core, I came up with the idea that a Core shack might be a popular event at the PDAC Convention – which it proved to be.
You’ve also held several positions within the industry itself, including field geologist, analyst and economist. If you had to pick, do you have a favourite?
Mining analysis is the best job in the world. It enabled me to visit projects which included a limestone quarry in Southern Ontario, a gold mine in an active geothermal area of Papua New Guinea and a deep nickel-palladium mine in Siberia. I could apply my knowledge of geology and economics to assess the future of each one.
Do you have a favourite region of Canada you’ve been able to explore? Is there also a place in Canada you never have explored, but would like to?
I was born on Taranaki volcano in New Zealand and one of my delights in exploring the world is visiting volcanoes. The most beautiful volcano I have seen in Canada is Eve Cone: smooth, symmetrical and mantled with golden tephra. Appropriately, it is in the Golden Triangle of British Columbia. I have also stood on land north of the Arctic Circle in Iceland, Sweden, Finland, Russia and the U.S., but never in Canada. I would certainly support any government investment in more infrastructure to make it easier to go to, and around, Arctic Canada!