Syndicate of Seven
Encyclopedia
The Syndicate of Seven is the name given to the original members of the Broken Hill Mining Company formed in 1883, who lodged applications for mining leases along the Line of Lode at Broken Hill
in New South Wales
, Australia
.
The members, who all worked at the remote Mount Gipps Sheep station
, were:-
"Each of the above seven contributing the sum of £70 each".
(Curtis 1908, and Camilleri 2006).
In September 1883 they pegged seven 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) blocks (blocks No 10–16) along the exposed lode at Broken Hill, thus securing almost the whole of the easily worked ore (Curtis, 1908).
The Syndicate of Seven was masterminded by George McCulloch (Camilleri, p17, 2006).
The initial assay results were not encouraging and Poole, Urquhart and Lind sold their share before the boom days and flotation of Broken Hill Proprietary in 1885 (Curtis, 1908 and Camilleri, 2006).
Broken Hill, New South Wales
-Geology:Broken Hill's massive orebody, which formed about 1,800 million years ago, has proved to be among the world's largest silver-lead-zinc mineral deposits. The orebody is shaped like a boomerang plunging into the earth at its ends and outcropping in the centre. The protruding tip of the...
in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
The members, who all worked at the remote Mount Gipps Sheep station
Sheep station
A sheep station is a large property in Australia or New Zealand whose main activity is the raising of sheep for their wool and meat. In Australia, sheep stations are usually in the south-east or south-west of the country. In New Zealand the Merinos are usually in the high country of the South...
, were:-
- George McCulloch (1848 – 1907) – station manager.
- Charles RaspCharles RaspCharles Rasp is known as the first person to identify the economic potential of the ore deposits at Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia....
(1846 – 1907) – a boundary riderBoundary riderA boundary rider is a term used in the Australian Football League as well as other field sports to denote a commentator who works from the sidelines of the field or 'boundary'...
, who was interested in prospectingProspectingProspecting is the physical search for minerals, fossils, precious metals or mineral specimens, and is also known as fossicking.Prospecting is a small-scale form of mineral exploration which is an organised, large scale effort undertaken by mineral resource companies to find commercially viable ore...
, recognised the importance of the site and pegged out the first mining lease. - Philip Charley (1863 – 1937) – a young man learning to be a sheep farmer, employed as a boundary riderBoundary riderA boundary rider is a term used in the Australian Football League as well as other field sports to denote a commentator who works from the sidelines of the field or 'boundary'...
. - David James (1854 – 1926) – a contractor employed to sink water tanks and mend fences.
- James Poole (1848 – 1924) – an employee of David James.
- George Urquhart (1845 – 1915) – a bookkeeper and overseer
- George Lind (1861 – 1941) – a storekeeper.
(Curtis 1908, and Camilleri 2006).
In September 1883 they pegged seven 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) blocks (blocks No 10–16) along the exposed lode at Broken Hill, thus securing almost the whole of the easily worked ore (Curtis, 1908).
The Syndicate of Seven was masterminded by George McCulloch (Camilleri, p17, 2006).
The initial assay results were not encouraging and Poole, Urquhart and Lind sold their share before the boom days and flotation of Broken Hill Proprietary in 1885 (Curtis, 1908 and Camilleri, 2006).