Exploration Radio

The US Marines have a saying..."Everyone wants to get into heaven. But no one wants to die." Is this a metaphor for how we treat new business models?

These days, innovation is on everyone's lips in the mining industry. We are all desperate to innovate. But if...we ourselves are the biggest barrier to innovation?

Have you ever been made redundant because of the cyclical nature of our industry? Everyone that works in mining knows that the industry is cyclical. There are booms and busts and they control everything. But have you ever wondered why? 

Steve and Ahmad talk about what lessons they learned about innovation from the CRAESTAR story. 

Last week, we found out about the beginnings of the CRAESTAR program - a floating exploration base used by CRA to explore for copper in the Pacific islands. This week, we continue the story. How successful was the program in the end? And what lessons did CRA learn from it? 

The MV CRAESTAR was a retrofitted fishing trawler with a heli-pad and analytical laboratory. It was a floating exploration base, built for speed and efficiency. It was CRA's innovative solution to the challenges of exploring in the Pacific islands. What can this program teach us about innovation on the front line...and what lessons can we learn from it? This episode explores the beginnings of the CRAESTAR program.

Welcome to Season 2 of Exploration Radio....Steve and Ahmad are back with more stories about the past, present and future of mineral exploration. This season will focus on change...and what that means for the industry. Season launches March 6.

Last week's episode was the 7th episode of Exploration Radio..and the last for our first season. We will now be away for a while working on Season 2. 

We have covered a lot of topics in this season. But one thing that has been missing so far has been reviews and recommendations from you the listeners. So if you have been a listener of Exploration Radio, then head to iTunes, Stitcher Radio or wherever you get your podcasts from...or to our website...and let us know what you think about the podcast. Tell you what episodes you liked, what you did not like and what you would change. We would love to hear from you. 

We will be back as soon as we can with Season 2. So till we meet again, keep exploring. 

These days, innovation is all around us...a basic requirement in most industries. You either innovate, or you die. So what about the mining industry, often considered a laggard when it comes to technology and innovation. How will it innovate? We talk to Andrew Shook, who has held several technology and innovation roles in BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto. In his opinion, innovation can be explained by a single word...change.

Rover Boys were a crack team of petroleum geologists, exploring the world for the last large surface discoveries of petroleum. This team went anywhere and everywhere. They smoked camel dung and used whiskey as a lion repellent...they were built for adventure. But during their time, the industry transitioned offshore and there was no longer room left for the Rover Boys. In today's episode, we talk to David Kingston who led the real Rover Boys. This story provides a rare look into the future for minerals exploration. We talk a lot about the technology or science of deep exploration but what does this transition feel like. Let's ask Dave Kingston.