Sir George Read Fisher (1903 - 13 July 2007) was one of Australia's leading mining executives. In 2019, he was posthumously inducted into the

Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame In 2009 State Library of Queensland, the Queensland Library Foundation and the QUT Business School The QUT Business School is one of six faculties at the Queensland University of Technology. It is home to the QUT Graduate School of Business, a ...

in recognition of his eminent business leadership, driving the long-term success of

Mount Isa Mines Mount Isa Mines Limited ("MIM") operates the Mount Isa copper, lead, zinc and silver mines near Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia as part of the Glencore group of companies. For a brief period in 1980, MIM was Australia's largest company. It has ...

and Mount Isa's growth and development as a city.

Early life

Fisher was born in Gladstone,

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

into a farming family. He attended Gladstone High School and then

Prince Alfred College , motto_translation = Do Brave Deeds and Endure , established = 1869 , type = Independent, single-sex, day & boarding , headmaster = David Roberts , chaplain = Reverend ...

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

. In 1925, he graduated from the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

with a Bachelor of Engineering (mining).

Mining career

Fisher commenced his career in Broken Hill where he quickly rose to underground manager and then general manager at the Zinc Corporation. There he learned to deal with the formidable

Barrier Industrial Council The Barrier Industrial Council is the trades and labour council in Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia, and surrounding areas. Formed in 1923 by 18 trade unions, the council has been unusually influential in local government, for a labour con ...

, successfully displaying the capacity to establish a fine rapport with the union leaders. Central to this and later success were his remarkable people skills. The

Allied Works Council The Allied Works Council was an organisation set up to oversee and organise military construction works in Australia during World War II. Established in February 1942, the Allied Works Council was responsible for carrying out any works required ...

seconded him in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

to create tunnels in the cliffs of

Darwin Harbour Darwin Harbour is the body of water close to Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia. It opens to the north at a line from Charles Point in the west to Lee Point in the east into the Beagle Gulf and connects via the Clarence Strait wi ...

to store fuel supplies so they would be safe during bombing raids by Japan. With the impending retirement of

(MIM) chairman,

Julius Kruttschnitt Julius Kruttschnitt (July 30, 1854 – June 15, 1925) was a German American railroad executive. Biography He was born on July 30, 1854 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He graduated from Washington and Lee University in 1873 and worked briefly as a s ...

, Fisher joined MIM, then controlled by US company

ASARCO Asarco LLC (American Smelting and Refining Company) is a mining, smelting, and refining company based in Tucson, Arizona, which mines and processes primarily copper. The company has been a subsidiary of Grupo México since 1999. Its three la ...

, in 1952 as general manager, becoming chairman in 1953. Attracting him to

Mount Isa Mount Isa ( ) is a city in the Gulf Country region of Queensland, Australia. It came into existence because of the vast mineral deposits found in the area. Mount Isa Mines (MIM) is one of the most productive single mines in world history, base ...

was the prospect of freedom from overseas interference and autonomy to run the company as he saw fit. This was to be a major turning point for MIM and the town of Mount Isa which, in both cases, were to be transformed under his leadership. He set about building houses and facilities to attract a stable workforce and embarked on a large-scale exploration program resulting in extremely rich new mineral deposits. By 1959 a copper refinery was built in

Townsville Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...

facilitating the local refinement of copper and the manufacture of copper products. He was always a strong advocate of local downstream value-adding. During the 1950s, Fisher was also responsible for construction of

Lake Moondarra Lake Moondarra is an artificial lake on the Leichhardt River in Queensland, Australia, 16 km downstream from the town of Mount Isa. It provides water to the city and the adjacent Mount Isa Mines (MIM) mining lease. Construction began on t ...

, the largest private water storage project in Australia. He successfully negotiating with the

Queensland Government The Queensland Government is the democratic administrative authority of the Australian state of Queensland. The Government of Queensland, a parliamentary constitutional monarchy was formed in 1859 as prescribed in its Constitution, as amended f ...

and the

Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Government ...

to have the Mt Isa to Townsville railway reconstructed was another major success during this era. Under Fisher's leadership, mine production went from 1,500 to 16,000 tons per day. Copper production went from zero to 100,000 tons per year, ready to go to 150,000 before he retired. Lead production was over 100,000 tons. It was probably the largest lead and silver mine in Australia, and one of the largest in the world at the time. The copper was at number nine worldwide and reserves went from three million tons to 140 million tons. Under his leadership, the town developed from 6,000 people to over 20,000 people and the payroll went from seven million pounds, to 31 million pounds. Sir George rendered extensive and meritorious community service. He was a giant of the mining industry, a world-recognised innovator, and among the most significant pioneers of regional development in Australia's history.

Later life

Sir George Fisher retired in 1970, but remained active through his involvement in the Queensland Art Gallery Foundation and the Queensland Country Party. When James Cook University of North Queensland (now James Cook University) was established in 1970, Sir George Fisher became the university's Foundation Chancellor. He held that position until 1974. The university named a significant building on its Douglas campus in Townsville after Fisher. Fisher died on 13 July 2007 aged 104.

Awards

Fisher was awarded the Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (Imperial) on 10 June 1961. He was knighted on 10 June 1967. In 1974, he was also awarded an honorary fellowship of the

Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM) provides services to professionals engaged in all facets of the global minerals sector and is based in Carlton, Victoria, Australia. History The Institute had its genesis in 1893 with ...

(HonFAusIMM).

Legacy

The

George Fisher mine The George Fisher Mine is a mine located near Mount Isa in Queensland, Australia. It is one of the largest zinc, lead and silver mines in the world. The mine is located north of Mount Isa in North West Queensland. It mine has estimated reserves ...

is named after him. The suburb of

Fisher Fisher is an archaic term for a fisherman, revived as gender-neutral. Fisher, Fishers or The Fisher may also refer to: Places Australia *Division of Fisher, an electoral district in the Australian House of Representatives, in Queensland *Elect ...

in Mount Isa is named after him.

References

Attribution

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fisher, George Australian business executives Australian centenarians Men centenarians Businesspeople from Queensland 1903 births 2007 deaths Australian Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George