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 recognition of his eminent business leadership, driving the long-term success of Mount Isa Mines and Mount Isa's growth and development as a city.

Early life

Fisher was born in

Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-conse ...

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 in

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 Broken Hill is an inland mining city in the far west of outback New South Wales, Australia. It is near the border with South Australia on the crossing of the Barrier Highway (A32) and the Silver City Highway (B79), in the Barrier Range. It is ...

where he quickly rose to underground manager and then general manager at the

Zinc Corporation Consolidated Zinc was an Australian mining company from 1905 to 1962. History The company's initial operations focused on extracting zinc from mine tailings of the Broken Hill Ore Deposit at Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia. The company ...

. There he learned to deal with the formidable Barrier Industrial Council, 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 opposin ...

to create tunnels in the cliffs of Darwin Harbour to store fuel supplies so they would be safe during bombing raids by Japan. With the impending retirement of Mount Isa Mines (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 larges ...

, in 1952 as general manager, becoming chairman in 1953. Attracting him to Mount Isa 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 facilitating the local refinement of copper and the manufacture of copper products. He was always a strong advocate of local downstream

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. During the 1950s, Fisher was also responsible for construction of Lake Moondarra, 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 fr ...

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 i ...

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 ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

. 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