Richard Varden
Senior Geotechnical Engineer
What is your role, and how long have you been at MGT?
I’m the senior geotech engineer and have been at MGT now for around 9 years – time flies!
What sparked your interest in this field?
When I was a mining engineer in Zimbabwe, a safety incident really enhanced my attention to being responsible in this field to ensure safe rock mechanics. After I moved to Australia in 1999, I did my Masters in geo-mechanics at WASM.
Share a memorable project story.
A memorable project is one where there was seismic active at a mine. The work itself was also very interesting, with highly technical ways of working on this, rehab/redesigning support, and keeping things open. New mines present new challenges.
What advice would you give to aspiring mining engineers?
Work hard, get stuck in there, do more than just your job title – go beyond what is required. If you put more effort in, you get more recognised. Oh, and ask questions!
The MGT Way is engineering advice
grounded in rigorous data analysis, enabling robust design.
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