biglaffinjim
New member
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2025
- Messages
- 2
G’day all, Jim here.
I’ve just joined Prospecting Australia and figured I’d rework the introduction I posted there, given this forum leans more toward the professional and scientific side of the industry, which is exactly why I’m here.
I grew up in Texas with oil under every second paddock, so I started out studying chemical engineering with the plan of heading into the oil field. Life had other ideas, I met an Aussie girl, moved across the world, and eventually shifted into agricultural science. I started with PR, but now for the last few years I am proud to be an Aussie citizen.
For the past 20 years I’ve worked full-time with fungi- wild, cultivated, medicinal, gourmet, and built a career around understanding biological systems, chemistry, and process engineering. I started a food company based on mushrooms, that’s still my day job, and I love it.
But a few months back a mate and I went panning for gold… and that’s where everything tilted.
The geology, the chemistry, the process engineering, the fieldwork, the materials science, it hooked into all the same parts of my brain that mushrooms did, but with a whole new kind of gravity. Since then I’ve been reading, mapping, driving to check outliers and outcrops, building small-scale equipment, and generally letting this rabbit hole reorganise my spare time.
What’s surprised me is that this doesn’t feel like a passing hobby. I’m genuinely considering whether the later chapters of my career could involve mining, on a small scale to start with, but with scientific intent and real effort. I want to understand the industry properly, not just from YouTube and backyard experiments.
My wife has even entertained the idea of us investing in a small mining venture, which tells me I’ve either made a compelling case… or she just knows I won’t shut up about it until we’ve explored the option properly. We live in Victoria, and though I would like something close to me, I wouldn't turn away any fun or interesting opportunities that came up in this beautiful mineralized country.
Either way, I’m here to learn from people who’ve walked the path, geologists, miners, engineers, operators, refiners, anyone with practical insight.
I can offer enthusiasm, a background heavy in chemistry, bioprocessing, system design, and a very tidy scientific brain (when it’s not covered in quartz dust). And while I’m new to mining, I’m not new to learning complex systems quickly and obsessively.
Looking forward to getting stuck in.
Cheers,
Jim
I’ve just joined Prospecting Australia and figured I’d rework the introduction I posted there, given this forum leans more toward the professional and scientific side of the industry, which is exactly why I’m here.
I grew up in Texas with oil under every second paddock, so I started out studying chemical engineering with the plan of heading into the oil field. Life had other ideas, I met an Aussie girl, moved across the world, and eventually shifted into agricultural science. I started with PR, but now for the last few years I am proud to be an Aussie citizen.
For the past 20 years I’ve worked full-time with fungi- wild, cultivated, medicinal, gourmet, and built a career around understanding biological systems, chemistry, and process engineering. I started a food company based on mushrooms, that’s still my day job, and I love it.
But a few months back a mate and I went panning for gold… and that’s where everything tilted.
The geology, the chemistry, the process engineering, the fieldwork, the materials science, it hooked into all the same parts of my brain that mushrooms did, but with a whole new kind of gravity. Since then I’ve been reading, mapping, driving to check outliers and outcrops, building small-scale equipment, and generally letting this rabbit hole reorganise my spare time.
What’s surprised me is that this doesn’t feel like a passing hobby. I’m genuinely considering whether the later chapters of my career could involve mining, on a small scale to start with, but with scientific intent and real effort. I want to understand the industry properly, not just from YouTube and backyard experiments.
My wife has even entertained the idea of us investing in a small mining venture, which tells me I’ve either made a compelling case… or she just knows I won’t shut up about it until we’ve explored the option properly. We live in Victoria, and though I would like something close to me, I wouldn't turn away any fun or interesting opportunities that came up in this beautiful mineralized country.
Either way, I’m here to learn from people who’ve walked the path, geologists, miners, engineers, operators, refiners, anyone with practical insight.
I can offer enthusiasm, a background heavy in chemistry, bioprocessing, system design, and a very tidy scientific brain (when it’s not covered in quartz dust). And while I’m new to mining, I’m not new to learning complex systems quickly and obsessively.
Looking forward to getting stuck in.
Cheers,
Jim
