I started collecting "Rocks" about 16 years ago and have been an active member of the North West Tasmanian Mineral Club since joining them in 1996 and am now the club's President. I am also been a member of the Mineralogical Society of Tasmania. Members of the club helped me out over the years in identifying what was rubbish and what to keep, how to clean and care for the specimens I kept and the importance of cataloguing and labelling, and I have gradually built up a collection of around 4000 specimens through Field Trips and Purchasing/Swapping with other local Collectors. Out of my collection about 3800 specimens are from Tasmania these range from Micromounts to extra large Specimens and a small collection of Tasmanian Fossils.

I have discovered a number of new occurrences of Minerals in Tasmania in particular the first confirmed occurrence of Okenite in Tasmania, also an interesting Phosphate deposit that was named after me “Latham’s Find” as well as many obscure locations.

A number of my Specimens from the Kara Mine are featured in the recently published Minerals of the Kara Mine, Tasmania by Steve Sorrell and Ralph Bottrill and others in the new Catalogue of the Minerals of Tasmania by R S Bottrill and W E Baker 2008.

My favourite collecting locations would be at Hampshire, Fieldwick’s Quarry at Welborough, The Moina mining field and the Savage River Mine because of the large variety of specimens that are available in a small area.

I also have an interest in locating and photographing historic abandoned Mines and Prospects, places where the “old times” scratched over 100 years ago, to see the hard work that went into some of these mines with Haulages, Tramways, Water Races, Adits, Shafts ect. all built by hand and 90% of the time it all was for nothing.