Ida H Gold Mine, Laverton, Laverton Shire, Western Australia, Australiai

Regional Level Types
Ida H Gold Mine	Mine
Laverton	- not defined -
Laverton Shire	Shire
Western Australia	State
Australia	Country

Dick Heaphy is credited with discovering the deposit. However further information indicated it may have been a prospector named Pollard (surname), who then approached Dick to work the mine. Heaphy was an accountant at the Craiggiemore mine, so what experience he had in mining is uncertain.

After a few rich crushings the mine was sold for 8000 pounds. Heaphy got the lion's share, and immediately went to the British Flag Hotel in Laverton and spent 800 pounds on alcohol in one night, possibly a Laverton record to this day. Pollard died soon after, and it is said immediately after many people claimed Pollard had promised them an interest in the mine.

The Ida H name comes from a New Zealand 'sweetheart' of Heaphy's. Next to the mine was a hotel owned by George McOmish (as it appears was much of Laverton at the time), a store, and across the road a building being used as a billiards room, Mechanic's Institute and barber shop.

The mine had been sold to Dr. Charles Lavers (after which Laverton is named), mini mining tycoon and local doctor. He took a one fifth interest in the mine, the rest given to Wittenoom and Turner (surnames). For three years they mined the deposit with profitable results for the limited number of owners.

The Ida H Company was floated in London in 1903 to purchase the mine. Crushing information was found from 1904, and the last mention of the company is 1923, so it was a long and stable reign. Campbell Shaw is mine manager, said to be a pleasant and approachable man. A 10 head mill had been installed. During its time the Ida H Company produced 106 911 ounces of gold from 225 596 tonnes of ore.

Edmund Maddans was killed at the mine April 1912 from a fall of earth. Herbert O'Keefe, was timbering in the shaft in May 1914, slipped and fell 200 feet down the shaft to his death.

From 1917, tributers began appearing at the mine, usually a sign the company was losing interest in it. One party in this year obtained 4000 pounds worth of gold money-wise in one month. Further evidence of waning interest, was the company acquired a lease at the Robuka tin field in Nigeria for 12 500 pounds. This was done on the advice of a local state parliamentarian who claimed 406 000 pounds of profit could be had from tin in sight. The money was lost, and what tin was in the ground remained there.

The 1930's gold boom saw re-newed interest at the mine. The Ida H Tailings syndicate reprocessed the sands in 1933, sixteen men are employed, and the lease has still a mill and cyanide vats. The Bolwarrah and Gordons Amalgamated NL of Melbourne also reprocessed the sands from 1936 to 1938.

Smith and Winter (surnames) own the mine in 1941, with tributers Giacomi Conti and party obtaining ore from a shaft on the Wabash lode. Con Rizzi and party had been the prior tributers who had obtained ore from near the boundary of the lease.

The leases were cancelled in 1948 for non payment of fees to the Mines Department. The 10 head battery was purchased by the Cable brothers and transferred to the Lancefield Gold Mine.

The mine is 14 kilometres south-east of Laverton, bordering the east side of the Merolia Road. There is a small pit, probably developed by Sons of Gwalia between 1989 to 1993. Also a tailings heap, remnant battery sands bordering to the east. There is an extensive area of scattered historic shafts south-south-west of the mine on the opposite side of the road.

The modern open pit produced 55 000 tonnes of ore at 1.48 g/t yielding 2452 ounces of gold. A JORC Inferred resource remains of 627 000 tonnes of ore at 1.4 g/t yielding 27 900 ounces of gold.

References

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