Acceptance Speech by Sir Sam Jonah at The University of Exeter and The Camborne School of Mines Award Ceremony on Saturday 13 July 1996
Mr Chancellor, this is a very nostalgic moment for me. I left Camborne in 1973 with the most pleasant of memories – memories of the excellent hospitality of the Cornish people in general and the Camborne community in particular – memories of the kindness shown to me by the teaching as well as the administrative staff of this institution and memories of my encounters with the famed Cornish pasty.
I have at various times during the last 23 years threatened and in some instances promised to make a return to Camborne to relive those memories but for several and varied reasons, I have not had the opportunity and indeed the pleasure to do so. Never in my wildest dreams though did I th9ink that my return would be occasioned by such an auspicious event. I arrived in Camborne from Exeter yesterday morning and I immediately rushed my family to the nearest patisserie where we introduced the new generation of the Jonahs to the finest of Cornish culinary skills. Mr Chancellor, for this and all the other easons which have occasioned my return, I would like to express my gratitude to you and your colleagues for making my dream come true!
Mr Chancellor, for me, today’s ceremony is humbling enough, but let say that irrespective of one’s station in life, an address before one’s former tutors can be a most intimidating experience indeed. The sight of Dr Hackett reminds one of the incredibly bad papers one wrote in rock mechanics – the sight of Prof. Gaskell is enough to remind one of all the C-’s we got in his engineering papers – the sight of Messrs Hancock and Shrimpton also reminds one of the struggles we had with their electrical engineering and mining courses. Prof. Atkinson, in his oration, referred to the alacrity with which from Philadelphia I returned his call. What he did not know was the reason which occasioned the quick response. You see, I thought he was going to inform me that, having reviewed the geology papers I wrote for him 23 years ago, he had, in his capacity as the Principal of this famed institution, decided to withdraw my most coveted qualification. You can therefore imagine my relief and shock to be told that my association with Camborne and Exeter was to be deepened rather. The good news notwithstanding, the presence of Prof. Atkinson and my former tutors add to my trepidation.
And, Mr Chancellor, it is to neutralise this intimidating presence that I have imported into today’s ceremony a 75 strong army of cheerleaders made up of relatives and friends. They have come from all over the world and I thank them most sincerely. It is indeed an honour and a singular privilege for me to speak, not only for myself,, but on behalf of all the graduands today on the occasion of our graduation. We, the graduates of this institution count ourselves very lucky to be associated with a school which has a hundred year tradition of excellent service to the earth’s resources industry. Camborne is without doubt the finest institution of its kind. In our industry, the ACSM is a badge of excellence, honour and pride and I dare say this reputation is to be even more enriched by Camborne’s association with Exeter University, that outstanding centre of learning.
The greatness of any institution lies in its ability to adapt to change.
Mr Chancellor, the greatness of any institution lies in its ability to adapt to change. At a time when a number of universities worldwide have closed down their mining departments, Camborne has flourished and it is generally acknowledged that Camborne’s success is a function of its remarkable ability to respond to the changing needs of the industry. Mr Chancellor, it is difficult on occasions like this to single out for mention the contribution made by individuals, but I do hope I will be forgiven for placing on record the pioneering work done by Dr Hackett. He had the vision and the 0courage to make the necessary changes which ensured the continued success of this fine institution.
In our time, what the industry needed was an “all rounder”. The only course of study offered here was mining engineering and a typical ACSM graduate could just as comfortably and competently be employed as a mine surveyor, mining engineer or metallurgist. We were Jacks of all trade, trained in the famed country of Cousin Jack.
In our time, our regular companion was the slide rule; we later graduated to pocket sized calculators and, of course, our seven figure log books were quite handy in our survey classes. Just before I left here, the computer invasion took place and Camborne welcomed it wholeheartedly. Now our industry’s needs are more challenging – our mineral resources are becoming increasingly complex and of low grade; they are more difficult to mine and process, and the management of the environment has emerged as a major challenge confronting the industry. Whilst relevant technology has evolved to handle these new challenges, the management of technology itself requires men and women with the technical competence and integrity which come from Camborne’s unique blend of the traditional “all rounder” training of the past and relevant specialisation of the present. And here I am referring in particular to Camborne’s response to these new challenges. This has been, as expected, trail blazing. The modularisation of existing courses, together with the creation of new modules have, in my view, adequately prepared these new graduates for careers of strategic importance to international economies worldwide. It is no wonder that I meet Camborne graduates as mining analysts, fund managers, merchant bankers and many more.
Mr Chancellor, we the graduates of this institution are leaving here today in the knowledge that, with the tremendous support of Exeter University, the process of change initiated by Dr Hackett, which has confirmed Camborne’s supremacy over other institutions will continue under the distinguished and able leadership of Prof. Atkinson. Prof. Atkinson, you and your fine team should not think’ that now that we have graduated, your responsibility to us has come to ah end. Ours is a fast changing industry and in our various spheres of activity, it would not be easy for us to keep pace with the dynamics of change. It is the Cambornes of this world which can help us meet these challenges and I urge you to continue to explore creative ways of keeping us abreast with the times. As an example, this can be done within the framework of continuing education programmes organised at various world centres. This would no doubt also go to deepen the bond that ought to exist between past students and this institution.
Now I would like to address my fellow graduands. In our time, the world was truly our oyster; there were no geographical barriers; we went out from here and conquered the mining world. Wherever there was a mineral to be mined, we were made to feel welcome. Times have changed. Now fortresses have been erected everywhere. You cannot easily get into Canada, the United States, South Africa, Australia, Zambia and other parts of Africa, our traditional hunting grounds. But out of these developments have come new opportunities and challenges. You will find new opportunities in the CIS countries, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and elsewhere. Some of these places may not be for the faint hearted, but I can assure you that for most of you, the robustness of the Camborne training has most adequately prepared you to face your new world. Also, in our times, the lingua franca for our industry was English. Your situation is different and you will have to respond to that. Even here I am delighted that Camborne is once again playing a pioneering role with the introduction of options such as courses combined with European’ studies and now graduates can seize the opportunity to learn other languages.
Finally, seize any opportunity you can to stay in touch with your Alma Mater. In this regard, do as I say, not what I did! Do not wait 23 years and a telephone call from the Principal before returning here!
Mr Chancellor, on my behalf and on behalf of all my fellow graduands, let me once again express our heartfelt gratitude for all that you and the combined teams of Camborne and Exeter have done for us. We assure you that, in our various fields of endeavour, we will pursue the tradition of excellence which you have instilled in us.
My fellow graduands have had to sweat for their gowns today. I found myself in the privileged position of having bestowed on me without any sweat, what is clearly the highest honour that any institution of learning can confer on a long lost son! I am even more humbled to learn that it is the second time in Camborne’s long history that this honour is being bestowed and the first to an old graduand! I cannot thank you enough for this honour!!
Needless to say I have not earned this honour entirely through my own effort! A whole team has been responsible and before I resume my seat, Mr Chancellor, please permit me to dedicate this award to a select team who have affected my career in a very strong and positive way. I would like to first dedicate this honour to the memory of my late father, Thomas Jonah, the man who taught me the virtue of hard work; secondly to my President, His Excellency J J Rawlings, and my uncle and mentor, John Kwesi Renner, who gave me a break at a most crucial time in my career; thirdly to my wife who nursed me throughout the years and put up with the demands of my career and lastly, but no less importantly, to the management and the entire workforce of Ashanti Goldfields. Without the active support of all of them, I could not have done it!!