Eastern Australia Ground Control Group - EAGCG

EAGCG Board Members

Chair

Ben Roache

B.App.Sc. B.Eng.

Principal, Neboro

Ben is a geotechnical engineer specialising in assisting mining and exploration companies.  Ben is back on the EAGCG committee for a second go, after a long break and is excited to be assisting the Group and the mining geotechnical community.

Secretary

Andrew Rajapakse

ME (Mining Geotech), BE (Civil)

Senior Geotechnical Engineer

Andrew has 10 years of site-based and consulting experience, covering a range of commodities, including base metals, gold, and iron. He has worked on a wide range of projects across Australia and internationally.

Treasurer

Emily Palmer

BE (Civil/Commerce)

Engineer - Mine Development, BHP, Olympic Dam

Emily spent the first 2 years of her career working as a Graduate Geotechnical Engineer with Newcrest Mining at Telfer Mine WA followed by a year at Cadia Valley Operations. She then accepted a full time role as a Development Geotechnical Engineer at Cadia Valley Operations and has recently accepted the role of Engineer – Mine Development with BHP at Olympic Dam.

Lianne McKenzie

MESc (Geotech Eng and Eng Geo), BASc (Applied Geo)

Principal Geotechnical Engineer, Harmony SE Asia

Lianne is an experienced geotechnical engineer and engineering geologist. Throughout her 25 year career she has worked as a consultant and operations engineer for mining and civil projects.

Anthony Bennett

BSc (Hon)

Jennmar: WA Mine Services Manager

Anthony is a Geotechnical Engineer who has worked at multiple operations before moving to mine services and specialising in Ground Support.

Tony Meyers

BE (Mining), PhD (Rock Mechanics), Dip (Finance)

Principal Rock Mechanics Engineer, Rocktest

Tony has worked for 40 years in operational, consulting, research and academic roles in the mining (primarily open cut), civil and petroleum industries. He is the Principal of Rocktest, which he founded in the mid-1990s to provide Rock Engineering services to these industries. He is a past Chair of the EAGCG and past Vice President (Australasia) of the International Society for Rock Mechanics.

Peter Saunders

Head of Geotechnical, GroundProbe

Peter is a rock mechanics engineer with 20 years’ experience at various operational and corporate roles across Australia.  He is currentlyHead of Geotechnical for GroundProbe based in Brisbane supporting their customers globally.

Sumukha Prasad

Specialist Geotechnical Engineer, Rio Tinto

Sumukha is a geotechnical engineer with experience encompassing underground and open pit mining environments. His experience extends across both study and operational roles.

Rob Atkins

Principal Advisor, Geotechnical, Rio Tinto