The History of Hale School and its Old Boys - Old Haleians Association

1960s
Late 1960:
The Federal Government at last relented
and lifted its ban on the export of iron
ore. Old boys Lang Hancock [1924-1927]
and Peter Wright [1923-24] formed a
business partnership to capitalise on
the deposits Hancock had discovered
in the Pilbara region in 1952. It was
the beginning of an exploration and
development phase in Western Australia
that continued into the next century.
Although Peter was two years apart at
Hale School, Hancock and Wright had
been friends. Peter was staying at the
Hancock Station Mulga Downs near
Wittenoom, when Lang was in the process
of developing the blue asbestos deposits
he had discovered in Wittenoom Gorge.
Peter Wright (1922-24)
and Lang Hancock (1925-27)
One day in November 1952, Lang was
flying below threatening clouds just above
the red cliffs and boulders of the Pilbara
landscape. He later recalled:
‘Perhaps it was the rain on them.
They were red, but a red I hadn’t
seen before. A deep ochre red.
As I flew into the comparative
safety of the Ashburton Valley I
was convinced that the walls I had
seen were walls of iron’. 15
Peter was enthusiastic about Lang’s
discovery and after some discussion they
formed a partnership, remarkable in as
much as there was no written agreement.
That company was the L.G. Hancock
Asbestos Company, later becoming
Hancock & Wright. Despite differences
in personality and temperament, the
partnership was able to overcome
giant obstacles in their quest to open
up the Pilbara … Lang took samples
and proved the deposits but it was not
until 1960 that the Federal Government
lifted the embargo on the export of
iron ore. Despite a lack of interest from
many overseas companies the partners
persevered and finally succeeded in
playing a pivotal role in the development
of the iron ore industry in the Pilbara
region.
15 Lang Hancock in The Peter Wright Story ( 1994),
Julie Ball and Bill Edgar, Hale School.