Spring 2011 - The Association for Mineral Exploration British Columbia

developed the social components of
the e3 (environmental excellence in
exploration) best practices instrument.
Thomson is also a founding member
of On Common Ground Consultants,
an international company that specializes
in the management of social issues
in resource industries with a focus on
mining. He brings a depth of industry
knowledge to this company to tackle new
challenges with an element of calculated
risk-taking to break new ground in the
field of sustainable development and corporate
social responsibility.
Frank Woodside Past Presidents
Distinguished Service Award
The past presidents of AME BC have recognized
four individuals with the Frank
Woodside Past Presidents Distinguished
Service Award for 2010: Don Coates,
the late Chuck Davis, Chris Graf and
Bill Meyer.
Don Coates
Don Coates is one of those pioneer
Cordilleran drill contractors who gave
strong support to the association. Born
in Hamilton in 1928, in 1950 he enrolled
in mining engineering at the University
of Toronto, from which he received his
bachelor’s degree. He began his career
in mineral exploration in 1954, working
for Murdock Mosher, Karl Springer and
F.M. Connell.
Don Coates
Wishing to have some family life, he left
exploration and joined Midwest Diamond
Drilling in Winnipeg. After six
long winters, he moved to the more temperate
Vancouver in 1968 and formed
the Coates Drilling Company in 1969.
The company was very successful, partly
because of the bonus and profit-sharing
policies that enabled him to retain his
experienced drill crews. Local diamond
drilling firms such as Coates Drilling
acquired a reputation for excellent performance
and knowledge about local
rock and field conditions.
Coates has been a financial supporter
of AME BC initiatives over the years, and
was also a legendary hockey player in the
early morning exploration league at the
University of British Columbia, starting
in 1987. He was also a frequent member of
western teams in the annual Teck national
game at the PDAC annual convention.
Chuck Davis
The late Chuck Davis has been honoured
for his enthusiasm in researching and
telling the history of AME BC in preparation
for the association’s upcoming
centennial in 2012.
When the NBC television network
wanted to do some background features
on Vancouver in the run-up to the 2010
Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games,
they were told to go see one man – Chuck
Davis. Davis wrote over a dozen books
on Vancouver over the span of 40 years,
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48 SPRING 2011 Photograph: photo submitted by award recipient