Just a plain ol reserved pommie Hi

[pommie digger]

Hi all,

just had a quick browse through the site ,seems an interesting and knowledgeable place to be, what stood out foremost for me was the lack of drivel spewed out that some forums thrive on , thank god you lot seem so laid back helpful , I look forward to gleaming as much as I can lol , I don't have too much to offer in return in the prospecting dept , other than what ive been learning this past 2 years .
Hope I can be of help in some way or other

regards pd

 

[BigSam]

Welcome PD,
I'm sure you will be of help to some of the newbie lads on
Here like myself, plenty of great guys and gals here willing
Lend a hand and answer your questions if you have any! Don't be shy either
As we are all a friendly bunch.
Regards,
BigSam

 

[pommie digger]

Welcome PD,
I'm sure you will be of help to some of the newbie lads on
Here like myself, plenty of great guys and gals here willing
Lend a hand and answer your questions if you have any! Don't be shy either
As we are all a friendly bunch.
Regards,
BigSam

Cheers bigsam ,

that's exactly the kind of opening I was looking for , sad and as mad as it might sound this last 5 years ive had a longing , possibly a yearn , no no its more than that , and this last 2 years its developed into a ball breaking ache to actually go gold mining, so guess what 6 months ago i actually started the process , tho its been long and drawn out, but im getting there ,

Worst of all I live in the UK , and where in the hell in the uk can one go mining , even if you get passed all the red tape, eco this and eco that , you still end up with too many restrictions and either in Wales or Scotland neither sounded warm to me , im an olden by the way , so I decided to choose somewhere warm , somewhere that's not been tooooo exploited and somewhere that has some of the newest most recent finds , with licences readily available ( im keeping it all strictly legal and above board ) , cheap running costs and great tax incentives ..........................yeah you guessed it , Senegal West Africa Lol , Just had my exploration licence confirmed today. Hence im on here and everywhere gleaming what I can .

I knew that to keep myself serious these past few years , I had to actively start collecting the bits I thought that would be needed, so ive got a few H/duty slurry pumps generators etc , all purchased from plants sales or auctions , and im already in the process of building an 18ft wash plant , and an 8" dredge , very soon to be tested on the lakes in Milton Keynes lol, any luck and 2-3 months should see them finished , Im back out to Senegal in March to do some testing and tie up some loose ends.

Very close , well actually inside my permit area there are quite a few local artisnal workings going on, so I know its there , just wondered what the best ways are of testing the areas is going to be , I havent got loads of money , im keeping to a pretty tight budget and ive yet to buy a digger , I was going to invest in a motorised auger with attachments and try and hook it up by some means ( forklift bed) to the rear end of the Landy , drilling rigs costs are huge .

Im not looking to hit it big (that's not my goal) more a lifes ambition to make it work into something that produces long term and can help to sustain something ongoing for the local villages to benefit from. Sure I want to recover my costs and make some serious money but as importantly I want to leave something behind , because as sure as eggs is eggs this saggitarian will get bored within a few years , and im close approaching 60 so energy levels aren't at there greatest , so I may well be looking to take on a partner at some stage

So my question is , whats the best quickest way of testing my 65 hectares , or do I use the equipment I have to alluvial mine like the locals do but on a much larger scale until I have the funds to pay a recognised test drilling company to do it for me.

regards PD

 

[Twapster]

Sounds like you need to round up a recon party, i'm sure there would be some forum members itching for a jungle holiday with pans and detecors in hand. Good luck with it PD and welcome aboard.

 

[Yobs1980]

You may also need a small army for security!

You seem to be a very ambitious man - all the best with your adventures.

 

[Yobs1980]

What earthmoving equipment have you organised for this operation?

 

[pommie digger]

Sounds like you need to round up a recon party, i'm sure there would be some forum members itching for a jungle holiday with pans and detecors in hand. Good luck with it PD and welcome aboard.

Must admit the thought, of having half a dozen people applying themselves with as much passion as I have managed to sustain is interesting and heart warming , you guys are so lucky having the opportunity to practice your prospecting basically on your doorstep oz has all the right geo in buckets , and a good infrastructure , best we can manage in the uk is a few roman relics or Iron Age stuff , if that what's floats your boat lol, guess it's one of the reasons good old blighty has ***** and pillaged the mineral resources of most of the countries around the world for the last 100 years or so .

Most people I've spoken to at home about what I'm doing either think I'm potty or having a midlife crisis , the odd few that have been privy to see what I've collected and having built so far are now starting to admire what I'm doing

My ideal would be to team up with a semi retired geologist , that's one of the reasons I've started joining a few forums

PD

 

[pommie digger]

What earthmoving equipment have you organised for this operation?

None as yet , I wanted the wash plant and dredge completed before I committed further funding, initially I've been tending towards the two in one JCB 3cx 4wd with extra dig , I can pick a 7/8 year old one with here for around 6k , that way I have mid range digging capacity and a front loader Then I get swayed with the idea of a longer reach JCB 130. And the idea of having a bigger bucket front loader separate. Which is obviously the better choice but budget will decide eventually in a few months ,

Pd

 

[WalnLiz]

Welcome to the forum PD. Sounds like you're embarking on an adventure of a lifetime. There's many a knowledgeable prospector on the forum and I'm sure some great advice will come your way should you require it.

Look forward to hearing about your progress with the venture, and wish you all the best of Ozzy luck with it.

Cheers Wal.

 

[pommie digger]

You may also need a small army for security!

You seem to be a very ambitious man - all the best with your adventures.

LOL initially I was originally planning to go to Liberia , I've an American Liberian friend that wanted to partner up , joint venture , he owns a few hundred acres in kokoya bong county , well known for its deposits in gold and diamonds , again there are illegal alluvial miners there most of the time , they way they go about it is interesting but only ever going to achieve small amounts , it's still very much bandit country and Wild West ,occasionally ex armed combatants roaming around which in the end put me off , if I was 25 years younger maybe

Senegal on the other hand is much more stable and civilized , good roads to and from kedougou , even an airport for smaller planes , whole place is run under ex French colonial standards but the law is pretty much Uk based , which is a bis positive , great 100% tax concessions for equipment plant and fuel for 7 years and your free to take everything out to sell on the open market , the state retain 10% of the company. If your incorporated , if you stay as a separate entity the profits are subject to local tax rate , but the tax concessions are the same . Security not so much an issue , but as with all west Africa labour is cheap so a few armed guards won't cost the earth. We ll have a secure compound and and separate secure building for final separation and smelting process , once we're established

Pd

 

[pommie digger]

Welcome to the forum PD. Sounds like you're embarking on an adventure of a lifetime. There's many a knowledgeable prospector on the forum and I'm sure some great advice will come your way should you require it.

Look forward to hearing about your progress with the venture, and wish you all the best of Ozzy luck with it.

Cheers Wal.

Thanks Wal , any pointers more than welcome , the more people that pick some holes and or give positive advice the better, as far as I'm concerned , the more I can protect my own interests the better, after years of working in the Middle East and East west Africa during the early part of my working life Im fully aware of the pitfalls of west Africa , but new pitfalls arise out there all the time so all input is welcome .

It,ll be great to know that whenever I come across anomilies or interesting ground i,ll be able to post a few pics on here and gain some specific advice , that's the beauty of the tinternet ,

Pd

 

[Wally69]

There is nothing quite like a well-planned midlife crisis Pd, keep it up!! Gold, gems and treasure is one of mine, and I deliberately started it early.

It is stories like yours that enspire other people to take a risk, step outside their comfort zone and embark on an adventure - it is very contagious.

I am sure there will be a keen compadre out there to share in your adventure and fill the knowledge gap. In the mean time this forum should provide you with a wealth of knowledge to help you paper-plan you testing. If no one pops up - start digging and follow your nose, sounds like is is already tuned for the yellow.

By the way, some of us dream of being in a situation of where a roman coin or bronze arrow head comes to the surface. I definitely have the flip side to your gold fever...... Relic-fever?????

 

[Twapster]

As long as the snakes aren't more deadly than the ones I seem to be a magnet to here in NSW, ive got my pick, spade and pans in hand ready for the call. There should be a foreign legion for gold prospectors...willing to give up all for the cause. Very tempting! Don't be discouraged by the non adventurous. You will have more stories to tell and that is what life is about. Get out there and we will be cheering for you over here. You are living the dream!