Richard Broad died at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Australia, on 20th August, 1957, at the age of 73.
An Australian, he had begun work in a gold mill at the early age of 12 years. He continued to educate himself while working at the Waihi mine, New Zealand, for over seven years, and attended the Waihi School of Mines, in 1908-9 gaining certificates of the School in all mining subjects and receiving their Gold Medal. He also secured the New Zealand Mine Managers Certificate, first class, in following year, and later obtained the Metal Mine Managers and Mine Surveyors Certificates of the Victoria Government.
Mr. Broad had further experience in gold and coal mines in Tasmania, working as mine sampler and taking charge of a small mine, and in 1914 left for India on his appointment as assistant underground agent of Ooregum Gold Mining Co., India, Ltd. He held this post until the end of 1920, when he returned to Tasmania and worked for the next two years on a government hydroelectric scheme as foreman in charge of excavators and concrete on the Great Lake dam. From 1923 to 1935 he did similar work on irrigation projects at the Eildon Weir dam in Victoria for the Victoria State Rivers and Water Supply.
In 1935 Mr. Broad entered the Mines Department of the Victoria Government as Inspector of Mines and Machinery in the Ballarat District, and retained this post until his retirement in 1949.
He was elected to Associate Membership of the Institution in 1915.
Vol. 68, Trans I.M.M. 1958-59, p. 120
