Roland Starkey died at his residence at Shabani mines, Southern Rhodesia, on 12th June, 1955, at the age of 65.
He was educated at Queen Mary’s College, Walsall, Staffordshire, from 1898 to 1904, then went to Southern Rhodesia, where he assisted in the assay and survey departments of Penhalonga Proprietary Mines, Ltd., for three years and was employed as metallurgist and surveyor to the Caliph Syndicate, Penhalonga, for eighteen months. He left to become assayer at Umtali Waterfall Syndicate for a few months before taking a post as assistant surveyor at Village Deep, Ltd., Johannesburg, in July, 1910. At the end of 1911 he returned to Rhodesia in the capacity of assayer and surveyor to Claremont Mines (Rhodesia), Ltd., and from August, 1913, to February, 1917, was tributing and operating the Claremont and other mines on his own account.
Mr. Starkey then worked as underground manager of King’s Asbestos (Rhodesia), Ltd., for over a year, and in 1918 became manager for Messrs. Turner and Newall of the Nil Desperandum asbestos mine at Shabani. Seven years later he was made general manager and consulting engineer to the Turner and Newall group of mining companies in South Africa, comprising African Asbestos Mining Co., Ltd., Rhodesia and General Asbestos Corporation, New Amianthus Mines, Ltd., Dominion Blue Asbestos Mines, and African Associated Mines. He was later Chairman of Rhodesia and General Asbestos Corporation, Ltd., a private company which controls the Shabani mine and Gath’s mine (Mashaba, Fort Victoria), and owns large properties in Southern Rhodesia. He was also Chairman of New Amianthus Mines (Pty.), Ltd., which owns Amianthus mine at Kaapsche Hoop, Eastern Transvaal, and the Havelock asbestos mines in Swaziland.
Mr. Starkey was awarded the C.B.E., in 1948 for public services. He was elected a Student of the Institution in 1908 and was transferred to Associate Membership in 1915 and to Membership in 1934.
Vol. 65, Trans I.M.M., 1955-56, p.112
