John Waters Sutherland died at Perth, Western Australia, on September 26th, 1946, at the age of 76.
He was born in Victoria and received his professional training at the Ballarat School of Mines, graduating in mining and metallurgy in 1888. In 1889 he was appointed chief assayer to Broken Hill Proprietary Co., Ltd., and in 1894 became assistant metallurgist. He left Broken Hill two years later for Western Australia to join Lake View Consols, Ltd., as metallurgist, and while in this capacity developed the filter-pressing process for slimes treatment which was to become the standard practice in the field.
In 1899 Mr. Sutherland took up the position of general manager of Golden Horseshoe Estates Co., Ltd., and retained this post until the company was absorbed in the reconstruction which took place in 1929, when the leases passed under the control of Lake View and Star, Ltd., and Golden Horse Shoe (New), Ltd., was formed. Mr. Sutherland was also general manager of Fremantle smelting works from 1901 to 1902 and of Ivanhoe South Extended Gold Mining Estates Co., Ltd., from 1903.
He was on the local board of directors of Triton Gold Mines, N.L., from 1934 and was also on the Perth Advisory Committee of Western Mining Corporation, Ltd., from 1935.
For many years Mr. Sutherland was a vice-president of the West Australia Chamber of Mines. He was elected to Membership of the Institution in 1904.
Vol. 56, Trans I.M.M., 1946-47, p.625
