John Maxwell Currie died in Toronto on October 12th, 1988, at the age of 65.
He was of Scotch nationality, born in Edinburgh and educated at George Watson’s College. From 1889-1896 he served his apprenticeship with Bertrams, Ltd., engineers, of Edinburgh and afterwards with J. & G. Thomson, Ltd (John Brown & Co.) in their Clydebank shipyard.
In 1897 he went to the U.S.A. and spent three years in Colorado. He was engaged on sampling, mining, and mill work at various mines; and was for a time on the Independence mine.
In 1901 he left the U.S.A. for Australasia, and obtained an appointment in Tasmania at the Mt. Bischoff tin mines. He spent only a few months in Tasmania before proceeding to Victoria to begin studying at the Ballarat School of Mines, where he graduated in 1908. From 1904 to 1910 he was engaged by Bewick, Moreing & Co., Ltd. and worked in various capacities in Western Australian mines. In 1905 he was appointed underground manager at the Cosmopolitan mine and after a few months in the Kalgoorlie office he became surveyor (1906) to the Great Fingall Consolidated, Ltd. In 1908 he was promoted to underground manager and two years later he was made general superintendent. During 1913 he began a private consulting practice and visited Canada and Ceylon.
He served in the Royal Engineers during the Great War and was promoted to the rank of Captain. After the war, Mr. Currie resumed his consulting practice and reported on mining properties in South Africa, Rhodesia, Australia, New Zealand, and Cyprus.
Subsequently he went to Canada and reported on several properties in Ontario, where he was engaged just prior to his death Currie was elected an Associate of the Institution in 1914 and was transferred to Membership in 1928.
Vol. 48, Trans I.M.M. 1938-39, p. 829
