Victor Thomas Edquist died in Melbourne on May 4th, 1944, at the age of 65.
Australian born, he began his career in 1900 as timekeeper and assayer at Howell’s Consolidated gold mine at Reno, New South Wales. For five years he was managing a leaching plant of his own design and construction for the-Reno Cyanide Co., and in 1907 he erected and managed a sulphide plant at the Red Hill Westralia gold mines, Western Australia. For a few months in 1909 Mr. Edquist held the position of relieving metallurgist to the Gwalia South Gold Mines, Ltd., Western Australia, and subsequently, until the end of 1912, was employed by The W.A. Slimes Co., Ltd., on the erection and management of boiler filter plants at Kanowna, Lakeside and Burbanks, Western Australia.
He took up the appointment in 1912 of metallurgist to the Mountain Queen Gold Mine, Ltd., and worked in a similar capacity until May, 1921, at Great Fingall Consolidated, Ltd., Day Dawn, at Warriedar Options, and at Youanmi Gold Mines, Ltd. He then held the position of manager of the Big Bell mine, Cue, Western Australia, for eight months, and early in 1922 he entered a long association with Messrs. Bewick, Moreing & Co. He was employed for five years as metallurgist to Sons of Gwalia, Ltd., and became superintendent in 1927. In 1931 he became the representative in Australia of Messrs. Bewick Moreing & Co., which position he held until his death.
He was a member of the Executive Council of the Chamber of Mines of Western Australia and Vice-President from 1928 to 1939. He was also a Member of Council of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and President in 1942.
Mr. Edquist contributed a paper on ‘Boiler water treatment at the Sons of Gwalia, Ltd., Western Australia’, and was joint author with C. Valentine and N. Dunstan of a paper entitled ‘Gas power at the Sons of Gwalia Mine, Western Australia’ (Transactions, Vols. 37 and 42 respectively). He was elected an Associate of the Institution in 1916, and was transferred to Membership in 1928.
Vol. 54, Trans IMM 1944-45, pp.264-5
