Sydney Derwent Miles died at his home in Melbourne on 7th June, 1959, at the age of 67.
Mr. Miles was born in Australia and attended Tasmania University in 1907; he was employed for a year in the assay office of Tasmanian smelters in Zeehan, and in 1910 gained the diploma of the Zeehan School of Mines and Metallurgy. In the following year he prospected for Katoo Valley Syndicate in Puket, Siam, and between 1912 and 1913 carried out boring and assaying for Tongkah Harbour Tin Dredging Co., N.L. From 1913 to 1916 Mr. Miles was secretary of Deebook Tin Dredging, N.L., and Katoo Deebook, N.L., Renong, Siam, and in 1916 was appointed general manager of Bangnon Valley, N.L.
He moved to Malaya in 1917, and after a brief period prospecting became general manager of Taiping Tin Dredging Co., Ltd., and North Taiping Tin Dredging Co., Ltd., operating in Perak. He retained this position until 1929 when he resigned to join the partnership of Messrs. Henggeler and Martin, Ltd., mining and consulting engineers, and managers and consultants to a number of mining companies in the Federated Malay States. Mr. Miles was also appointed a director of Anglo-Oriental (Malaya), Ltd., from 1933, and from 1934 was also on the board of many other companies including Anglo-Oriental Mining Corporation, Ltd. He worked in London for a period and then went to live in Melbourne.
Mr. Miles was elected to Membership of the Institution in 1934. He was also a member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.
Vol. 70, Trans IMM 1960-61, p.744
