Ralph Symons died on 20 September, 1965, after a long illness: he was 59 years of age.
Mr. Symons was educated at the Royal School of Mines, where he gained the Associateship in mining engineering, from 1925 to 1928, and then took up the post of assistant mining engineer with Temengor Tin Mining Co., Ltd., Malaya. In 1930 he returned to the United Kingdom to take up the appointment of technical representative with Holman Brothers, Ltd., Camborne. He remained in that post until 1932 and then undertook mining engineering work with a number of companies in Korea, on the Gold Coast and in Venezuela, followed managerial duties in Kenya, Tanganyika, Uganda and Yugoslavia.
After a brief period in London from 1939 to 1940 as chief assistant to Mr. C.E. Jobling, consulting engineer, he was appointed general manager of Gold Coast Banket Ltd., and two years later joined Johannesburg Consolidated Investment Co. Ltd. He served in various capacities with the company’s mines and in 1947 was appointed manager of Consolidated Murchison Goldfields and Development Co. Ltd., Transvaal. He held that post until 1952, when he was appointed manager of Wil-Ford Pty., Ltd. In April 1955, Mr. Symons took up the post of Manager, Bikita Minerals (Pvt). Ltd., Rhodesia and remained there until his death.
Mr. Symons was elected to Student Membership of the Institution in 1928 was transferred to Associate Membership in and to full Membership in 1948. He was a member of a number of professional bodies in South Africa and elsewhere, and became a Vice-President of the Chamber of Mines of Rhodesia in 1963. He was the author of a number of technical papers, including ‘Mining and milling antimony ore at Consolidated Murchison Goldfields, Transvaal’ (Transactions, vol. 58, 1948-49) and ‘Operation at Bikita Minerals (Private), Ltd., Southern Rhodesia’ (Transactions, vol. 71, 1961-62).
Vol. 75, Trans I.M.M., 1966, p.77
