Robert’s lecture will discuss Rio Tinto’s formation and the evolution of its main business activities in Australia. A focus of his lecture will be the initial and ongoing connections of the company with Melbourne and Victoria. After a patchy start in Australia, in 1962, Rio Tinto merged with Consolidated Zinc to form Conzinc Riotinto of Australia (CRA). Under the leadership of legendary mining figure, Sir Maurice Mawby, CRA progressed the development of the aluminium industry in Australia, the establishment of Australia’s export iron ore industry based on the Mount Tom Price deposit in the Pilbara, as well as a major copper operation on the island of Bougainville. The early Australian management saw themselves as contributing to Australia’s post-war development and nation building.

Historian Dr Liz Rushen will take you behind the scenes of our current exhibition, Garryowen's Melbourne which Liz curated. The exhibition grew out of the research Liz had done for her book, Garryowen Unmasked: The Life of Edmund Finn, which was launched earlier this year and was aided by her deep knowledge of the RHSV collection and its treasures.