Curtin University has officially acknowledged the contribution and influence of mining great Dr Roy Woodall by naming a residential hall at Agricola in Kalgoorlie “Woodall Hall”.
The official acknowledgement took place last night at a WA School of Mines Alumni (WASMA) and Women in Mining WA (WIMWA) sundowner held at Curtin University’s WA School of Mines.
Curtin University Pro Vice-Chancellor Science and Engineering, Professor Andris Stelbovics spoke at the event paying tribute to Dr Woodall, describing him as one of the most instrumental individuals in the Australian resource sector.
“It is indeed an honour to acknowledge Dr Roy Woodall’s outstanding commitment and distinguished service to the mining community of WA, in the Goldfields region and beyond,” Professor Stelbovics said.
“He is the holder of some of the most prestigious awards in his field and his scientific approach to exploration has contributed to major mining discoveries in the Goldfields and Australia wide, leading to the creation of jobs, wealth, development and investment around the nation.”
Traditionally the halls of residence at Agricola have been named after individuals linked to the Goldfields, with Woodall Hall joining O’Connor (after engineer C.Y. O’Connor), Moore (former director of the Kalgoorlie School of Mines, Bertie Moore,) and Hoover (after US President Herbert Hoover who worked in Kalgoorlie as a mine manager in the 1800s).
Dr Roy Woodall and his wife Barbara travelled from Adelaide to Kalgoorlie to attend the Annual Diggers and Dealers Mining Forum and the official acknowledgement.
Agricola offers accommodation to 228 students and is located adjacent to Curtin’s WA School of Mines. It was reopened in January this year after a multi-million dollar refurbishment made possible by a $20 million investment from the Royalties for Regions scheme, and an additional $11million from Curtin.
The rebuild and refurbishment was a key investment in Kalgoorlie and the Goldfields, aimed at ensuring that the Curtin WA School of Mines remains an internationally renowned centre of excellence in mining education and research, by attracting high-calibre students to the region.
The School’s reputation contributed towards Curtin University ranking second in the world for Engineering – Mineral and Mining in this year’s QS World University Rankings by Subject.
“We hope the naming of Agricola’s Woodall Hall in honour of Dr Roy Woodall will in turn inspire the students who reside there to follow in his footsteps to great success in the resource and mining sector,” Professor Stelbovics said.
Dr Roy Woodall is honoured during the University’s ‘50 Years of Innovation’ celebrations – recognising the combined history of the Western Australian Institute of Technology (WAIT), which opened its doors to students in 1967 and evolved into Curtin University in 1987.
