But alas all too often that same manager has been frustrated in his dream. He has a mine, a headframe and a mill. He has surrounding exploration leases that run for kilometres along strike. And he has two geologists. The Mine Geologist stands at the edge of his pit or portal, looking inward, with his hands on his hips and smiles thoughts of variograms, grade control and ore reconciliation. The Exploration Geologist stands at the edge of the Mining Lease, looking outward towards his exploration leases and smiles at thoughts of geological maps, soil anomalies, RAB programmes and diamond core.

The area behind each geologist has become known as the "Brown Field". As the sun sets over the mine the Shadow of the Headframe creeps over the "Brown Field" which, at this time, is solely the domain of desert wallabies and the occasional emu. Apart from a few who understood the secret of the Shadow in the boom times of the 80's, the Brown Field remained neglected and forlorn. Even the age-old idiom "deposits come in clusters" was often ignored.

In the 90's and into the new millennium however a new breed of lean, mean and hungry managers sat the Geologists down and said "talk". And so the secret of the Shadow was gradually revealed as highly prospective real estate. Today we see numerous examples of the success of this strategy of focussed exploration in exciting new discoveries and the extension of mine life.

SMEDG and AIG, this year with the help of the local branch of the ASEG will host a one day symposium in October where the mining and exploration community can hear from those who have pondered the secret of the Shadow and achieved outstanding results.