Organised by IIR Conferences with the support of the Mine Managers Association of Australia (MMAA) and the Australian Mines & Metals Association (AMMA), this year’s conference will once again be held at the Cypress Lakes Resort in New South Wales.

“This event will provide operator presentations from the Illawarra Coal’s Diesel Group, the Appin Colliery, Anglo’s Grasstree mine, Angus Place, the Wambo longwall mine, Centennial’s Newstan and Springvale mines and the Anglo Coal Australia HR team,” IIR said.

This year’s conference will also include a keynote address by BHP Illawarra Coal president Colin Bloomfield on the industry’s growth within Australia.

Conference chairmen include Centennial Coal’s Southern Operations’s Gavin Taylor, YanCoal Austar mine’s Greg Duncan, Anglo Coal’s Barry Robinson and Peabody’s North Goonyella’s Jim Randall.

Other industry experts speaking at Longwall 2006 include Ken Cram from Coal Services, Greg Cole-Clark from the Mine Subsidence Board, and well known longwall automation consultant, Andy Rutherford.

“Key topics that will be covered at this event were well researched with the industry, and therefore, IIR can only hope that the event will again spark interest with all longwall operators in the industry,” the conference organisers said.

Two workshops will follow the conference looking at mine groundwater and subsidence assessment; and dust exposures.

The 2005 event brought together more than 180 delegates, 80% of which were mining operators, which IIR hopes to achieve again.

The addition of the pre-event Golf Day at Longwall 2006 will provide delegates with an opportunity to meet other longwall operators and stakeholders in a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere on Sunday, October 29.

Other social activities include networking drinks on Monday, followed by the official conference dinner at Wyndham Estate.

Supporting sponsor Parker Hannifin will also be at the conference, in addition to exhibitors Quaker Chemicals, Mine Site Technologies and Alfagomma.