Hawsons Iron Ltd (ASX:HIO) will welcome the Hon Tony McGrady to the board as a non-executive director, effective on October 3, 2022.
McGrady, who was a former Queensland Minister for Mines and Energy and Mayor of Mount Isa, replaces the retiring Jon Parker and brings a high level of influence with him.
Hawson’s new board member is currently chair of the Queensland Premier’s Ambassadors Council, the CopperString Regional Reference Group and LifeFlight’s Advisory Committee for the North-West Region.
He is also a Federal Government appointee to the Riversleigh World Heritage Committee.
“We are very fortunate indeed to have attracted such a high calibre and experienced director as Tony McGrady to join the board as we prepare to progress our Hawsons Iron Project into development and production,” Hawsons chairman Dave Woodall said.
“As Minister for Mines and Energy, he presided over significant developments within the Mount Isa Carpentaria Minerals Province including the Century Mine, the Ernest Henry Mine and many smaller mines which provided jobs and opportunities to the Gulf Country and North-West Queensland.”
It was during this time that McGrady built invaluable relationships with affected First Nation communities and their leadership around the benefits the mining industry could bring to overcome Traditional Custodian opposition to mining in the region.
“I’m really looking forward to working with the board in the interests of shareholders and all stakeholders to bring this significant, world-class mining project into production,” McGrady said.
A man of influence
McGrady was a member of the Australian Labor Party and was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Queensland in 1989 as the Member for Mount Isa after 16 years from 1973 as an alderman on the Mount Isa City Council and as mayor for the last five years.
He was Minister for Mines and Energy from 1998 to 2001, moving to Police and Corrective Services in 2001 and then to State Development and Innovation in 2004 and was subsequently elected as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly in 2005 and retained that role until his retirement from State politics in 2006.
Between 2006 and 2012, McGrady also worked with Canadian mining company Laramide Resources (ASX:LAM), developing relations with Traditional Custodian communities in the Gulf and Northern Territory.
McGrady was awarded the Member of the Order of Australia in 2009 for service to the Parliament of Queensland, to the community of Mount Isa through local government roles and, to youth training and development programs. At the 2012 Queensland local government elections, he was again elected Mayor of Mount Isa and held the position until retiring in 2016.
Paying tribute to Jon Parker
Woodall says Jon Parker leaves with high praise.
“On behalf of the directors and the management team, I would like to thank Jon for his hard work, dedication and invaluable contribution and wish him all the best for the future”.
On leaving, Parker said, “I remain available to support efforts to develop the Hawsons Iron Project in some other capacity should that suit the company’s purpose.
“I have been honoured and pleased to work with you over the initial stages of this significant project, wish you well and will follow progress with interest.”