Celebrating Women in Mining | Jamie Oppelaar

We asked Jamie Oppelaar, Senior Geology Consultant at Mining Plus, to share her career journey with us and where her passion for resources stemmed from at such an early age. 

As a child, I loved being outdoors. Camping had always been my favourite way to holiday. I spent a lot of time with my dear uncle who had a keen eye for Australia’s natural landscape. He would teach me about the local flora and fauna, and it was very clear to me that natural science was the path I should take.

I enrolled into a Bachelor of Science, albeit still not overly sure of what I wanted to major in. I chose Geology 101 as an elective in first year because it was titled “Evolution of the Earth”, which sounded thrilling! Needless to say, I loved it so much that I ended up choosing it as a major and completing a degree in geology. It was the perfect accompaniment of camping, natural landscape, socialising, and science! 

In truth, I hadn’t considered the work outcomes at the time - I just had faith that if I studied something I love, it would steer me in the right direction.

I learnt about the prospects of working in mining during my penultimate year through one of my lecturers. From there, I applied for a graduate role in a Western Australian underground gold mine and was lucky enough to be successful!

I packed up my life, moved from Queensland to Western Australia, and have loved every minute of it. The challenges, successes, and all the wonderful friendships I have made along the way has given me a great sense of accomplishment and purpose, and I am so excited to see where my career continues to take me.

As I progressed through my career, I became fascinated in the model building and resource estimation space where I undertook progressive roles. My expertise is in Leapfrog Geo, which I use to build 3D geology models, Supervisor to undertake geostatistical analysis, and Datamine to run Mineral Resource Estimation. 

Fast forward, I now currently work at Mining Plus, where I have most recently been promoted to Senior Geology Consultant. This new role allows me to further develop my technical skills whilst being more involved with clients.

I am really enjoying the dynamic and fast-paced environment, and the exposure to various commodities is incredibly stimulating. Having the opportunity to work alongside such high-achieving peers means that I am consistently progressing my technical knowledge and skills.

Mining Plus is a part of the Byrnecut Group, a Major Partner for AusIMM's International Women's Day Event Series. For more inspiring stories about diversity and inclusion in mining, follow AusIMM on social media and the hashtag #CelebratingWomeninMining

Join us for our fifth national International Women's Day Event Series, 3-10 March for inspiring celebratory luncheons and workshops where we will continue the conversation on diversity and inclusion in the resources sector.

Get your tickets here.