Whittle cuts an iconic figure

At a Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration (SME) event nearly 40 years ago an American mining engineer told an incredulous computer programmer and one-time physicist from Melbourne his mine optimisation software wasn't going to cut it - certainly not in the US of A. "My granddaddy showed me how to mine, and that's good enough for me," Jeff Whittle this week recalled hearing all those years ago, and added: "Now you can't argue with that."

Changed the face of mine optimisation: Jeff Whittle literally rewrote mining's NPV calculation code

But Whittle has been arguing for the value of computerised mine planning and optimisation ever since and sees industry and broader accolades, such as his recent Australia Day Honours award, not to mention countless international software sales, as evidence that he's been right all along.