Stellar performing explorer Sirius Resources reaped rewards beyond the market place yesterday when it was awarded the third annual Craig Oliver Award at the RIU Explorers Conference in Fremantle. Sirius managing director Mark Bennett said the award was especially significant because it represented recognition amongst peers as well as the “family” bonds among those working in the exploration sector. The award was created in memory of Mr Oliver, former non-executive director of Sundance Resources, who passed away in 2010 when a plane carrying the entire Sundance Resources board crashed in the Congo, killing all on board.

The award is given to a small to mid-cap Australian mining company which has excelled in several areas of performance, including exploration, mining, community engagement and environmental performance. This year’s award was present by Oliver’s two eldest daughters Hannah and Georgia who told delegates they had been overwhelmed by the immediate and ongoing support they had received from the exploration community since their father’s death. Bennet said he was proud to work in a sector that cared for its own and a measure of Craig Oliver’s character and influence was that almost everyone in the sector either knew him or was just one connection away from knowing him.

Bennett also acknowledged the quality of the other nominees – Doray Minerals, Northern Star Resources, Papillion Resources, Phoenix Gold, Regis Resources and Sandfire Resources. In July last year, Sirius put down a hole at its Nova project in the remote Fraser Ranges south-east of Kalgoorlie to discover 4m grading 4.02 per cent nickel and 1.41 per cent copper beneath soil cover. The discovery sent Sirius’s share price rocketing from 5.7 cents to above $3 by November, before settling in the past couple of months to between $2 and $2.50.