Technical Advisory Board
Gerry Rayner, P.Eng
Mr. Rayner is an independent technical consultant who has over 40 years of experience in the mining industry and has practiced his profession on every continent except Antarctica. The bulk of his time has been spent in Western North America including Mexico and Central America, in Australia and the South Pacific, including Indonesia and other parts of Asia, and in various South American countries.
Mr. Rayner's primary areas of expertise lie in reconnaissance exploration and in the evaluation of mineral properties at the earlier stages of exploration and development. While with Kennecott, Mr. Rayner was also in charge of exploration in Papua New Guinea in the South Pacific where efforts during this period resulted in the discovery of several porphyry copper deposits including the Ok Tedi Mine.
David Hedderly-Smith, Ph.D., P.Geo.
Dr. Hedderly-Smith has over 35 years of varied experience in the minerals exploration industry. Since the early 1970s, he has been involved in Alaska's mining industry as a staff exploration geologist for both major mining companies and junior exploration companies, a state regulator (three years as the deputy director for minerals in Alaska's Department of Natural Resources in the early 1980s), a consultant, and a property owner.
Since leaving Alaska's government in 1984, he has worked throughout Alaska and the Western United States as a consultant to major and junior mining and energy companies, Alaskan native corporations, and governmental entities on base and precious metal, uranium, coal, tar sands and water projects.
He obtained his MS in geological sciences from the University of Washington in 1975 and his PhD in geology/geochemistry from the University of Utah in 1997. Dr. Hedderly-Smith's scientific interests focus on the understanding of generative processes involved in the formation of mineral deposits. He is also currently a director of Andover.
Marvin Mitchell, P.Eng
Mr. Mitchell is an independent technical consultant who received his degree from the Montana College of Mineral Science and Technology in 1968 (formerly Montana School of Mines).
He has over 38 years experience in the mineral exploration industry including 8 years as Exploration Manager for the Minerals Division of Ranger Oil Ltd. and is a registered professional engineer in the Province of British Columbia.
Dave Lajack, B.S. Central Michigan University
Mr. Lajack has worked as a consultant in the industry and has co-authored published papers on geology and geochemistry.
Mr. Lajack has worked in lode mineral exploration since the early 1980s. In 1985, he founded a successful prospecting syndicate (Lajack and Associates) which still has active properties in Alaska. Mr. Lajack is a founding member and president of Royal Pretoria Gold Ltd., a private exploration company, incorporated in Alaska in August, 2000.
Tom McCandless, Ph.D., P.Geo
Dr. Tom McCandless has over 30 years of mineral exploration experience, specializing in diamond exploration. He has a Master of Science and Ph.D. degree in geology, and a wide range of experience that includes employment as Chief Mineralogist for Superior Minerals, Ashton Mining of Canada, and Stornoway Diamonds Corporation. Since 2008 he is a consulting geologist for MCC Geoscience Inc. He is a registered Professional Geologist with APEGBC and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Dr. McCandless has published extensively on the geochemistry of PGE, base metal, gold and diamond deposits, and is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Alberta and the University of Arizona.