RIP Bob HunterThough Mr. Hunter was not too active over the last couple of years this is from the Association of Mining Exploration B.C.`s website. I`ve been accused of whatever towards the HD group on these boards but both "Bob" have changed this business and are definately leaders in this industry. I have nothing but respect for both men for what they have done for the industry.
Vic
In Memoriam: Bob Hunter (1927-2007)
Robert “Bob” Hunter, co-founder of AME BC Corporate Member Hunter Dickinson Inc. and a recipient of the Murray Pezim Award, passed away last week. Bob Hunter had been a highly successful life insurance agent for 20 years before he embarked on a prolific exploration and mine financing career in 1980. Bob became interested in the mining industry while traveling in British Columbia and elsewhere as an insurance executive. He was attracted to mining people by their independent spirit and their willingness to take risks. With his background in sales, it seemed that encouraging others to invest would be a natural fit, so he started by investing, and then he moved on to building start up exploration and mining companies.
Bob’s first success was with Breakwater Resources Ltd., where he was President and later Chairman during the discovery and development of the Cannon Mine at Wenatchee, Washington in the 1980’s. Breakwater was one of the first Vancouver based companies to raise millions of dollars in London and Europe for the development of the Cannon Mine. Bob’s journeys to meet with “shareholders” in London and Europe would pave a path for others to follow in the decades after. According to his colleagues, these trips were not easy – Bob would set an extraordinary pace, making presentations in 10– 12 cities in two weeks.
In 1985, he connected with Bob Dickinson, and they would prove to be a highly successful team – Bob Hunter as the promoter and Bob Dickinson as technical specialist; known and admired throughout the industry as “the Bob’s.” Over the next 20 years, the Hunter Dickinson management team would grow to seven principles that raised hundreds of millions of dollars in funds for exploration and development projects, and brought excellent returns to shareholders. Bob was a key part of this team: he was Chairman of North American Metals Corp. during the discovery and initial development of the Golden Bear Mine in northwestern B.C. and subsequent sale to Homestake Mines in 1988; he was Chairman of Continental Gold Corp. during the discovery and sale of the Mt Milligan deposit to Placer Dome in 1990, and he was Chairman of El Condor Resources during the discovery and subsequent sale of the Kemess deposits to Royal Oak Mines in 1996.
Bob was an advocate of getting out to press the flesh and update people, whether you were raising money or not, whether you had good news or not; in fact he was adamant that you had to face the music personally – especially if the news was bad – and he did not shirk that responsibility. Bob also was a very enthusiastic supporter of the investor shows, New York, San Francisco, New Orleans, and Toronto, where he would stand in the Hunter Dickinson booth for 8-9 hours a day meeting, greeting and talking to people who owned – or would own after he had a few minutes with them – the shares of the companies for which Hunter Dickinson provided management, financial and technical services. Bob also liked to be on the phone with people, and always pushed people to make calls, “if you’ve got a good story it doesn’t do any good unless you tell people.” Bob continued to make those calls and be actively engaged in communicating the news about the companies’ projects every day until his retirement about three years ago.
Bob’s contributions were recognized by his colleagues at Hunter Dickinson and others throughout the venture capital and mining industries. In 1990, he and Bob Dickinson were co-recipients of the Developers Award from Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada. In 2001, he was recognized for his perseverance and success in financing mineral exploration and development projects by receiving the Murray Pezim Award from AME BC (then the BC & Yukon Chamber of Mines).
Behind him during all those years of success were Bob’s wife Shirley and their seven children, several of whom have gone on to financial and technical careers. Our thoughts and condolences are with them.
The family invites you to share your thoughts and memories of Bob by visiting www.mem.com.
-The management and staff at Hunter Dickinson Inc.