HOF Citations 2016 Underground Development - Morris Medd

2016
IN ASSOCIATION WITH

UNDERGROUND DEVELOPMENT

Morris James Medd
Morris Medd has an extensive background spanning over 45 years of mine
contracting and development. Most
recently Medd was the President of
the Redpath Group of Companies, a
world leader in shaft sinking, underground
mine development and contract mining.
He has been credited with the establishment of a number of new and innovative
mine development techniques and is considered to
be an expert in the field of shaft sinking.
Medd started with the Redpath Group as a miner,
and over his 30 years with the company gained a
broad range of expertise through his escalating
positions as Project Manager, Group Contract
Manager, Senior Vice President of Operations,
and finally as President, a position he held for five
years. Medd is also a former Director of the
Ontario Mining Association.
Morris began his career as a miner at the Sifto
salt mine in 1959. His expertise grew as he took
on leadership roles at various mine sites over a
15-year period, most notably at the Creighton No.
9 Shaft sinking project where the crew lined and
equipped a 21 ft (6.4 m) diameter x 7,200 ft
(2,194.5 m) deep concrete shaft, which was a
significant task in its day. In 1974, MeddMinCa
was 26
promoted to a management role at The Redpath
Group’s head office in North Bay, Ontario,
Canada. He held management and executive
positions since then, leading up to his role as
President from 2000 to 2005. Medd has also
contributed as a director on the boards of the
Ontario Mining Association, Free Gold Ventures
Limited and El Niňo Ventures Inc., and has
participated on the DGR Technical Review Group
for the Nuclear Waste Management Organisation.
The scoop on The Godfather of shaftsmen
In his own words from the November 2004
company newspaper The Redpath Scoop, just
before his retirement: "As this will be my last
chance to compose the 'Presidents Message',
I will reminisce a little on my history in this
business. I originally got interested in this line of
work while working at the Sifto salt mine in
Goderich, Ontario where the old Cementation

company [then based in England] was sinking a
shaft. I eventually hired on with them to sink the
Geco No. 4 shaft in Manitouwadge in 1963. After
spending about a year there, I hired on with
McIsaac Mining and Tunnelling in Sudbury sinking
the Strathcona shaft and was later transferred to
Falconbridge East mine to sink a winze under the
supervision of the legendary Ted Hyway. The big
news at this time was that Inco had awarded the
Creighton No. 9 shaft (7,137 ft deep) to this
start-up company by the name of Redpath. This
project was in Creighton, a small mining town just
north of Lively, Ontario (this town doesn't exist
anymore). So, hearing this news, and with shaft
sinking now in my blood – I knew somehow I had
to get a job there. Asking around, I discovered
that Jim Redpath always ate lunch in a small
restaurant there, so I introduced myself, told him
a bunch of lies about how good a shaftman I was
(he believed me!) and after lunch that day, just shy
of 40 years ago in 1965, I had my first job with
Redpath to sink the deepest shaft in North America.
“After the completion of Creighton No. 9 I returned
to Cementation Company to sink the Kidd Creek
No. 1 shaft and later was transferred to Zambia
as master sinker for three years. In these early
years, I had the opportunity to work for three
different shaft sinking companies and it was time
to settle down with the company I found to be
superior to the other two and came back to
Redpath in 1974. The philosophy of The Redpath
Group, the attitude
towards safety, the
treatment of their people
and the tremendous pride
throughout the company
as made working there a
very rewarding experience.
“In my role as President for
the last five years, I found
my job easy because of
the tremendous talent and
ambition of the employees
I have had the opportunity
to lead. Also, during these
years, I have tried to
ensure that the Redpath
reputation and success will