This month marks a milestone – fifteen years since the first Bowen Basin Mining Club (BBMC) luncheon. Born out of a backyard BBQ conversation in Mackay, the BBMC grew from an idea to influencing how the Bowen Basin mining community connects, collaborates and grows together.
It was a simple solution to a geographic problem – connecting businesses in meaningful relationships across a widely dispersed industry. Today the BBMC is celebrating fifteen years of open communication, forged partnerships, and countless ‘handshake moments’ that have influenced our industry.
From the inaugural networking luncheon on 24 September 2010 with 156 attendees, the BBMC has now welcomed over 110 speakers across 75+ luncheons, with an average attendance of 190.
The largest gathering was nearly 400 people in April 2016, and in November 2018 attendees witnessed history when Adani announced at the luncheon they had secured financing for the Carmichael Mine, declaring “we have finance and we are ready to start”.
Each statistic represents a multitude of connections made, problems solved, and opportunities realised. However, the true measure of BBMC’s success lies in the countless business relationships forged over good food and genuine conversation.
Conversations have sparked solutions – like a forklift company CEO declaring “that’s solved an issue on my site”, leading to a significant supply contract. Major contractors have secured meetings with previously inaccessible C-suite executives through sponsor networking sessions. Many introductions have evolved from business card exchanges to multi-million-dollar partnerships.
These moments – where casual conversation becomes a game-changing business relationship – embody everything the BBMC was created to achieve.
The past fifteen years have tested the mining sector’s mettle through global financial uncertainty, commodity price volatility, regulatory changes, and a global pandemic. The BBMC has hosted luncheons despite cyclones bearing down on the coast and flood waters rising. When traditional networking was restricted, the BBMC adapted. Who recalls the Queensland Mining Awards 2020 with socially distanced tables and seated networking? You could have a drink, you just couldn’t stand with it in your hands.
Growing from a bi-monthly luncheon series, the BBMC has also advocated for Queensland’s mining businesses on wider platforms.
The Queensland Mining Awards, launched in 2014, evolved from the Queensland Mining Contractors Awards into a premier celebration of mining innovation and excellence, now attracting over 650 industry leaders to the biennial gala.
The BBMC Yearbook, launched in 2018, provides year-round visibility with the eighth edition now in development. The Crib Room Podcast, launched in 2020, ensured industry insights continued flowing when face-to-face meetings weren’t possible.
Most recently, the reach of the BBMC has expanded beyond Queensland with the Hunter Mining Club launched in 2025, bringing the same ‘no-media’ networking approach and frank conversation format to NSW’s mining industry.
“This expansion demonstrates the proven value of the BBMC concept,” said Director, Jodie Currie, who has guided the organisation’s evolution from day one.
“We’ve built something far more valuable than a networking group – an interstate community of innovators and problem-solvers.”
As the BBMC launches into its sixteenth year, the fundamentals remain unchanged: free membership, exceptional speakers, and unparalleled networking opportunities. The Bowen and Galilee Basins continue evolving with new technologies, sustainability imperatives, and global market dynamics.
The BBMC will continue to be where these changes are discussed first, where collaborations are sparked, and where Queensland mining’s future is strongly advocated.
And Jodie has a simple message to those who have come on the journey.
“Thank you to every member, speaker, sponsor, and supporter who has made the BBMC into what it is today. The next fifteen years start now, and we couldn’t be more excited about what lies ahead.”
Image caption: Jodie Currie with BBMC sponsors Mick Crowe (COO Bravus Mining & Resources) and Mark Scott (CEO Hastings Deering).
