On the far western edge of New South Wales lies a town called Silverton, where a mining boom broke out in 1880 when a lode of silver was discovered. The fever spread, and a few years later a mysterious man living under the assumed name Charles Rasp pegged a claim on the nearby Broken Hill, out of which grew the Broken Hill Proprietary Company, now BHP Billiton Ltd, Australia’s largest company. The story is told in The Big Fella: The Rise and Rise of BHP Billiton by Peter Thompson and Robert Macklin.
The company’s story is filled with interesting twists and intrigues. Immense wealth was generated within a few years, but relations between miners and management became strained, and Broken Hill became the site of a number of industrial disputes. Before the wealth generated from the mines at Broken Hill started tapering off, the company diversified, moving into steel production, and then petroleum, copper and iron ore. In the past decade BHP merged with Billiton to form the largest mining company in the world.
Much of the story relates to takeover battles and corporate changes which have occurred in the recent past and, although many of the details have been reported in the press, the book gives a more detailed and engaging insight into what went on behind corporate doors. In my view, the authors spend a bit too much time telling the reader that they are revealing particular facts “for the first time”, but the book tells a great story which any reader can enjoy.