Sociable, quick-witted with a cheeky sense of humour, he was a pragmatic economic geologist who was generous with his time and resources
Derick Leonard Helm was born in Gorleston, Norfolk on the 10
th July 1949, the fourth of six children and the only brother to five sisters.
After graduating with a 2(i) in Geology from Bristol University in 1974, Derick got his first job as a geologist with Shell Coal. He was posted to Mbabane, Swaziland, where he ‘cut his teeth’ on the St. Phillips coal project. Although only recently graduated, he set high standards and possessed a high degree of pragmatism.
Derick left Swaziland in 1978 and following stints at Shell’s Holland and London offices, he was posted to explore for coal in the Transvaal in South Africa. He returned to the UK in 1982 and went on to work in China for several three-month periods. This proved to be a difficult time for Derick as the joint venture with the Chinese National Coal Company was beset by internal political wrangling and differences in working culture.
Following redundancy from Shell Coal in 1987, Derick set up his own consultancy business, Explorex. It was in 1990 that he was recruited to explore for coal in Venezuela and this began a relationship with South America that would last for the rest of his life.
By 1996, he had moved to Maracaibo and started work for Cosila S.A. on its Las Carmelitas coal project, located close to the border with Colombia. Despite the complexities of both the geology and the local security, Derick successfully defined over 30 million tonnes of coal resources and by 2006, delivered a project which, whilst awaiting permits, was ready to go forward to mine development.
However, in November 2008, frustrated by the shut-down of Las Carmelitas, Derick moved to Uruguay to become Chief Geologist for Minera Aratiri on its Las Valentines iron ore project. His task: reinvigorate the existing exploration and fast-track the project to mine development. He accepted the challenge with his usual high level of enthusiasm.
At the height of the project, Derick managed a team of 18 geologists. At least eight drill rigs were running, 24 hours a day. Under his leadership, over 264,000 metres of drill core and chips were drilled. Over two billion tonnes of iron ore resources were defined.
Derick retired in 2014 and early in 2015 he moved to Puerto de Santa Maria, Spain. Despite a third heart attack in 2015, he maintained a positive outlook and enjoyed a relatively peaceful retirement on the Spanish coast for the next two years. However, he sadly died from his heart condition in Spain on the 18th June 2017.
Derick was a first-class geologist, pragmatist and friend. He was intelligent and generous of both his time and resources. He also mentored many younger geologists during his career.
Derick is survived by his five sisters (Maureen, Janet, Christine, Sheila and Linda), his first wife Rosemary, third wife Damaris, four children (Matt, Jonny, Tessa and Leonela) and his granddaughter Maya.
Compiled and written by Iain Henrys who thanks Matt Helm, Jon Codd, Dulce Pachano and Natalia Seluchi for providing contributing information.
(The full version of this obituary appears below. Editor.)
Image credit: Damaris Helm
DERICK LEONARD HELM
10th JULY 1949 – 18th JUNE 2017
Derick Leonard Helm was born in Gorleston, Norfolk on the 10
th July 1949, the fourth of six children and the only brother to five sisters.
After attending Yarmouth Grammar School and gaining his O’ Levels, Derick started an Electrical Engineering apprenticeship. However, after completing six years of the seven-year programme, he became disillusioned with the teaching and so dropped out to attend college and take his A’ Levels.
After completing his A’ Levels in 1971, he went to Bristol University to study Geology. During his time at Bristol, Derick met his first wife Rosemary.
After graduating with a 2(i) in Geology from Bristol in 1974, Derick got his first job as a geologist with Shell Coal. Following training in Holland, he was posted to Mbabane in Swaziland. There, Derick ‘cut his teeth’ on a coal project centred on the St. Phillips Mission. He enjoyed the work and the expatriate lifestyle. Although only recently graduated, he set high standards and possessed a high degree of pragmatism.
Derick left Swaziland in 1978 and following stints at Shell’s Holland and London offices, he was posted to explore for coal in the Transvaal in South Africa. He returned to the UK in 1982 from where he would go on to work for several three-month periods in China. This proved to be a difficult time for Derick. The joint venture with the Chinese National Coal Company was beset by internal political wrangling and differences in working culture.
Following redundancy from Shell Coal in 1987, Derick set up his own consultancy, Explorex, and worked on various projects in Scotland, Turkey, Kazakhstan and Siberia. It was in 1990, that he was recruited to work on a coal project in Venezuela and that he began a relationship with South America that would last for the rest of his life.
Between 1990 and 1996 Derick worked in Venezuela for various coal companies and he became the de-facto ‘local’ coal consultant in Zulia state. By 1996, he had moved to Maracaibo and started work for Cosila S.A. on the Las Carmelitas project. The project was located close to the Colombian border and it was sometimes dangerous work with the nearby mountains and forests occupied by local bandits and Colombian guerrillas who were evading the Colombian authorities. As a prominent member of the project’s hierarchy, Derick gained notoriety and became known locally as “El Barba Roja” or "Red Beard".
Despite the complexities of both the geology and the local security, Derick led the work that successfully defined over 30 million tonnes of coal resources at Las Carmelitas. By 2006, he had delivered a project which, whilst awaiting permits, was ready to go forward to mine development.
Frustratingly for Derick, the project at Cosila was put on hold so he had to look for new clients and other sources of income. Always willing to try something new, Derick set up a small off-licence with his step-daughter in Maracaibo. The opening day was a huge success and the business ran very profitably for several months before the detrimental affect it had on similar businesses nearby began to create problems for them.
During this time, Derick also travelled to consult on coal projects in Colombia, Chile and Argentina. He also worked on an oil shale project in Utah in the USA which he found particularly interesting.
However, in November 2008, frustrated by the decision to shut-down Las Carmelitas, Derick moved to Uruguay to become Chief Geologist for Minera Aratiri on its Las Valentines iron ore project. His task: reinvigorate the existing exploration and fast-track the project to mine development. He accepted the challenge with his usual high level of enthusiasm.
At the height of the Uruguay project, Derick managed a team of 18 geologists. At least eight drill rigs were running 24 hours a day. Under his leadership, over 264,000 metres of core and chips were drilled and as a result, over two billion tonnes of iron ore resources were delineated.
It is a major achievement for the career of any economic geologist to be able to take a mineral project from greenfield exploration through to the mine development phase. Derick managed to achieve this twice in his career.
Unfortunately, during his time in Uruguay, Derick suffered a second heart attack but he bounced back from this setback with his usual level of humour and optimism and whilst accepting it as a warning for his health, he judged it to be a more of a ‘hiccup’!
Following his retirement in 2014, Derick moved with his third wife, Damaris, to Puerto de Santa Maria in Spain. Barely a few months after arriving in Spain in 2015, he was admitted to hospital, again with heart problems. This time, his condition was determined as extremely serious and his doctors gave him only 6 months to live.
It was a tribute to Derick’s character that despite the adversity, he was able to maintain a positive outlook and his sense of humour. He continued to enjoy a relatively peaceful retirement on the Spanish coast for the next two years—whilst still occasionally popping over to the UK to see his family.
However, unfortunately early in 2017, Derick’s health deteriorated dramatically. Although he struggled on for a couple of months, he sadly died in Spain from his heart condition on the 18th June 2017, surrounded by many of his family.
Derick was a first-class geologist, pragmatist and friend. He was intelligent and generous of both his time and resources. He was sociable, quick-witted and had a cheeky sense of humour. He also mentored many younger geologists who worked with him during his career.
Derick is survived by his five sisters (Maureen, Janet, Christine, Sheila and Linda), his first wife Rosemary, third wife Damaris, four children (Matt, Jonny, Tessa and Leonela) and his granddaughter Maya.
Compiled and written by Iain Henrys who thanks Matt Helm, Jon Codd, Dulce Pachano and Natalia Seluchi for providing contributing information.