Golf courses through mining veteran's veins
John Hopkins has built a lifetime of hard-earned knowledge and experience in the resources sector, but he just loves golf.
The Coolbinia father of four spent last week in Sydney overseeing the Australian Amateur Golf Championships.
Mr Hopkins was there in his capacity as chairman of Golf Australia as the tournament reached its climax yesterday.
Today, he is honoured to be awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for his service to golf and the resources sector.
Mr Hopkins, 64, has sat on the boards of dozens of companies and done just about all there is to do in Australian golf administration, but he is not about to stop.
It is a familiar story of passion and hard work breeding success for the lawyer-turned-company director.
After three decades in the resources sector, Mr Hopkins still gets excited when he talks about his current projects, including a tungsten project in Britain.
Mining may seem a world away from the lush greens of the golf course, but he sees some common ground.
"It's all about the people," Mr Hopkins said. "There are just so many wonderful, passionate and professional people in golf and in the mining sector."
Liam Croy
