Julian Boyd Aarons
AARONS, Julian Boyd, ARSM MIMM MAusIME MAmerIME (1876-1953)
Julian Boyd Aarons was born in Melbourne on April 26, 1876 to Lewis Aarons and his wife Esther Aarons (nee Hyam). His father, Lewis, was a successful gold prospector who later became a member of the London Stock Exchange and Chairman of the Chaffer’s Gold Mine at Boulder. Julian was educated at Sydney Grammar School and University of Sydney. Julian later studied mining and metallurgy at the Royal School of Mines in London from which he graduated in 1899.
Julian returned to Australia to become mill manager at Great Boulder No.1 Ltd. (ECGF Boulder) in 1900.
In 1902 he married Mary Innis Crane at Boulder on March 20, 1902. He was appointed as the metallurgist at the Sabiwa Gold Mining Company in Southern Rhodesia in 1902, and became manager of the Imani GM Company and V.V. (Gwanda) Syndicate in 1903 (both Rhodesia).
Aarons returned to Western Australia to join Bewick Moreing and Company, mine managers and consultants, as superintendent of the White Feather Main Reefs Ltd (NECGF Kanowna) in 1904 shortly before it closed, and became superintendent of the Boulder Deep Levels Ltd (ECGF Boulder) in 1905. He was then the superintendent of the White Feather Main Reefs (1906) Ltd when the mine was re opened. He was the general manager of Chaffer's GMg Co (ECGF Kalgoorlie) in 1909 14 and also of the Bullfinch East Gold Mine (YGF Bullfinch) in 1911. He gave evidence to the Royal Commission on Miners’ Lung Disease in 1911.
He enlisted in the Australian Army on February 10, 1915 and fought at Gallipoli and in France and Egypt. He rose to the rank of Major.
In 1919 he changed his name by deed poll to become Julian Boyd.
In 1922 he moved his family to America to become superintendent of mines for Pacific Coast Borax, a position which he held until his retirement in 1946. He was appointed a director of the US Borax Company in 1943 and was President of that company from 1949 until his death. He was an associate of the Institution of Mining and Metallurgy, a member of the American Institute of Mining Engineers and was elected a member of the Australasian Institute of Mining Engineers in 1909.
His papers include 'High grade bullion from zinc box precipitates', jointly with H. Black (q.v.), JCMWA 10, 1911, pp. 204-208.
References:
JCMWA 1904, 1910, 1917
Skinner 1909
WAMBEJ Feb 1909, Jul 1914
Bull IMM Sept 1953
ArcAusMM
Compton, G. & Manners R. (1953) Kanowna's Barrowman James Balzano: The Early History of Kalgoorlie's Godrushes, Mannwest Pty Ltd., ISBN 0 85905 1765, 401p
Northern Mine Research Society Obituary
Kendall, Robert Eli (1992) Mining Borax: Shaft-Freezing in Potash Mines, US Borax Inc. 1954-1988, University of California Berkeley Library.
