Mr Cribb, who has worked in the mining industry since 1974, collected the award for Outstanding Contribution to Mining.

And, Bulga Underground Mine was named the Mining Operation of the Year.

Now based at Glencore’s Bulga operations, Mr Cribb joined the company in 1999 with responsibility for the operation of the company’s underground mines in NSW.

Prior to his appointment in 2013 as COO of Glencore’s Australian coal operations – presiding over 21 mining operations across NSW and Queensland, as well as a Queensland export port and Hunter rail operations – Mr Cribb had held the position of COO in both Queensland and NSW.

He said the award was unexpected and pointed out that Glencore’s position as a leader in the Australian coal industry was the result of hard work and commitment from the entire workforce. 

Glencore’s Bulga Under-ground mine is an example of this. 

The Mining Operation of the Year award is the latest in a number of milestones achieved by the operation in the past year. 

This included a recent performance milestone, which saw Bulga Underground achieve a production record of four million tonnes at a rate of one million tonnes per month over July, August, September and October. It was a first in the mine’s history. 

Bulga operations manager Mark Munro said his team’s performance was the result of dedication, technical innovation, systematic approach and hard work. 

“This award is recognition of a very capable workforce responding to current industry challenges by driving productivity gains, sustainable operation and improving safety,” he said. 

“Our latest production milestones build on our performance in the 2013-14 

fiscal year, in which our ROM production of 8,055,840 tonnes was the highest of all Australian underground coal mines.”

Another Singleton resident Jim Delaney was also nominated in one of the categories at the NSW Mining Industry and Suppliers Awards.