The Syndicate of Seven is the name given to the original members of the Broken Hill Mining Company formed in 1883, who lodged applications for mining leases along the Line of Lode at Broken Hill in New South Wales, Australia.

History

The members, who all worked at Mount Gipps sheep station, which encompassed the Broken Hill, were:- In September 1883 they pegged seven 40 acre blocks (blocks No 10–16) along the exposed lode at Broken Hill, thus securing almost the whole of the easily worked ore (Curtis, 1908). The initial assay results were not encouraging and Lind sold his share to Rasp and McCulloch, probably intimidated by the prospect of calls to finance further drilling. Poole and Urquhart sold their shares a year later, before the boom days and flotation of Broken Hill Proprietary in 1885 (Curtis, 1908 and Camilleri, 2006). James sold half his share to Sidney Kidman who went on to become a wealthy cattle baron and landowner.

Later

The seven shares were parlayed into fourteen. William Jamieson purchased three of these shares for £320, and on 25 April 1885 was offered management of the mine at a salary of £500 per annum. He shortly divested himself of two, one of which was purchased by W. R. Wilson; George Doolette also purchased one of the 14 shares. Other important early investors were Harvey Patterson, Duncan McBryde and Bowes Kelly.

Sources