Geologist (Retired), Oshawa, ON. Born: Guyana.
Lester Fernandes is a retired geologist who was involved with important mineral discoveries in Mexico and in South America.
During the course of his career, he worked as an Exploration Manager in the Caribbean and Central America, as General Manager of Mineracao Cominco in Brazil, and as a General Manager with Cominco Peru (1994-98). Previously, he worked as Mine Geologist at Noranda’s Mina Julia in Chile, as Associate Professor of Geology at the University of Guyana, and in the Guyana Geological Survey Department, where he led the team that discovered the Upper Mazaruni diamond and gold fields in Guyana (1958). Len was also a participant in the discovery of Cominco’s Maria copper mine in Sonora, Mexico in the 1970s.
Works: Presented papers on findings at the 4th Caribbean Geological Conference (1968); article in Geological Survey Guyana Records 4 (1968); Records 2 (1965); presented at the 5th inter-Guiana Geological Conference (1961).
Education: Master of Sciences, Appl. Mineral Exploration, McGill University (1962); BSc, Mining Geology, Royal College of Mines, Imperial College, London University (1957).
Motto: “I do not sleep to dream, but dream to change the world.” (From Martin Carter’s poem, “Looking At Your Hands.”)
Favourite book? My favourite book is Martin Carter Selected Poems. Martin was a good friend and schoolmate. He wrote about life in our home country in the final days as a British colony, the struggle for independence and the frustrations experienced after that event. I like his poetry because we share so many of experiences about which he wrote.
Favourite quote? To the one quoted in my motto, I would like to share with you a line from one of his finest poems entitled, “A Mouth Is Always Muzzled”. It is a line that he spoke when he was asked why he resigned as Minister of Culture: “A mouth is always muzzled by the food it eats to live.”
Given the chance, what would you love to do that you haven’t done yet? In my life I have visited many countries in all continents except Australia and Antarctica. My wish is to fill that gap before going to the undiscovered country.