Bernard O. Brynelsen

Bern Brynelsen was born in 1911, the son of a Vancouver street lamp trimmer. He originally had dreams of becoming a medical doctor, but eventually became a mining engineer because it paid the most in those days and you could get a job. He went to the placer fields of the Yukon in 1929 and his association with Noranda Mines began in 1948.

Bern Brynelsen's contributions to the mining industry have had a major impact on British Columbia's economy. His legendary instinct for detecting profitable mines resulted in many major mining enterprises; one of them is one of Canada's most successful - Brenda Mines. His conviction in a property's viability was often put to the test: to help keep the Brenda project alive when the big mining companies weren't interested, he mortgaged his house.

Virtually everyone in the Vancouver mining community seems to have worked for Bern Brynelsen at one time and, remarkably, virtually all seem to cherish the memory. His perennial optimism and good humour have been an inspiration and encouragement to thousands. It persuaded Noranda to invest in the province's economy on a sustained basis and to get involved in the forest industry as well.

In 1980, Bern Brynelsen received the H.H. "Spud" Huestis Award for mining exploration and in 1990 he was awarded the Edgar A. Scholz Award for mine development. Now at 80, Bern Brynelsen is still active and involved in the development of British Columbia's resources.