Bendigo man Noel Laidlaw caps off a 40-year, golden career

The Bendigo man was then working as the secretary of the Trades Hall Council when a chap with a broken leg came in to see about compensation for his injuries.

"He was an underground miner," Noel said.

"He said, 'I'm going to become a gold prospector.' That was a bit of a revelation to me. Within six months we were out prospecting for gold."

That's how Noel's 40-year career in the mining industry came to a start.

And, after all those years, the 65-year-old said it was time to call it a day. He's retiring from work as a consultant doing tenement and engineering services.

He held a number of roles before then, from being a ministerial advisor in the first Cain government in 1983 to becoming the first site manager at the gold mine in Maldon, to an eight-year stint as the state mining warden.

"I've had a very good time in the gold mining industry," Noel said.

He's been involved in the production of about four tonnes of gold, throughout his career.

"I've worked literally all over Australia, mainly in Victoria," Noel said.

He was an underground contractor for many years. But many people, these days, would know Noel through his consultancy, which manages about 170 mining leases and titles.

Friday's retirement party was also an opportunity for Noel's clients to meet staffers from Australian Mining and Exploration Title Services, which will be taking the business on board.

Noel was optimistic about this next stage of life.

"It's about time to do it," he said. "People don't like change, but I rather like change."

One of the first things on his to-do list, once retired, was having a few sleep-ins.

"I'm not going to cut off my ties with the industry but I'm not going to be working as a tenement consultant," Noel said.

He is understood to be working with Australian Mining and Exploration Title Services to ease the transition.

Noel wished to thank his clients, colleagues and compatriots for their support and friendship over the years.

He and his associates were surrounded by memorabilia from the city's gold rush past as they reflected on the industry.

Tributes to Bendigo's lost miners and the Great Extended Hustlers Mine Disaster are steps from the Old Boundary Hotel.

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