With more than 17 years of experience in senior financial roles, Manners is well-versed in the fields of financial risk management, project finance, accounting and taxation.

Les McCracken has been appointed as the Buller project manager on a contract basis.

He specialises in project construction management for mining and major civil earthworks.

McCracken was also the project manager responsible for the access road and tunnel construction of the Pike River mine in New Zealand.

Bathurst appointed Steve O’Dea as executive general manager for planning and technical services.

A mining engineer and graduate of the Camborne School of Mines, O’Dea has more than 20 years of experience in underground and open cut mines.

The Perth-based company recently opened a project office in Westport on New Zealand’s South Island.

Bathurst is moving fast to develop the Buller mine after inking a purchase agreement with L&M Holdings for the 10,000 hectares in permits that “largely surround” Solid Energy’s 2 million tonne per annum coking coal Stockton mine.

Bathurst aims to start producing coking coal from the open cut project in late 2011 and expects to complete a definitive feasibility study this quarter.

Shares in the explorer were steady at 18c this morning.