The Royal School of Mines Association was formed in 1873, initially as the RSM Old Students’ Dining Club. As well as a yearly reunion, the aims of the Club were to promote the RSM and to advance its interests and those of its members;
objectives which remain to this day.
From these early days, Minesmen, as RSM graduates were known, spread to all parts of the globe. The Association became formally inaugurated in 1913, and branches, based in established mining centres, sprang up in several countries,
including Australia, Canada and South Africa. Correspondents were appointed throughout the world and an international network and local points of contact are thus maintained, facilitated by a register of members held in London.
The RSMA now has hundreds of members, of which nearly half live over seas. They are employed in a staggeringly wide range of jobs, not just those directly associated with geology, mining, petroleum or materials science, but throughout
the financial services, in media, journalism, information and computing technology to name but a few!
One of the most prominent features of the Association and its members is their friendliness and generosity, particularly towards the undergraduate students, who remain the lifeblood of the RSM. It is therefore natural that many
of its current events are channelled into student affairs, and the Association is proud to maintain a strong link with the students of the Royal School of Mines.
