While Cliff was in Australia and Indonesia, his responsibilities were quite different than his responsibilities in Thompson. Cliff spent many years testing and evaluating mines, reporting directly to the President. His responsibility was to examine and test prospective project areas in Australia and Indonesia, and begin to focus Inco's development in that part of the world.

1970 the first bulk sample, 50 tons, of Sulawesi ore is delivered to INCO Canada's research facilities in Port Colborne , Ontario . A new Reduction Smelting pilot plant demonstrated that the Soroako material could be successfully processed. Sufficient exploration was done to indicate that laterite deposits near Soroako were capable of supporting a major nickel plant.


After three years of intensive pre-production, drillings, samplings, data collection and project estimating, the Soroako mine in Indonesia became the best choice for Inco to develop. The Soroako mine was a $2 billion mining development which continues to be expanded to this day.

In 1972, as a result of falling nickel prices, Inco went through a world-wide consolidation of activities and Cliff then joined Tara Mines Ltd. in Ireland. Tara was slated to become Europe's largest base metal mine.