spɹˈɪɡ wʌz sˈɛnt baɪ ðə sˈaʊθ ɔːstɹˈeɪliən ɡˈʌvɚnmənt ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd fˈoːɹɾi sˈɪks tʊ ɪnspˈɛkt ɐbˈændənd mˈaɪnz ɪnðɪ ˈɛdɪˌækæɹən hˈɪlz, tʊ ˌæsɚtˈeɪn wˈɛðɚɹ ˈoʊld mˈaɪnz kʊd biː ɹᵻwˈɜːkt pɹˈɑːfɪɾəbli jˈuːzɪŋ nˈuː tɛknˈɑːlədʒiz.
Sprigg was sent by the South Australian government in 1946 to inspect abandoned mines in the Ediacaran Hills, to ascertain whether old mines could be reworked profitably using new technologies.