Held on Friday and Saturday at New Ivanhoe Hotel as part of the annual Blackheath Rhododendron Festival in New South Wales, wet weather might have reduced attendance numbers but not the swift pace of the competition.

 

The single bolt event was a fastest time decider with teams boring with 2-foot, 3ft and 5ft drill steels and finishing with quick set chemicals to adhere the bolt into a 3.8-tonne cement block in a steel frame about 6ft from the ground.

 

With the single event held on Friday evening to help emulate the dark conditions found underground, veteran competitors Booth and Whyte from BMA’s Broadmeadow longwall mine took first place with a time of 1 minute and 13 seconds.

 

The Nankervis brothers came second while Ken Muldoon and Wayne Morgan from fellow Centennial operation Clarence colliery came in third place.

 

Booth had more than just pride on the line, having bet on his own team to win the single bolt event through its Calcutta betting pool, scooping up $1170 in winnings.

 

Kicking off the night was a novice event where an experienced bolter would team up with a rookie, with a total of eight teams competing.

 

This event was a winner with the crowd as local favourites were cheered on, with the novice winner being Scott Pale, followed by young bloods Sam Mergan and Dan Reynolds.

 

With the rain easing off the next morning, the double bolt event started in overcast conditions with 19 pairs competing and using the same concrete blocks as the single bolting event.

 

The numbers were gradually thinned down to eight, a final four and then the ultimate playoff for the national championship title and $2000 first prize.

 

In a Centennial Coal showdown, the Nankervis brothers faced off Clarence’s Muldoon and Morgan, with the brothers winning by a mere six seconds.

 

Following the event was the coal shovelling competition, with the women’s pair event drawing the most attention from the crowd.

 

With two pairs competing, Rebecca Brown and Cordelia Campbell were up first and urged on by the crowd to meet their target haulage of a quarter of a tonne.

 

But the second pair of Claire Stace and Deanna Pamenter from Maitland filled up their bin quicker, with one observer commenting they made up for their lack of skill with their enthusiasm.

 

There were seven competitors in the men’s singles coal shovelling event and nine pairs in the doubles, where the target was one tonne.

 

Scott McKinnon eventually took first place in the singles, followed by Nick Hurst and Barry Pamenter.

 

McKinnon and Pamenter won the doubles event, ahead of Hurst and Justin Simons, with father and son team Ian and Luke Austin taking third place.

 

CFMEU Mining and Energy division general president Wayne McAndrew said it was an honour and privilege to once again represent the Unions Mineworkers Trust Fund as the major sponsor of this year’s Roof Bolting and Coal Shovelling Competition.

 

“Not only is it a fantastic event for the region, it showcases the skills of underground coal miners not just from this area but from other areas as well,” he said.

 

“Miners travel as far away as Queensland to compete in this renowned event.

 

“The event continues to generate a lot of interest with good crowds attending on both competition days over the weekend.”

 

Event organiser Peter Cooke said the maximum crowd attendance was 300-400 people and there was a good number of young people among them.

 

“We had a few young blokes who don’t work at the pits at all who had a go,” he said.

 

Cooke also commended veteran Clarence and Springvale coal miner Jim Finlay for his fine work as the MC of the event.

 

 

 

The victorious Nankervis brothers.

 

 

 

Broadmeadow's Eddie Booth and John Whyte win the single bolt event.

 

 

 

Clarence's Mick Zorz shows how it is done to Blackheath Golf Club greenkeeper and second place novice Sam Mergan (left).

 

 

Claire Stace and Deanna Pamenter win the Ladies Coal Shovelling event.