Published in the September 2014 International Coal News Magazine
He emigrated to Australia in 1996 and has worked in Australia for Shell Australia, Anglo Coal, Rio Tinto and Centennial Coal, along with various contracting companies. He also spent four years in the CSG industry in New South Wales.
A 30-year industry veteran, his favourite hobbies outside of work are riding motorcycles and keeping fish.
What is your earliest mining memory?
My earliest mining memory was in 1983 when I attended the Kellingley colliery training centre in Yorkshire, England, for an interview. I was 16 years old at the time. The interview was for apprenticeships at Kellingley colliery. Apprenticeships available were mechanical, electrical and welding. During the interviews I was told that I was far too active to be an electrician and so I became an apprentice fitter.
What made you choose mining as a career?
A mining career was a natural choice. My father, grandfather, uncle and two cousins already worked at Kellingley colliery. I was sick of school at the time and so down the mine I went.
When was your first underground visit?
Kellingley colliery had an underground training district complete with a maingate – loadergate, as we called it – a tailgate and a face complete with working chocks, a shearer, rope haulages, rail track and various training apparatus. These types of facilities were common in the UK with a second-to-none training regime for underground coal mining. My first experience underground was six weeks working in this underground training district learning all manner of skills.
What was your favourite job in a coal mine?
In hindsight, working as a longwall fitter was probably my favourite position. The hours were long because I loved the overtime. However, the shifts were a laugh from start to finish.
What was your least favourite job?
Once as an apprentice, me and another apprentice were given the job of clearing out an area behind a workshop. This area had been used as a quick toilet for years by the workshop fitters and welders. The stench was horrendous. I was bitten by some kind of mosquito while shovelling the sticky goo. As a result of the bite I got quite sick. This was definitely my least favourite job. My least favourite role was as a mining engineer when I first came to Australia. The job was largely administrative/reporting and was a shock to the system being straight off the plane from England and being full of enthusiasm. As a result the enthusiasm waned rapidly.
Who, or what, has most influenced your mining career?
As a young graduate I had obtained a mechanical engineering certificate and was pursuing a mine manager’s certificate. I was taken under the wing of the colliery manager, a fearsome Welshman, who ruled with an iron fist. Over the years I was yelled at, screamed at and generally scared senseless but all the time I was being groomed (so I was told) and tested. I was thrown into the deep end more times than I can remember. This manager, Dick Davies, without doubt became the most influential person in my career. Despite his typical British coal mine manager type style of management he believed in me (I think), mentored me, promoted me (sometimes before time) and ultimately pushed and pulled me into my management journey. Sometimes I don’t know whether to thank him or kick him in the shins.
What do you consider your best mining achievement?
For years my singular focus was to become a colliery manager. By colliery manager I mean the statutory and production driver at the mine, a position that is, by and large, confined to history. When I finally achieved this by becoming the manager of Tahmoor colliery, this is what I consider to be my best mining achievement because it was the culmination of years of work.
What do you see as being the greatest mining development during your career?
To me there is no rival in the “greatest mining development” category to the development of proactive risk management. Having worked for years in the UK mining industry followed by Australia, with brief glimpses into mining in Germany and Poland, I have watched safety and safety culture become transformed by risk management. We have seen injuries (and worse) decline exponentially and efficiency increase in the same manner as a direct result of risk management and the embracing of this philosophy by the industry.
Do you hold any mining records?
I once held a mining record in my hand called Do it the safety way by Max Bygraves and the Grimethorpe Colliery Band. You can see this at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYRbb1aSh-U
Do you have any unfulfilled ambitions?
An existing mining ambition is to work as a mines inspector. I have had the opportunity but circumstances stood in my way at the time. Maybe one day another opportunity will arise and the circumstances will be right.
What was your most embarrassing moment in a coal mine?
As a young longwall fitter I had to be rescued from the “jaws” of my toolbox by some colleagues. At the time the toolboxes were large and hung over the maingate conveyor on the monorail. As I leaned on the front of the box while standing on the conveyor structure, the big steel door swung around and slammed shut. Unfortunately my thumb remained in the box. There I dangled for 10 minutes or so until my rescue.
What was your scariest time in a coal mine?
As a young coalface trainee at Kellingley colliery, I was taught how to timber over the top of chocks. We were often required to stand on top of chocks and timber around ourselves to reach the roof with intricately interlocked pig sties built on rolled steel joists. I am sure many readers from the Old Dart have similar memories. One day while standing on top of a chock within a large cavity, the roof came in. Luckily I had been taught well and lived to tell the tale. I had been protected by the timber that I had built around myself. Were these the bad old days? Some may say so but I loved the work.
What is your worst memory of coal mining?
I was unfortunate enough to experience a fatality in the UK. While installing chocks on an installation face, a chock slipped sideways off a load-haul-dump cookie plate and landed on its side against the pan sides. Unfortunately a workman became trapped between the top of the chock canopy and the pan sides. The guy did not survive. There were many lessons to be learned out of this incident including personal positioning, effective supervision and housekeeping. Ultimately the incident had a profound effect on me and the way I view risk.
Do you think that the day of the fully automated remotely operated face is near?
This question had been asked over and over again. In short I believe that a fully automated remotely operated face is near and in fact possible. However, some level of supervision will always be required and so will a face ever be totally remotely operated? This is questionable given the consequences of error.
What major improvements would you like to see on longwall operations?
Longwalls have remained fundamentally the same throughout the years. The technology has improved dramatically. Technology has improved production as well as safety and this continuous improvement process will continue. In my view the major improvement lies in risk management and ties in with the automation question. Continued work is needed around removing people from hazards and therefore reducing or eliminating risk. This principle applies to operations pertaining to installation, production and the recovery of equipment.
