Local paper Illawarra Mercury reported Isaacs leaving message to the Australian coal industry was “mechanise or die”, when he appeared at the West Cliff Colliery. Isaacs was there to see the new $64 million longwall system which was undergoing surface testing.

Isaacs announced his resignation from Illawarra Coal last month and will be replaced by Colin Bloomfield. A former American mining executive, Isaacs will fill the position of president and chief operating officer at BHP Billiton's Ekati Diamond Mine in Canada.

Isaacs joined BHP in 1997 after 20 years' experience in underground mining operations, mostly in West Virginia and Illinois in the U.S.

Isaacs oversaw the slashing of number in the Illawarra Coal workforce during his time at the top, which he described as "inevitable but not fun".