He started work at Southern Cross #12 at Ipswich, Leichhardt, Cook and Rhondda #1 and 5 mines as miner and then deputy. After getting his first class managers certificate he moved to M.W. Haenke #1 and #2 mines as undermanager, undermanager–in–charge before being retrenched when the Swanbank power station closed in 1987.

“I then went to Norwich Park open cut for a year as mining foreman,” he recalled, “but the underground got the better of me and I moved to Moura to work at Moura #2 mine as undermanager until June 1994.”

He was then employed to work at BHP’s new longwall operation at Emerald called Crinum.

“I’ve worn just about every hat in the ring during my 11 years at Crinum and now hold the statutory role of underground mine manager which I started in 2001,” he said.

“My favourite hobby is oil painting and my favourite sport is golf and I am lousy at both of them.”

ILN:What is your earliest mining memory?

MM: First day on the job at an underground mine in Ipswich Queensland, a deputy gave me a light and a metal thing called a rescuer and told me to walk down the rails into the mine until I found some blokes working where I was to give them a hand.

ILN: What made you choose mining as a career?

MM:I liked the big trucks and dragline at Moura when I was growing up as a kid on a property in the district.

ILN: When was your first underground visit?

MM: It was my first day at work as described above.

ILN: What was your favourite job in a coal mine?

MM: Miner Driver when you were close to the boot.

ILN: What was your least favourite job?

MM: Bolting an ARMCO portal structure together in mid winter at Ipswich when it was –4 degrees C.

ILN: Who, or what, has most influenced your mining career?

MM: Mr Peter Bilborough, the manager at Rhondda #5 mine pushed me to continue my studies and get my First Class managers certificate early in my career. He also taught me a lot of things about respect for your men and doing things right the first time – if a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well!

ILN: What do you consider your best mining achievement?

MM: Being part of the Crinum team when we won the Chief Inspectors award for the best Safety and Health Management System for all mines in Queensland. Being recognised in the safety and health arena by your peers makes everything else pale into insignificance.

ILN: What do you see as being the greatest mining development during your career?

MM: The technological advances in mine monitoring systems, allowing you to trend and interpret what is going on in the mine at any time.

ILN: Do you hold any mining records?

MM: Bernie Lambley (another longwall larrikin) and myself came second in the world coal shovelling doubles championships at Fingal a few years ago!

ILN: Do you have any unfulfilled ambitions?

MM: Yes, I would like to complete my career in management without ever having a fatality at a mine I work at.

ILN: What was your most embarrassing moment in a coal mine?

MM: Walking into a pillar panel, as the new undermanager on the block at about 22 years of age. The miner was down because the heads had dropped onto the cable and killed it. I quickly told the men (mostly 30 years my senior) to simply start the machine and lift the heads off it! It took me one second to work out how dumb that must have sounded and I spun around and took off.

ILN: What was your scariest time in a coal mine?

MM: Being buried in a large rib fall along with the deputy. The guys in the crew saw our hands and arms and dragged us out. Neither of us suffered a broken bone!

ILN: What is your worst memory of coal mining?

MM: Getting a phone call from Andy List at 5.00am on 7-8-94 telling me that Moura #2 had blown up, I had left there only two months before and knew all those guys really well. I will never forget them.

ILN: Do you think that the day of the fully automated remotely operated face is near?

MM: I think it will happen but it will take some years yet.

ILN: What major improvements would you like to see on longwall operations?

MM: Increased automation to keep the guys out of the dust and much more design work going into the equipment to make component change out much safer and easier.