On Saturday November 9, the biannual Pelton/Ellalong Colliery Reunion returns. If you worked at Pelton prior to 1998, come along and catch up with old workmates and reminisce about the good old days.
Pelton Colliery has a long and rich history. Surface operations commenced at the mine on 15 April 1916 and over the next 104 years various operations of both underground and open cut mining were conducted at Pelton and at the nearby Ellalong and Bellbird collieries. In 1998, the mines were amalgamated and became Southland Colliery and then in 2004, Yancoal took over the mine and renamed it Austar Coal Mine. In 2020, after 104 years, the mine went into care and maintenance.
Organiser Brian Fogg said the reunion is for miners who worked prior to the amalgamation of 1998 when many of the employees were let go.

“There’s a lot of sharing stories and a lot of laughs too. I started at Pelton in the early 70’s and it was my first time working in a coal mine. It was hard work but the blokes that were there always looked after me,” shared Brian.
“The reunion is an opportunity to meet up with people that you may not have seen for years and chat about old times.”
Those old times were the days of pick and shovel mining, working underground with pit ponies, and working seven and half hour shifts of often backbreaking and dangerous work. Many generations of local families worked at the mine, fathers, grandfathers, uncles and brothers, and strong bonds formed between the miners. The reunion is a chance to renew those bonds.
“We hope people spread the word and we can get as many people as possible to come along. The reunion kicks off at Bellbird Workers Club at 1pm and people can just turn up on the day.”
Pelton/Ellalong Colliery Reunion – Pre 1998 Saturday November 9 – 1pm at Bellbird Workers Club |
Header image: Last trip underground in 1998. Credit: Kevin Sams.