Tim Miller’s career in the mining industry spanned more than four decades, starting back in 1980. His entry into the mining industry was typical for his generation, it wasn’t a matter of what you knew, but who you knew.
“I grew up in Lithgow and once out of school I got a desk job with Main Roads, but I hated it,” shared Tim.
“I liked working with my hands and being outdoors and I was keen to work in the mines, but it was hard to get a start. Luckily my old man knew the guy who owned Blue Mountains Colliery.
“I showed up and said to the boss, ‘my dad told me to come and see you because I want a job’. He said ‘Alright, you show up here every morning at half past six and we’ll see how you go’.
“The next day I showed up and I was given the job to carry buckets of hot water up a big steep hill, pour it on the accumulator, break the ice off, and then pump the hell out of it with a hand pump. That was basically the pre-start for the mine.
“Every day I showed up and worked for a couple of hours which meant every day I would be late for my job at Main Roads, and I wasn’t being paid for it! After about three months I was jack of it and said to the boss, ‘am I gonna get a job or what’. He laughed and said, ‘of course I’m giving you a job, but as long as you kept doing what you were doing for free, I wasn’t going to say anything!’”
So, Tim not only ended up with his first job in mining working at an underground bord and pillar operation, but he also learnt a valuable lesson, you won’t get anything unless you ask for it.
Tim stayed at the mine for around four years before moving on to Baal Bone. Then in 1988 he was off to Queensland, spending a few years at the Gold Coast before he landed at Gordonstone where he gained his Deputy’s certificate. Then came a long stint at North Goonyella, a few years at Oaky Creek and then back to NSW where he finished his last years in the industry working at Narrabri and Ulan West.
Over the years, Tim saw it all, from the volatile union times where blockades, strikes and sackings were commonplace, to the dangerous parts of the job, such as workmates suffering injuries and mine evacuations because of unsafe conditions.
He watched as the industry’s safety standards improved year after year and while he jokes about the copious paperwork, and that there’s now more people working in safety departments then in actual mines, he’s also quick to acknowledge how much these changes have improved the working conditions of miners, and most importantly, make sure that they go home safe at the end of their shift.
“There’s always the risk, and there was definitely a lot more back in my earlier days when there was no such thing as inductions and WHS. In the back of your mind you’d think, ‘is my luck up’, but mostly you pushed it aside and got on with the job.
“The work was challenging and physically demanding, but I always felt a lot of job satisfaction. And the money was great of course! It provided for my family and gave us plenty of opportunities, like travelling overseas.
“But it was the blokes that I worked with that were the main reason why I liked mining so much. There were plenty of characters and more than a fair share of pranks going on, but at the end of the day you could have a couple of beers and a laugh together and know you had each other’s back.
“You will never find the same camaraderie anywhere else like you will find among underground miners.”
Tim has been retired for four months, but as I question him about what’s next it might be too early to call his retirement official.
“I’ll admit that the body is a bit stuffed, carrying around gear for so many years has taken its toll, but I am starting to get pretty bored. Maybe I’ll have to make a couple of calls and see what’s out there before I hang up the hard hat for good.”
