The Mount Pleasant Operation Family Day was a chance for employees’ families to see what their parents do every day at the mine, working with big equipment and keeping the mine site operating 24/7.
From learning how “you get the money” at the CHPP as one child told me, to climbing on big mining equipment and seeing how the coal is mined, families learnt all about what makes a coal mine tick.
Mick Redman, the MACH Energy General Manager of Operations, said they had about 1000 people come through the gate on the second of two family days held on site.
“It’s been fantastic. It’s so good to get all the husbands and wives and kids to see where their mum and dad work. It’s also a wonderful opportunity for people to get a better understanding of the broad range of occupations and roles required to make a modern mine of this scale a success.
“About 70 per cent of our employees live in the Upper Hunter so we enjoy giving back and supporting the community where our workforce live – that’s what it’s all about,” Mick said.
Ryan Fox, Project Manager for Thiess Mount Pleasant said it was awesome to see so many people having fun learning about what happens at the site.
“The work we do is hard to describe until you see it in the flesh so it’s great to bring your family to come and see what mining is all about,” he said.
There were tours to the CHPP as well which Manager, Sedgman, Christopher Forbes said was a great chance to showcase what they do to the people who matter most – their families.
“The tours and informative displays highlighted what we do, and it was good to see the kids enjoying themselves on the rides throughout the day.
“Most importantly, it helped create a sense of excitement and opportunity for the next generation of mini miners. I know my young fella had a great time learning then subsequently teaching people how the coal separation process worked.”
