Who are you and what do you do?

My name is Lathan Wall and I am an apprentice chippy and concreter.

When did you start in the mining industry and what was your first job?

I started in the mining industry about one and a half years ago out at Peak Downs Mine. My first job was to erect formwork and pour concrete for the spillways on site. Spillways are important, so you have a controlled path for the water to overflow or be released down.

How different is your job now from what you wanted to be as a kid?

When I was a kid I wanted to be a diesel fitter so I would say that what I wanted to be and what I am doing now are very different. I don’t work on any sort of machinery.

What does a usual day at work look like?

A usual day at work for me is building formwork, tying steel and pouring concrete. The steps I do when pouring the concrete is screeding concrete to height, after that we jump into ball floating and then to edging and magging up the edge. Once it comes time to start finishing the concrete you pull out the chopper to ensure there’s no impurities in the final product.

What is the best thing about your job?

The best thing about my job is the boys I work with and after all the weeks or months we put into a job the best feeling is seeing the finished product.

The worst thing?

Having to work long days in the sun through the middle of summer.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve had to overcome?

The biggest challenge I’ve had to overcome is not having as much free time to hang with my mates as I had before I started working full time.

What’s your proudest achievement?

Being able to do the job on my own with ease, and also being able to show other people how to do it with confidence

What’s something about your job that would surprise other people?

How much work really goes into some jobs.

What’s a funny story from work?

We played a prank on one of the boys, we found a fake snake and tied it to one of the doors of the work ute for him to find. He didn’t notice the snake at all so the plan failed!

What do you do in your downtime?

I love to get out of town and head up to Bowen to go fishing and camping with family and friends.

What’s your view on the industry?

The mining industry is a crucial part of people’s lives in this area. Without it thousands of us would be unemployed which would affect so many families and businesses within the region.