The kids had a ball. After school they were free to roam about
the snail trails with no fear of traffic, and the bush defined the
edge of town beyond which they should not go. Clubs sprang up in
profusion, catering for all manner of sports, social gatherings and
cultural pursuits. There was a doctor, a nursing post, childcare and
a FIFO dentist. Entrepreneurial efforts gave us hairdressing and
beauty treatments, whilst the supermarket and café formed the
meeting hub by day. There was a ‘watering hole’ to slake a dusty
thirst and a venue to philosophise on the day’s dramas. Excursions
were available to the local billabong, the shearing sheds or the
(
de-stocked) sheep station buildings.
Was there a dark side? Probably. Yet I was never aware of non-
company issues and we certainly achieved our turnover goals, so
training and recruitment costs were well below our initial budget.
What killed it? Almost certainly, the introduction of fringe
benefits tax coupled with low metal prices meant that the ‘care
and maintenance’ option was attractive to the operating company,
whilst we waited for better times. A change of philosophy by the
joint venturers, BP Minerals Australia and Mount Isa Mines,
then allowed Western Mining Corporation to purchase the asset
and introduce a partial FIFO regime.
Photos courtesy of Mark Weeks
Quality
ISO 9001
NO.1 FOR PLANT, PEOPLE AND PERFORMANCE
NEED PROJECT SUPPORT? GIVE US A CALL
-
MINESTARTUPS
-
PROJECTSUPPORT
-
SHUTDOWNS
-
WORKSHOPSERVICES
-
FABRICATION, PAINT&BLAST
-
LINEBORING
-
COMPONENTREBUILD
-
PLANTHIRE
-
LABOURHIRE
-
AUTOELECTRICALANDA/C
-
EMERGENCYBREAKDOWN
-
FIELDSERVICE
SPECIALIST SERVICE
PROVIDERS OF
Mining Maintenance Solutions Australia Pty Ltd
45
Stebbing Road, Maddington,
Western Australia 6109
Phone:
08 9459 1466
Email:
admin@mmsa.cc
Web:
www.miningmaintenancesolutions.com.au
www.equipmentsolutionsaustralia.com.au
Leinster’s sporting complex