Brett started out as an apprentice electrician with KCC, before joining Joy for a few years. He then moved to Tahmoor in 1989 as an electrician, working mostly on the longwall, as well as spending time in development and outburst mining.
The next step in 1995 was to head north to Queensland and the challenges of a new mine at Kenmare. He attained a deputies certificate while at Kenmare and swapped from engineering to production in development and then onto the longwall.
Yet another opportunity arose in 1997 for a new mine at Moranbah North. Here he started as a deputy in development then onto the longwall. He became a shift supervisor in 2002, then longwall coordinator in 2003.
Brett has now taken on a new project with BMA at Broadmeadow.
Out of work Brett likes to spend his time on the air as a volunteer announcer at the Moranbah community radio station. “Once the headphones go on and the volume goes up, nothing else exists…very relaxing.”
ILN:What is your earliest mining memory?
BM: A union meeting in the workshop at 7.00am on my very first day.
ILN: What made you choose mining as a career?
BM: This is a career? Never really thought of it like that but I guess after building and overhauling mining machinery as an apprentice and new tradesman, I figured it was about time I went and spent time with the gear underground.
ILN: What was your favourite job in a coal mine?
BM: CP (surface electrician) at Tahmoor. It was a seniority type position and if the regular guy was off, the resulting banter between the panel and outbye electricians to have the job for the shift made turning up alone worthwhile. It was made even better when selected and watch them all trip over their bottom lips getting into the dolly car.
ILN: What was your least favourite job?
BM: Having to walk out the tail gate road doing a pre-shift inspection for dayshift at the end of a 12 hour night shift. The block was over 3km long and the swillies were knee deep.
ILN: Who, or what, has most influenced your mining career?
BM: Its unfortunate but seeing death underground has a huge influence. There can be no compromises in the environment we work.
ILN: What do you consider your best mining achievement?
BM: At Moranbah North we had a history of roof problems at our longwall recovery point. In an effort to eliminate these we had to make some radical changes to the cut horizon leading up to the 0m mark. Much to the dislike of the wash plant we went a full metre into the floor for the last 25m. The results were a 60% recovery and no roof problems. I guess one pays for the other.
ILN: What do you see as being the greatest mining development during your career?
BM: The more reliable roof support control systems. The automation goes a lot further to keeping operators out of the dust.
ILN: Do you hold any mining records?
BM: The record belongs to the crew, I was just fortunate to be the deputy. 28,153t in 12 hours (21 shears) on the first longwall face at Moranbah North
ILN: Do you have any unfulfilled ambitions?
BM: Australian longwalls are constantly being compared to US longwalls. I keep asking to be sent over to see for myself what they do right …. I guess I’ll just keep asking.
ILN: What was your most embarrassing moment in a coal mine?
BM: A female mining graduate was put in our crew for some longwall mining experience. The outbye belts were off and the whole crew was standing in the MG, with all our PPE still on, waiting for them to restart. We were just talking about stuff when she made a remark to me in front of the whole crew “you have the most beautiful eyes…..” Well as you can imagine.
ILN: What was your scariest time in a coal mine?
BM: The first shift back on the longwall after Kim Sherrell’s death and the belts went down at exactly the same time as we turned them off to look for him that tragic night.
ILN: What is your worst memory of coal mining?
BM: Searching for Kim Sherrell the night of his tragic death.
ILN: Do you think that the day of the fully automated remotely operated face is near?
BM: It’s getting close, but it will be ineffective. Longwall faces need the human touch, coal seams have too many variables and need constant human intervention.
ILN: What major improvements would you like to see on longwall operations?
BM: We make machines bigger, better, faster - the problem is they create more and more dust. Dust control is probably the single biggest issue everyone faces.
