Started last Easter as contractor on surface. Now underground with the mine, been there for almost 6 months.

So in total ~13months.

Hoping to buy a house late this year or in first half of next year so ill be working in mines till ive paid that off or most of it.

Im about to turn 25.

Shadforths have some good fellas.. Worked with them a few times on civil projects..

I know guys with a few weeks to guys with 35+ years. Im on 8yrs now, started at 22. Will be in mining for the rest of my career.

A lot came in with the 2 last booms, 2006 and 2010.

Edited May 20, 201214 yr by RynoF6

im 29 now been operating machines for 12 years now and had 2 back operations from operating machines.. moved into working in quarrys then in the mines since 2005 when I started for barrick gold at lake cowal gold mine in nsw. sometimes I get over all the bullsh*t and politics that goes on at work but its the same everywhere ya go.. pays the bills just got to let the sh*t go over your head and not let it get to ya is the key.. just play the game lol..

Edited May 20, 201214 yr by CHLAXN

Quite a bit of experience in this thread then!

Im up in the pilbara working on a bhp site & it all has its ups & downs. The 12hr days & 4wks on 1wk off roster is really hard on ya body & mind but on the plus side the work is stuff of childhood lego dreams lol. Im very lucky im staying in an unreal place with anything & everything you can dream of but its not always like this, ive stayed in some basic accomadation, they always have everything you need but some are better than others,

Doin the hours we do & stints the money is good but because of these stints I miss out on pretty much everything at home not to mention missing the wife & everything that goes with it. I cant see myself going back to a normal exsistance any time soon but there is that price to pay. On the plus side the week at home is sensational & not having to worry about money makes it sought of worthwhile. Its a hard life & not for everyone but its what we do

Yep, done the 4-1 roster and it licks balls. As QIK1 said though, if you want a start in construction and good coin then go for it.

^^^^^ He actually gave me the number for the nice young lady in HR at head office for Mono's when I was looking at getting into the mines.

Mt Isa Lead/Zinc with the copper winder mid shot

Me beside the bearing housings for the winder

my old mans been at anglo since he was 17, now hes getting close to 50...hes one of those guys that has been there so long no one really knows what his job role is and no one really cares or questions what he does haha. He digs the coal and sends it over the road to me at Callide power station and we send power to all you mo fo's. Im Still undecided whats better process plants or mining, both have their advantages.

1 of our 4 steam driven turbines this one is a 350MW unit

Alright, cheers. Thanks for the list of smaller joints to apply within!

Out of curiosity, how long has everyone that's in the mines, been working in them for?? And how long do you see yourself working at the mines for?

I started in Ipswich with Thor Earthmovers (now Newhope) when I was 16 then moved to Blackwater when I turned 20.. personal dramas made me leave the industry

I worked on the Goldie doing sh*t jobs from 1995 - 2011 sometimes 3 at a time just to pay my mortgage.

I applied for all my tickets and inductions again last year, and finally I am on a BMA site but still in the Construction phase ,3 weeks at a time away from my missus upsets her greatly but we have saved over $30000 in just 6 months and I have a plan for finishing off my car this year..

Now all I have to do is quit drinking and I will be set for at least another 5 years hopefully ?

I will do my best to give you as much info as I can so you guys interested can have a crack , I was very vocal about this experience on another forum I am no longer a part of.. I will try to stay constructive but of course FIFO has it's High's and Low's...

It will be interesting to see what happens between BMA and the cfmeu , I may need to stick to Greenfield sites to avoid future strike action ?

Here is the local rag that comes out every wed it will give a few some idea about what goes on HTH

http://www.shiftminer.com/

Alright, cheers. Thanks for the list of smaller joints to apply within!

Out of curiosity, how long has everyone that's in the mines, been working in them for?? And how long do you see yourself working at the mines for?

Been working at ERA's Ranger Uranium Mine since 2005 and I think I'll be here until the doors close