At 11:00pm on July 24, 1979 methane gas exploded underground at the Appin coal mine on the south-west fringe of Sydney, killing 14 men and leaving 38 children without fathers.
Key points:
- 14 miners died when sparks ignited gas, triggering an explosion in the Appin underground coal mine
- The mining company was found guilty of negligence during a subsequent inquest
- One widow, whose husband was killed in the accident, says her life is "destroyed" as a result of the tragedy
Sparks from a fan control box had ignited the gas and fire ripped though the mine's ventilation system.
Some employees working outside the mine felt the blast 1 kilometre away.
This week, on the 40th anniversary of the tragedy, the community will remember those deaths — decades after the event which still ripples through the Wollondilly and Illawarra communities.
A local history of mining accidents
Memories of mining deaths run deep in the Illawarra region — of particular significance was the Mount Kembla mine explosion of 1902, which killed 96 men and boys.
A subsequent royal commission found no one at the Mount Kembla Company responsible for the disaster, and 77 years later, once again, no one was held personally responsible for these fatalities.
Glenn Mitchell is a retired history professor from the University of Wollongong and in 1979 he was a PhD student.
"The company had not taken proper procedures to ensure the safety of those they were employing," Professor Mitchell said.
"In his inquiry, Judge Alfred Goran also found that some company officials had lied to him."
Judge Goran's findings read:
This inquiry is not a witch hunt, and any allocation of blame is a secondary consideration.
This Report is an account of how men came to die while at work.
Professor Mitchell's supervisor in 1979 was John Piggin, who studies responses to disasters.
"The Appin disaster made an incredible impact on the Illawarra community," Professor Piggin said.
"Everybody identified with it."
Canaries still in use in 1979
Archival footage from the Appin mine disaster show how rudimentary the safety technology was, with some rescue workers carrying canaries in cages into the mine.
Fortunately, in 2019 it is a different story.
"In an underground coal mine these days, the requirements are quite stringent," said Jason Economidis, operations manager of Illawarra Metallurgical Coal and the current owner of the Appin Mine.
"To work in that environment now everyone needs to understand gas and everyone needs to understand strata."
Modern coal mines have state-of-the-art gas detection systems installed and at Appin mine ventilation also comes from the world's biggest exhaust fan.
Families still grieve 40 years on
Though the technology has evolved since the Appin mine disaster, some members of the community have not been so lucky.
Julianne Rawcliffe's husband Robert died in the explosion and said her life was shattered by the event.
"My life was destroyed — it still is destroyed," Mrs Rawcliffe said.
"It would have been a far better life if my beloved husband was by the side of me.
"My children were at a difficult age and it was a time they needed their father."
Perhaps some consolation for the community will come from a new memorial planned to commemorate the 14 lives, which will be unveiled at the Appin sportsground in July next year.
"On the 24th of July, we'll be unveiling our proposed model," Mr Economidis said.
"It's to make sure we respect those people who lost their lives."
For Julianne Rawcliffe, however, what endures is the absence of her husband.
"People will tell you time heals — it doesn't," she said.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-07-23/appin-mine-disaster-anniversary/11335540
2019-07-23 07:03:40Z
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