In early July, North Goonyella management, the North Goonyella Mines Rescue Team and Queensland Mines Rescue Service excitedly gathered in anticipation of reaching the major milestone of re-entering the mine. The Rescue teams were perfectly practiced, prepared and kitted out in PPE to ensure they were appropriately protected, and the task began.
Over a period of two shifts, 330 cubic metres of Rocsil was removed ready for the team to enter. It was an excellent effort from everyone on the day. Let’s hear from those on the ground and what it meant to them, the teams, and Peabody.
John Anger- General Manager North Goonyela
“The first major milestone was breaking through the Rocsil plug in the 1:7 Drift – it was an important day tor the North Goonyella team and Peabody to start the journey back to recovering the mine.
I’m really proud of how everyone has worked together on this, and I just really wanted to thank the teams from the bottom of my heart. We’ve done a lot of amazing activities, some of them were really ground breaking, and we’ve done them in accordance to our plan, our risk management process, and we’ve done them safely, which was our ultimate goal.”
George Schuller – President Australia
“Thank you and well done to all involved in planning for this crucial phase, which included carrying out simulations and training exercises in preparation for re-entry.
Our comprehensive planning around the re-enter process, working closely with the Queensland Mine’s Inspectorate, and taking into consideration all safety measures, ensured our Mines Rescue Team entered the mine safely. This first zone of the mine represents approximately 25 percent of the area to be re-entered, and is the area expected to be least affected by the incident.
The Rescue teams are continuing to inspect the conditions underground and investigate the extent of the damage, making any necessary repairs required prior lo re-entering Zone B. Thank you to all employees for your, ongoing patience and understanding as we move one step closer to resuming normal operations. We are cautiously optimistic that we are on track to restoring North Goonyella as a significant asset in our Australian platform.”
Mike Carter – Vice President of Operational Support, Peabody
“It’s a very significant step for the workforce and providing a great moral boost for us as we go into the next phase of re-entering the mine and getting things back into normal operation where people can come to work and do their job as they have been for the last 10 years here.
I’m really proud of the team for what they’ve been able to achieve to get us to this significant milestone. We’ve got a lot of hard work moving forward to get back to normal operations but this a huge step in the right direction to be able to achieve that.”
Luhe Ludlow – Captain of one of North Goonyella’s Mine Rescue teams and North Goonyella Lodge President, CFMEU
“It’s very big for morale on site because we haven’t seen anything this significant happen for the last ten months. So to actually get to this point and to actually see some progress being made is very uplifting for people’s morale and a very exciting time for the mine.
“I would say from the workforce standpoint that it’s very exciting for Peabody. We know that North Goonyella is a great asset within Peabody, so to have that potential there to recover the mine, go forward and make us a very productive mine again is very exciting for everybody within the workforce, and I’m sure it’s felt throughout the Peabody community.”
Ray Smith – Training Manager Underground, Dysart Rescue Station, Queensland Mines Rescue Service Limited
“It was step by step with North Goonyella, from the first initial risk assessment, to developing the plans, and ensuring we’d dotted the I’s and crossed those T’s, making sure we’d covered every safety aspect for our teams when they went back underground.
This is a fantastic milestone and we’ve actually put to practice what we’ve been training our team members for. The extra work that Peabody has done with their team members the last three months leading up to this has been fantastic.
I’m very proud of what Queensland Mines Rescue Service has achieved in the last six months working with Peabody. I’m also proud of where the four teams are from North Goonyella and what their capabilities are now – they are some of the best in the country”
