Miners' Reunion

The enormously popular annual Early Miners' Reunion was held for the 23rd time with attendees from near and far enjoying the opportunity to relive the past, catch up with colleagues and old friends and share stories of another era.

This reunion is the highlight of the year for many of the early miners. Some are now aged in their eighties and nineties. Many were supported by family members. There were ex miners, Victoria Battery workers and a 93 year old who had attended the Waihi School of Mines. The guest list also included some of Newmont Waihi Gold's Oral History interviewees; many have families associated with early Waihi mining. Reunion organiser Doreen McLeod describes the ex-miners as 'unchallenged star raconteurs'. Doreen is grateful that current mine staff took time out from their busy schedules to assist on the day.

"They do, in fact, feel privileged to spend time with these folk. It is interesting to see our present staff comparing notes with the old boys. They admire the grit and tenacity they applied to their day to day tasks."

Glorious weather welcomed the old timers as they gathered at the Waihi Memorial RSA for a cuppa before boarding buses for Waikino Railway Station. There they posed for photographs before joining the Goldfields train for a nostalgic trip to Waihi. Buses then took them to the mine site where they were joined by Don Baker, who explained what was happening at present and the plans for the east layback.

Miners' Reunion

PHOTO: Say, pardon me, boy. Is that the Chattanooga choo choo?
(L to R) Wynne Durie. Dick Spurr, Ian Grant and Bronwyn Spurr on the Goldfields train. Ian is Ted and Tui Grant's son, visiting at the time from Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA.

Back at the RSA, Ingots Restaurant served a delicious hot lunch which received many favourable comments. The souvenir table mats were a great talking point too - they featured historic photographs of Waihi and Waihi Beach. All were taken home to ponder over and reminisce.

 

ANZAC Day -
WW1 Tunnellers

A Maori Television film crew visited the mine earlier this year to prepare footage for a programme about the World War One New Zealand Tunnelling Company.

With the assistance of Mine Rescue Team members Peter Lowe and Jake Croall and contractors Ian Keyes, Noel Walker and Kit Wilson, the Maori TV crew filmed underground in the Union Hill area as well as at surface areas near the Cornish Pumphouse and around site. The visit was coordinated by Tunnelling Company researcher Sue Baker Wilson of Waihi Heritage Vision.


In September 1915 miners were recruited from throughout NZ in response to an urgent request from Britain for tunnellers to go to the western front to combat the threat of Germans mining under the lines between the Belgian coast and the Swiss border.

Around 50 men from Waihi and Karangahake enlisted. Apart from Auckland, Waihi had the largest number of enlistments.

Earlier this year Hauraki District Council Mayor John Tregidga visited Arras, France and laid a wreath at the memorial to New Zealand tunnellers. He was given a VIP tour of underground areas not open to the public. The mayor also laid poppies on the graves of Hauraki enlistments who lost their lives in France.


The programme will screen on Maori Television on ANZAC Day, Sunday 25 April. We are unable to confirm the time but we expect the four to five minute piece will be shown at 5.00pm.

In a recent development in Arras, pictures of Waihi men and their stories feature in the sculpture exhibition 'Falls the Shadow' by New Zealander Helen Pollock. The exhibition opened last week and was attended by the New Zealand Ambassador to France as well as representatives from the French, German and Australian Embassies.

 

Another View

anotherview.co.nz

Mining / schedule 4 / conservation land - you will have heard a lot about this through the media lately and no doubt it is a hot topic in lots of family and social circles. It has certainly kept us busy over the last few weeks.

Newmont has welcomed the debate this has generated. This is an opportunity to showcase modern mining to a greater number of people than is usually the case. We have received lots of requests for information from people wanting to understand and weigh up all points of view.

However - that is the rational side. On the other hand, we are aware that Waihi as a town and as a community has received unfair criticism and negative coverage in the media. External affairs manager Kelvyn Eglinton apologises for this.

"We suggest to those opposing mining that they target the industry or the mining company, not the town. Waihi is a great community and doesn't deserve the bad press."

Mr Eglinton is also motivated to speak out in defence of the way Newmont operates in Waihi. "Just as it is important for New Zealanders to scrutinise what we do and how we do it, Newmont Waihi Gold believes that it is important to question the most radical claims made in the media by those who oppose the mining industry."

"Thirty years ago the anti-mining lobby was partly responsible for demanding that mining companies be transparent and engage with communities. They also helped bring about new mining legislation, bonding requirements and the RMA."

"At Newmont we are rather surprised that the same groups now wish not to engage with us, and they continue to down-play the positive impact of the environmental protection that they fought so hard to achieve."

Newmont hopes that members of the public will consider the discussion document and also send a submission to the government by 5.00pm on May 4th. A new web site has been developed with information about how to go about this. Please check out www.anotherview.co.nz .