Published: 7 Nov 2016
By Barry Swan, former Miners Federation General Secretary
A moving memorial service to mark the 50th anniversary of the four Miners Federation members who lost their lives on the 9th of November 1965 in the Bulli Mine fire was held at St. Augustine’s Church Bulli on Monday November 9th 2015.
The families of the deceased miners Fred Hunt, Harry Smith, Jack Murray and Bob Stewart were joined at the commemoration service by over 200 people, including 50 students from four local schools, along with friends and former workmates in an extremely emotional event.
Barry Kent, the lone survivor of the group of five workmen trapped in the Bulli mine fire, attended. The tragedy occurred when an electrical fault outbye of the five miners ignited an undetected pocket of inflammable gas.
Barry Kent, who travelled from his home at Tugun in Queensland for the commemoration, had successfully run through the flames to safety, suffering severe burns to his face and hands in that process. Unfortunately, Fred Hunt, Harry Smith, Jack Murray and Bob Stewart were apparently unable to follow Barry Kent due to the intensity of the fire, which had accelerated rapidly.
From the evidence given to the Inquiry into the cause and effect of the 1965 Bulli Mine Fire, conducted by Judge A. J. Goran, it would appear the four trapped men may well have attempted to fight the fire from their position or sought to at least find a refuge from it, until a possible rescue of them could be made.
However, the extent of the fire in combination with the absence of an adequate means to fight it by other workers outbye of the fire, made any hope of rescue impossible.
Bob Stewart in his last minutes of life wrote a very moving farewell to his wife and children expressing his wish to “die like a man!”
The Goran Inquiry recommended significant improvements be made to the Coal Mines Regulations Act (CMRA) to ensure, among other things, more stringent requirements would apply to gas monitoring and detection and importantly, the reporting process of gas inspections undertaken by statutory qualified mine officials to determine whether or not any possible circumstances existed posing a threat to the safety of the workmen.
The 50th commemoration service reinforced the values that mining communities have embraced from years of experience that is contained in the Miners Federation philosophy: “The past we inherit; the future we build”. We use the proud struggles and achievements of previous generations as the foundation stones on which this and future generations should build even better and safer workplaces and communities.
At the completion of the commemoration service, the Arcadians Lamplighters Choir, under the direction of Mrs Doreen Bryars, gave a recital of songs appropriate for the occasion; following which floral tributes were placed at the Bulli Mine Disaster Monument adjacent to St Augustine’s Church.
The families, friends and former workmates of the Bulli Mine Fire Disaster victims were joined in this moving scene by icons of the Miners Federation including Life Member Fred Moore and former national leaders Barry Swan and Bob Graham, former Southern District officials Vic Parkinson and Kevin Wiseman, along with students from Bulli Public, St Josephs Woniora and Bulli High Schools. The State Labor MP for Keira, Ryan Park, also attended. The Master of Ceremonies for the day was Barry Swan.