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Last Monday Alison Benton from Dubbo TAFE and Richard Ingham delivered motors and equipment to Jim McMahon and Drago Panich as teaching aids in the Mining Studies course now running at the Lightning Ridge campus.
The areas being currently covered in the Mining Studies Course are “Machinery Appreciation and Maintenance”, “Geology as a Tool in Mining” and aspects of underground mining that will help planning, safety generally as well as roof control. The course was an initiative of Maxine O’Brien from LRMA and Peter Waterford from Walgett Shire Council late last year. Several interested parties were invited to a meeting to discuss needs of the younger people and school leavers at Lightning Ridge who might need recognition for time spent at Lightning Ridge mining opal and the wish to move on to pursue other careers.
At the time of the early discussions several areas of the opal industry were identified as having needs. A highly successful opal cutting course was cited as an example of what could be achieved. It was hoped, as the courses were developed that they would cover all areas of the opal industry from prospecting to retailing.
It perhaps should be stressed that at no time were the courses intended more than further education, we perhaps all have more to learn, however the courses were intended to give our youth some knowledge that is transferable to other areas of mining but more importantly recognised elsewhere. There is certainly a perception of opal miners, by the broader community that we still work with a pick and candle and many visitors and other mining people are surprised by the degree of mechanisation, particularly underground and the degree of innovation that the opal mining industry has achieved.
The two initial areas selected of machinery and geology/underground mining are being taught by two people associated with the industry for some 30 years. Jim McMahon, a qualified diesel mechanic, has resided, mined and had a business in Lightning Ridge since 1969 as well as serving as a director and president of the LRMA.
Drago Panich originally came to Lightning Ridge in 1973, left 1976 and kept returning. Drago is a qualified Mining Engineer who taught Mining Engineering at the University of NSW for some 12 years before coming to reside in Lightning Ridge five years ago.
The individual subject run for some seven to 10 weeks two nights a week and is held in the TAFE building and the adjacent Lightning Ridge school workshop and classrooms. In some cases such as geology, field trips are held over the weekend and take a look at the local geology both on the surface and underground. With the machinery course this may also be the case when specific opal mining and processing equipment is being looked at and visits to manufacturers play a part.
These courses are credits towards TAFE certificates and the normal conditions as to costs apply ($125 per semester). Students can attend as many subjects as time and time tables allow. The geology and mining areas are held Tuesday and Thursday and machinery Monday and Wednesday. Both start at 6pm.
It is hoped that many people in the community take this opportunity to attend and support this initiative as numbers are critical to the ongoing support of TAFE.
Education opportunities are not always there and we can always learn something. Education and knowledge once gained is something we will always have and take with us wherever we go.
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