Each year one of the main events on the Festival of the Miner’s Ghost program is ‘A Night to Remember Our Lost Miners’.
The event is organised by local Barry Knight and this year’s was held on Sunday night at the Services Club (after rain forced the change from the outdoor venue at the Heritage Park).
Barry said the service was an important one for Cobar residents to honour those who have lost their lives working in the mines of the Cobar Shire.
Catholic priest Fr Paul Finucane opened the event with a prayer and Cobar school students sang the national anthem.
Barry welcomed two guest speakers, Greg Braes, who worked for 32 years as an underground miner at Broken Hill, and Sandra Collins (nee Bailey) who was the first woman to work underground in NSW.
Mr Braes said having a strong family history connection to Cobar and mining in Cobar, it was an honour to be asked to speak at the service.
“Today is a very significant yet sombre day, as we pay our respect to those who have lost their lives,” Mr Braes said.
“The memorial commemorates those who have died in the Cobar mines, but also those who died from mining related diseases, such as my grandfather, who was a miner, and died of silicosis.”
Mr Braes, who has been the vice president of the Mining and Energy Union South-Western District since 2008, said it was important for governments, mining companies and unions to work together to keep all our mine sites safe.
“As we remember those we have lost, we renew our commitment to be ever vigilant and to keep fighting for continuous improvements in safety,” he said.
Mrs Collins spoke about her experiences working at CSA Mine in 1985 as a 26 year old trainee miner and her long fight to be allowed to work underground.
She succeeded and became the first woman to work underground in a mine in NSW.
Mrs Collins outlined the work she undertook and recalled the names of many of the former CSA miners who mentored her (and at times stood up for her) and her career progression in mining which has led to winning a number of mining awards.
As part of the night, Cobar High School students and teachers performed their own composition, ‘They Were Miners’ and local musician Shane Josephson sang ‘Hard Rock Miner’ which he wrote for the first service in 2017.
Cobar High student Tiana Jones also recited a Miners Poem and the local Mines Rescue and emergency services personnel formed a Guard of Honour for wreaths to be laid in memory of lost miners.
