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Pie theft! Culprits uncovered » special investigation page 4

Mine tragedy » Page 5

PERSONAL INJURY EXPERTS All accidents and personal injury claims: • Motor Vehicle Accidents • Workers Injury Claims • Public Liability Claims • Mining Accident Claims • Total and Permanent Disability Insurance Claims • Boating and Holiday Accident Claims Darren Sekac is available for consultations at the Whitsunday and Proserpine offices on Thursday, by appointment only.

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Monday, April 21, 2014 181sth Edition

M A G A Z I N E

Shift Miner Magazine

CONTENTS NEWS

4 5

Who ate the pies?

Central Highlands businesses folding

Gladstone grabs LNG pie with both hands

LNG trains but no training

Forecast for mining and resources is flat

Two miners die in wall collapse

10 Bowen food

8 15

bowl saved

11 Alpha megamine

gets go-ahead

12 Redundant from the start?

Queensland mining community's best source of local news

SHIFT MINER Locally Owned and Operated

M A G A Z I N E

Regulars

8 Stuff to the Editor 1 19 Frank the Tank 20 Miner’s Trader 21 Off Shift 25 Sport

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Who’s been eating all the pies?

ACHEIVEMENT: Catrina Gollen put on weight at camp, but managed to lose a whopping 41kg in six months.

WHEN it comes to the fat stakes, the finger has often been pointed at miners, where three out of four are packing a substantial girth. Guts were then relaxed late last year, when a health survey found the general population had caught up and revealed that it was not just miners eating all the pies. Shift Miner went undercover on the issue and discovered an elaborate pie theft scheme that could be responsible for the weight shift. Finn*, who declined to be named for fear of retribution, revealed that he has been accumulating pies during his 10-day shift, and then shipping them home. “Well I learned from another colleague of mine,” he said. Every morning, the chef puts out breakfast and food that can be prepared for lunch. “They would always have pies. This colleague of mine told me he takes two pies - or three - every morning when he packs up his lunch. “Then he throws them in his freezer before he goes to work. By the end of 10 days, with a couple of pies taken every day, he’d end up with 20 to 30 pies. “On the last day of camp, he would pack them in a freezer bag, take them home and then tell his wife and kids - “it’s my shout. Don’t worry about cooking. Dinner’s on me!” “It was only this particular guy, so I decided to try it. It’s hard to drive home and then have to cook, so you just throw them in the microwave and dinner is served.”

Albert*, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, works several hundred kilometres away from Finn and revealed a similar practise. “I live locally, but one of my colleagues lives in a camp and he brings heaps of pies down for us for our lunch. “Saves us having to pack our own.” Could this pie trafficking be part of the reason why obesity is such a problem in Queensland? Has the pie-sharing gone too far - along with our expanding waistlines? Last year’s health survey revealed that in North Queensland three in every four adults are either overweight or obese in a region stretching from Mackay to Townsville, west to Richmond and south to Clermont. That makes it the second fattest region in Australia. Central Queensland’s collective waistband is stretching too. Almost 70 per cent of its population is obese or overweight - 38 per cent and 30 per cent respectively. The meat pie may look deliciously innocent, but Choice magazine carried out testing on 20 pies and found few of them were packed with meat, and most were packed with saturated fat. Pies aside, keeping off the kilograms can be very difficult in a camp environment, as Catrina Gollan found. “I work in Middlemount and live in a camp and I was one of those who gained weight,” she told Shift Miner.

The cleaner at German Creek sees how much food people pile on their plates and then throw out. “People just see free food and go crazy on it. The amounts of food we see at work wasted is shocking.” Catrina turned her life around by eating less and using an appetite suppressant and has dropped 41kg. “I lost that weight in six months and went from a ladies 26 jeans to a size 16. “I think a lot of the trouble is that when people knock off work, they eat big and drink.” This is also what Finn has seen. At his first camp, there was a decent gym set-up, but right next to it was a bar and “more people ended up going to the pub than the gym”. “I know there was a guy who put on 5kg in the first two weeks. He couldn’t believe how much food there was so he just ate. “There are no barriers or boundaries, so it has to come down to being very disciplined and how mentally prepared you are to say no to the food,” Finn said. Those who start at camp as fit people usually are able to keep up their discipline, he said. “Then there are the others who have everything cooked for them and they then go to the pub instead of the gym.” Not all camps are created equal however, and many have been putting in the effort to provide healthy alternatives. Keaton Neville who stays in a camp, agrees. “It’s easy to overindulge, especially on fish and chip night, but it depends which company though. Some of the smaller independent ones are a lot better but there are others that are much worse as well.” Finn moved to a new camp recently and said he cannot believe the difference. “The food here is amazing and it feels as though you’re sitting at a restaurant.” Whereas the previous camp offered food that was either deep fried or roasted in oil, the new camp provides ample steamed vegetables. “The biggest thing is they always cook fish.” There is no bar - and sadly for Finn and his family (but happily for their waistlines) - there are no pies.

Battling the bulge and the bain-marie

Top tips for stopping the kilos from piling on: • Banish the bread. • Slow down and savour: remember to eat slowly to allow your brain the time it needs to register you are full. Put your fork down between mouthfuls and savour your meal. • Start with soup or salad: the more you eat of the healthy stuff, the less you will eat of the calorie and fat-laden choices. For soups, go for vegetable or bean-based, the chunkier the better. Avoid any that are cream-based. For salads, the golden rule is to use minimal dressing. • Fill up on extra veggies: again, a low-calorie food choice. • Go for lean protein: stick with low-fat cuts of meat or chicken. If necessary, you can remove the skin. Fish and shellfish are excellent choices but shouldn’t be crumbed or battered. • Sauce on the side: gravies, sauces, and dressings are big traps when you are watching your weight. Go easy on them or avoid them altogether. • Finish with fruit. For dessert, fresh fruit (without the ice-cream) is your best choice. Most other desserts are a dietary disaster. Avoid dessert or if you must indulge, a couple of spoonfuls with your coffee should get you off the hook with minimal dietary damage! Source: Mining Family Matters

21st April 2014

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Two miners die in wall collapse

Keeping the kilos at bay while you are working away can be challenging if you don’t consider the calorie content of what you’re tucking into. But the ‘bain-marie life’ needn’t keep you looking and feeling stodgy and overweight.

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TWO coal miners are dead and an industry is in shock after a mine collapse in the Hunter Valley on Tuesday night (April 15). Police say the men, aged 35 and 49, were trapped about 500 metres underground when a wall collapsed around 9pm at Yancoal’s Austar mine. Police, fire and ambulance officers rushed to the scene and a rescue helicopter was on standby but attempts to reach the men failed, and they were pronounced dead shortly after midnight. Another six men had been working alongside them, but it’s not known what injuries - if any - they suffered during the collapse. Police say the two men who died were locals who lived in the nearby towns of Metford and Cessnock.

A crime scene has now been established and all production at the mine has stopped while investigations continue. Yancoal Australia chief executive Reinhold Schmidt released a written statement the following morning. “Our thoughts are with the families, colleagues and friends of the two employees in this tragic accident,” he said. “The safety and wellbeing of all Austar coal mine employees and contractors is of primary concern and we are currently providing on-the-ground support to the families of the two employees and our other employees and contractors.” The underground mine produces coking coal, and was the first mine in Australia to use a mining technique known as longwall top coal caving. There are only two other mines that use the same technology - Peabody’s North Goonyella mine and BMA’s Broadmeadow mine - both in the Bowen Basin. The majority Chinese owned company Yancoal runs seven coal mines across NSW and Queensland, including Middlemount (in a joint venture with Peabody), Yarrabee and Cameby Downs in the Bowen Basin.

Linc to fight ‘misguided’ charges LINC Energy has swung a punch at the state government, describing the decision to charge the company for serious environmental harm as misguided and disappointing. Last Friday afternoon, the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection simultaneously notified the company and the media of the charge. The Minister for Environment, Andrew Powell, said it followed a ninemonth investigation into the company’s underground coal gasification (UCG) pilot plant near Chinchilla. “While the harm allegedly caused to the environment is considered serious, the information available to the department suggests there is no immediate risk to neighbouring landholder water bores,” said Mr Powell. However, despite Shift Miner’s request for more information, the department will not clarify what actual breach - or breaches - the charge relates to at the site. In November last year, the company announced its plans to shut down the pilot project and move operations overseas. At the time, Linc Energy chief executive Peter Bond accused government regulators of a deliberate campaign of harassment that eventually destroyed the R&D industry. “We absolutely became the sacrificial lamb for the CSG industry,” Mr Bond told Shift Miner. “The CSG industry had an agenda, they needed a lot of acreage to make it work and

they saw UCG as a competitor for that acreage.” In fact, Mr Bond said there were people in key roles within the department who had a deliberate policy to harass. “For our one square kilometre of space in Chinchilla we would receive and have to respond to documentation from the government every eight hours,” he said. “That went on for years, we had a full-time staff of four or five people just to do that.” A spokesperson for Linc said the decision to charge the company was misguided. “The company is disappointed the department has never attempted to fully understand the UCG process,” he said “In addition, Linc Energy is disappointed the department has not afforded it the opportunity to respond to the allegations throughout the ‘detailed’ investigation,” he said in a written statement. The company said it had complied with groundwater monitoring regulations at all times and had reported to the department as required. It said the charges related to older style UCG technology that Linc had been researching several years ago and was no longer pursuing. “Linc Energy’s developed, and commercial ready, UCG technology is not included in these allegations,” he said. Back in 2011, another UCG developer Cougar Energy became embroiled in an environmental breach that eventually saw its plant shut down by the regulator.

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21st April 2014

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Central Highlands businesses folding Could a Santos deal could mean more jobs? FIRST it was a two-speed economy that saw any business not part of the resources industry wither and die. Now, with the boom over, more than 80 businesses in the Central Highlands town of Emerald have closed their doors in the past 12 months and Central Highlands Mayor Peter Maguire is not happy. “Local businesses that were encouraged to grow to meet the needs of the resource sector when it was in full swing are now really hurting,” he said. “We know that there are downturns but this one is longer and deeper than anyone was expecting, or has experienced before.” Cr Maguire said the region needed more activity and the state government needed to give a kick along to mining projects that were in the pipeline. “Local businesses have to be supported by the resources sector. So when these new projects do come online, the resource companies should be encouraged to spend locally so that we can see real benefits here in our communities, as well as the state.” Businesses and communities should benefit through providing goods and services, or being employed directly, he said. “The Queensland Resources Council is developing a voluntary Code of Practice for local content, and that is great, but I would want all of the new projects to be looking at how they can use local businesses and suppliers in their supply chain.”

21st April 2014

This was what passed locals by during the heady years of the boom. Two years ago businesses were having a hard time trying to attract and retain people because few could compete with mining wages and house rentals skyrocketed. Woolworths and Big W struggled to get enough workers and small businesses were struggling to survive. Cr Maguire said the state government should get behind initiatives that support local businesses supplying the resource sector if they were serious about supporting regional communities and getting Queensland out of debt. Instead, the Queensland Treasurer met with council recently to discuss what assets could be sold and Cr Maguire said he would want to know the long-term implications. “I do have a question, though, around what you do when you have nothing left to sell. But we do understand that the state government needs to take some action to help get our economy moving in the right direction again. “And our rural industries have a role to play as well. It is great that the state is looking at developing the north as a food bowl, but we have established agriculture and horticulture industries here already, so why not build on that as well.’

IT IS still unclear whether a gamechanging announcement by Westside Corporation that it had a firm buyer for its Bowen Basin gas will mean more jobs and development. In a statement to the stock exchange, Westside announced that it had entered into a binding agreement with Santos’ Gladstone LNG (GLNG) project to supply gas for 20 years. The agreement, which kicks in next year, means gas will be piped out of the Meridian fields near Moura, processed by GLNG in Gladstone and then exported . The exact price for the gas was not made public, but after 2016 the price will be linked to oil prices. Downstream vice president for GLNG Rod Duke, said their Gladstone plant was 80 per cent complete and remains on schedule and budget for first LNG in 2015. “GLNG is progressing well and we are on track to deliver our first LNG cargo next year,” Mr Duke said. “Upstream field performance from Fairview and Roma continues to perform either in-line or above expectations. “ All of the gas transmission pipeline is now buried and work has commenced on pushing the pipeline through the marine crossing tunnel.

“The agreement with the Meridian joint venture [51 per cent Westside and 49 per cent Mitsui] builds on GLNG’S existing gas supply, which includes their own gas fields, underground storage, and other third parties.” Westside Corporation first purchased the Meridian coal seam gas tenements near Moura in 2012 for nearly $27 million. Westside purchased the 51 per cent stake from Mitsui E&P Australia, and then the two companies entered the joint venture which will now supply Santos. At the time Westside chairman and CEO Angus Karoll was extremely pleased about the purchase. “This acquisition is the most significant event since Westside listed in 2007, transforming us from an explorer into a gas producer and operator in joint venture with Mitsui, a global leader in LNG,” he said. “Westside is extremely positive about our prospects now that we have completed what we believe is a very well-priced purchase of an asset that has enormous potential. “The ultimate goal for the joint venture is to export LNG and to supply new domestic contracts from 2015 when the current supply contracts that are in place will finish.”

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Challenging times ahead for gas industry THE Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association’s threeday conference in Perth a fortnight ago painted a cautious picture for the nation’s future. Wood Mackenzie vice president exploration Andrew Latham said cost would be relevant for Australia because of the current ‘challenging’ climate. “The number one challenge in the exploration industry in Australia and around the world - is cost,” he told the conference. There was some positive news regarding conventional exploration and unconventional resources, he said. “Appraisal of promising offshore gas discoveries could push some projects towards development and fits with the new emphasis on accelerating returns. “Progress with onshore unconventionals in the Cooper Basin is another area to watch,” Mr Latham said. The issue of costs was also highlighted by federal Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane who yesterday warned that large numbers of Australian workers could lose their jobs if union demands continued to go unchecked.

Mr Macfarlane said it was not a matter of advocating for lower wages, but ensuring that higher wages corresponded with higher productivity. “If Australian projects price themselves out of that market, then it is not only workers but also the national economy that stands to lose out.” It was the best interests for unions and workers to engage constructively with companies, he said. The conference was a platform for political announcements, with Queensland’s Minister for Environment Andrew Powell announcing red tape had been slashed for the sector by streamlining model conditions. “Consistent with the Auditor general’s recommendations, we are looking for ways to get officers out from behind their desks and proactively monitor for compliance,” he said. “We are streamlining assessment processes for low-risk activities so that officers spend less time assessing and more time determining the environmental outcomes and ensuring they are met. Mr Powell said only those activities where the risks were

understood and managed would be subject to the streamlining process. “Activities such as the injection of water and water discharges will continue to require site-specific assessment and conditioning,” he said. The state government has also announced the release of 16,400 square kilometres of land in the state’s north-west and southwest through a non-competitive tender process. APPEA said this could have significant long-term economic benefits and boost the state’s reputation as an investment destination. “Growth need not be achieved at the expense of the environment,” the associations’ chief operating officer eastern Australia, Paul Fennelly said. “Queensland’s existing legislative and strict regulatory framework provides certainty for all stakeholders – the gas sector, landholders, communities and government – highlighting what can be achieved when all stakeholders work together towards the shared goal of growing Queensland’s economy. “A strong resource exploration sector is the backbone of the petroleum industry.”

Gladstone grabs LNG pie with both hands GLADSTONE firms are doing the leg work now to ensure they are part of the long-term business landscape created by the LNG industry. Four tier 1 companies Monadelphous Hatch, Transfield Worley Services, Clough Amec and UGL - are currently preparing tender documents for Santos GLNG’s plant services contract. At a business forum held by the Gladstone Engineering Alliance last week, more than local 150 businesses attended as well as the four major contractors. “It was a great opportunity for the local supply chain to have the opportunity to talk directly to the four contractors and put their capabilities and business case forward,” GEA general manager Carli Hobbs told Shift Miner. All four contractors are members of GEA and have worked for many years on projects in the Gladstone region. “These are all companies that have a presence in Gladstone and understand the

region,” said Ms Hobbs. “There are already some long term alliances with these companies and local contractors as well.” Ms Hobbs said local business could not afford to sit around and hope opportunity would come knocking. “It is obviously going to be most cost effective and serviceable to use local companies, but in saying that, local companies also need to be cost competitive and be able to deliver to the high level of capabilities required,” she said. “Just because they are based in Gladstone does not mean they will automatically win work.” The LNG plants are expected to run for between 20 to 40 years, and the business opportunities are many and varied. “I would strongly advise local businesses to make contact with all the tier 1 contractors,” said Ms Hobbs. “They need to make sure they are registered with all four to make sure they have the best opportunity.”

21st April 2014

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Tank passes first test with flying colours

FULLY SEALED: The first LNG tank on Curtis Island stands up to rigorous testing.

THE first of six LNG storage tanks being build for the Curtis Island LNG projects has passed it’s first true test after it held tight as 94 million litres of water were pumped inside. Construction giant Bechtel is building the three LNG facilities on the island, and carried out the integrity testing. The tanks are the first the company has built anywhere in the world. “Because of the critical role these tanks play in the process of producing LNG, everyone is watching how we are performing this work,” said Bechtel

Gladstone general manager Kevin Berg. “It’s extremely pleasing to see our tanks team continue to deliver world-class work on these world-class projects.” The hydro test involved filling the tank with seawater to about the halfway mark 19 metres – eventually holding 94 million litres of water. The water was allowed to sit for 24 hours to ensure the integrity of the tank foundations. Then members of the tanks team worked around the clock to scrub the walls with 80,000 litres of fresh water as the tank was slowly drained. Due to the type of work being conducted, the access restrictions, and the high humidity inside the tank, workers were allowed to swap their long pants, long sleeves and steel caps, for shorts, shirts and reef shoes. Once operational, the three projects combined will be able to store 880,000m3 of LNG in the six tanks at any one time, ready for shipment around the world. The three plants will produce more than 24 million tonnes of LNG from coal seam gas delivered to the plants from south-western Queensland, some 540km to the south of Curtis Island.

LNG trains but no training OPPORTUNITIES for locals to break into Gladstone’s LNG industry may not happen unless TAFE raises $6 million. Last July, a $21 million energy training centre at the Central Queensland Institute of TAFE Gladstone campus was launched but the funding was pulled when the federal Labor government lost power. “It was a big disappointment to the region,” Gladstone mayor Gail Sellers told Shift Miner. But a new solution has been put forward - using existing infrastructure, but a $6 million cash injection is still needed to make it fly. “With the merger of TAFE with CQUniversity, we are now looking at using a building at the university, and with an injection of funds we could look at turning that into an LNG training centre,” Cr Sellers said. Federal MP for Flynn Ken O’Dowd and Ms Sellers have been investigating ways to get the centre off the ground and Mr O’Dowd is currently talking to federal government. “If we have this centre here, it will

have a huge impact,” Ms Sellers said. Not only would it provide training for locals aiming to work in Gladstone’s LNG industry, it could train those in the Northern Territory and Western Australian industries. Meanwhile, a training partnership between CQ TAFE and ConocoPhillips, which operates the Australia Pacific LNG facility on Curtis Island, has been operating since September. Warwick King, president of ConocoPhillips Australia East, said at the time this was an important milestone for the Australia Pacific LNG project, and the LNG industry in Queensland. One of the major challenges for the developing LNG industry is that the nearest alternative training programs are either in Perth or overseas, he said. “Rather than travel abroad, our employees can now receive LNG training right here in Gladstone. “This training program helps to support local employment and skills development, and will provide an important new career path for local people wishing to pursue a career in LNG,” Mr King said.

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Forecast for mining and resources is flat AFTER a period of exceptionally strong growth, the outlook for the Australian mining and resources job market is flattening with the sector forecast to only increase by 13.8 per cent over the next three years after a 43 per cent growth over the past three years, according to the 2014 Adecco Employment and Talent Report launched earlier this month. Permanent jobs will increase by 14.1 per cent and temporary or casual jobs by 12.3 per cent to 2016. While traditionally permanent jobs have grown at twice the rate of the casual market in this sector, the change in pace has been set by the mining sector who are creating a more flexible workforce limiting their long-term risk as a permanent employer. Overall wages in this sector have improved by 7.1 per cent in 2013 with permanent roles attracting on average a 7.3 per cent increase and temporary or casual roles attracting 5.9 per cent change. Although the sector currently has 4900 job vacancies, this number is declining in particular as mining companies reduce staff numbers. The 2014 Adecco Employment and Talent Report details current salary ranges across all job titles in the mining and resources sector. Speaking at the launch of the report

Adecco Australia & New Zealand’s chief operating officer Mike Davies explained: “Local business and consumer confidence combined with a more stable world economy and low interest rates will lead to an increase for labour in 2014 across many industry sectors and this will be matched with moderate wage growth. “The pressures of skills shortages in many sectors have softened and this has passed the control back to the employer with the majority of wage increases set to match CPI increases rather than in a desperate bidding war for talent”. The Report publishes market expectations and salary levels for the following industry sectors: Office support, contact centre, banking and financial services, accounting and finance, sales and marketing, government, manufacturing and operations, transport and logistics, trades, engineering and technical, mining and resources, and energy and utilities. The report uses a number of data sources including the Australian Bureau of Statistics; findings from the Adecco Client and Candidate Survey (November 2013); and a custom built econometric model by EMDA (Economic & Marketing Development Advisors).

News Pain for coal and then gain THE relentless cost cutting campaign of Queensland coal companies over the past 12 months has paid off, with resource companies clawing back some of their global footing. In March last year, a survey by the Queensland Resources Council found that 60 per cent of companies sat in the top two quartiles of the global cost curve. Just 12 months later, and that figure has been halved - with 70 per cent of operations reporting they are now sitting comfortably in the bottom two quartiles. “The industry has done the heavy lifting when it comes to staying competitive,” QRC chief executive Michael Roche told Shift Miner. “While prices remain very soft, the good news is coal producers have taken charge of the factors that were within their control and have done a great deal to turn around our position.” Mr Roche said it was now time for other parties to step in and do their bit to keeping the industry viable - in particular rail and port providers, unions and the government. He said Queensland Rail’s proposal to increase tariffs for the thermal coal carrying Western System was out of touch, especially in light of Peabody’s

recent decision to shut down Wilkie Creek mine near Dalby. State and federal governments also needed to think before burdening industry with more costs, he warned. “For example, there is about to be, in some cases, a 10-fold increase in mineral rents or mineral development licences,” said Mr Roche. “New laws that will introduce new statutory positions on mine sites will cost the industry tens of millions of dollars instead of just using the powers the mines inspectorate already has to enforce the law.” Labour costs could still come down as well, according to Mr Roche. “I’m hoping that we will see in the upcoming enterprise bargaining rounds that the workforce has realised the world has changed and I am hoping there will be a responsible role taken by the union leadership,” he said. “BHP Billiton’s coal president Dean Dalla Valle has said that ‘the world sets our prices and Australia sets our costs’ and that really sums it up,” said Mr Roche. “Our challenge is to clean up our act and eventually prices will come good and the exchange rate might start to do what it should do but in the meantime we’re not sitting around waiting.”

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21st April 2014

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Bowen food bowl saved

ABOUT 5000 hectares of valuable horticultural land near Bowen will be removed from a proposed Galilee Basin State Development Area (SDA), which stretches across 2 million hectares. Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney said the move was in response to feedback from the Bowen community. “This should bring certainty to Bowen’s tomato farming community that the state government values their operations and has ruled out the possibility that rail lines would be built across intensive farming land.”

Mr Seeney said the proposed state development area had been identified to support the development of major Galilee Basin mining projects, which have the potential to provide 28,000 jobs for Queenslanders. “We need to forward plan for the placement of the rail lines that will be required to carry this coal to port, but we need to do that in a way that respects landholders and existing industries,” he said. The urban areas of Meringa and Collinsville have already

been removed from the area. Mr Seeney said the Coordinator-General now believed the proposed rail precincts centred on the existing Aurizon rail corridor near Merinda could be refined, and farming areas near Euri Creek could be removed from the proposed SDA. “The Coordinator-General is working with Aurizon to clarify that future upgrades to the existing rail line in the intensive farming area near Merinda can be generally

contained within the current Aurizon rail corridor,” he said. Mr Seeney said the horticultural operations near Euri Creek will be removed from the proposed state development area. Mr Seeney said that while formal submissions from interested parties regarding the Galilee Basin state development area had closed on March 28, the government would continue to consult with communities potentially affected by the proposed SDA. Meanwhile, a report released on Monday says the state development area would lead to major flooding and a significant loss of food-producing land. Lock the Gate Alliance released a new report compiled by Hydrocology Environmental Consulting. The lobby group says while the suggestion is that only one or two rail lines may be eventually built, two have already been approved and two more are currently seeking approval, it said. “Therefore, the ultimate configuration and the resultant impacts are still extremely uncertain, and that uncertainty itself is causing disruption

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and stress for landholders and communities.” The report states that the state development area affects more than 260,000 hectares of agricultural, pastoral or potential cropping/horticultural land. More than 500,000 hectares of the area regularly experienced flooding and there had been 57 tropical cyclones that passed within 200km of it since 1906. “The construction of the railway lines across major floodplains will substantially change surface water flows and lead to altered flood patterns. “The proposed rail precincts within the [area] cut across 1680 waterways between the Galilee Basin and Abbot Point. “None of the rail projects proposed comply with appropriate state planning policy for floods, bushfires and landslides, or recent Australian engineering standards.” The report states that only one in 20- or one in 50-year flood events had been planned for, and not the larger floods that pose the greatest risk to landholders and communities.

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Despite the semantics, Alpha megamine gets go-ahead

CHANGE: The sleepy town of Alpha is set to change

By Alex Graham IT’S not often environmentalists, landholders and mining companies all herald the same court ruling a win. But that’s exactly what’s happened with the recent Land Court of Queensland decision on GVK Hancock’s proposed thermal coal megamine near Alpha, in the heart of the Galilee Basin. In his non-binding decision, member Paul Smith recommended the state government either reject the mining lease application, or approve with it with new conditions around groundwater including make-good arrangements with local

graziers and extra monitoring points. Environmental group the Coast and Country Association teamed up with other environmental activists and local landholders to challenge the mine in court. Spokesperson for Coast and Country Derec Davies said the decision was a major win for the environment and pastoralists affected by the project. “The judge has clearly stated that the evidence provided to the court in relation to water is unsatisfactory and not in the public interest for this mine to be approved,” he told ABC radio. But that’s not the case. In fact, member

Smith found that water experts put forward by the environmentalists were “unsatisfactory witnesses” and their evidence did not warrant further studies before approval was granted. Member Smith also found the groundwater studies undertaken by Hancock were appropriate for making assessments on the likely impacts of the project and how they can be managed. “They have been extensive and conservative,” he wrote. “They have been refined over a number of years. In their final form they are based on an extensive body of data, including valuable data obtained from an extensive drilling programme within the mining lease area, as well as a test pit constructed on site.” However, Member Smith noted that the studies do not claim to predict future impacts with complete accuracy or certainty. “That would not be possible. Nor is it required to warrant approval. Were it otherwise, no project would ever be approved,” he wrote. His decision to recommend make-good arrangements with farmers and extra groundwater monitoring stemmed from what he described as a lack of confidence from a “precautionary perspective” in case the groundwater modelling turned out not to be accurate. For its part, GVK Hancock has welcomed the recommendations and the

decision to allow the project to go forward subject to conditions. “During the case, objections were heard in relation to climate change, economics, surface water, groundwater, land use, public interest and greenhouse gas emission,” said spokesperson Josh Euler. “In its judgment the Land Court clearly confirmed that GVK Hancock’s comprehensive environmental assessment addressed all the objections raised with no requirement for further conditions apart from groundwater.” Queensland Resources Council chief executive Michael Roche agrees. “There are some minor conditions attached to the granting of the mining lease but people need to be under no illusion this is a very good result for GVK Hancock,” he told Shift Miner. Part-owner of Eureka Station, Peter Anderson, was one of the graziers involved in the court proceedings. “A make-good agreement on the impact of underground water; that’s what we were after,” he said. “We were never trying to stop the mine from going ahead… our door’s always been open if they want to come back and talk to us. “Hopefully after this decision, we hear from them within days to be honest, to start this negotiation process for a worthwhile make-good agreement.”

Commodity-linked towns a mixed bag in latest monthly report IN its latest monthly report, property valuers Herron Todd White (HTW) say demand for commercial real estate is steady across most of Queensland’s mining and gas-linked towns - with the notable exception of those in the Surat Basin. According to HTW there is an undersupply of small to medium vacant industrial land in Toowoomba, and in nearby Chinchilla there continues to be strong investment. “QGC recently purchased three lots near the entrance to the Surat Basin Industrial Park [in Chinchilla], with a combined land area of 19,066 square

21st April 2014

metres,” HTW reported. “They have lodged a development application for a logistics hub.” Market-leading rentals also continue to be negotiated with companies associated with the CSG sector, in effect creating a two-tier market, according to the analysis. However, demand for commercial property is not as strong down the CSG pipeline in Gladstone, where HTW expects market conditions to be volatile and prices vulnerable due to the weakened local economy. Further north, in regions more closely linked to the coal sector, HTW

expects a steady 2014. “The demand for industrial property in Mackay from investors and tenants remained subdued throughout 2013, and this trend has continued into the first quarter of 2014,” it said. “In late 2013 some developers discounted the sale prices of a small number of vacant industrial lots to try and increase sales rates in a period of low consumption, however this discounting was not widespread. “Owner-occupiers appear to be the most active buyers in the market, predominantly for properties at values of

less than $1.5 million.” In Rockhampton, where there is a push on to increase the city’s attractiveness to businesses servicing the Bowen Basin, HTW says the area to watch is Gracemere. “Gracemere is located about 10 kilometres south west of Rockhampton and completion of stage 1 of the $75 million, 25-hectare industrial estate known as the Gracemere Industrial Park by the Gibb Group is expected shortly,” HTW said. “Toll NQX have begun construction of their logistics facility, and other local businesses including Schwarz Excavation and CQ Quarries have purchased land

21st April 2014

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Last modules arrive for LNG train CSG company setting new safety standards

THE final three modules to form a key part of Santos GLNG’s processing unit have arrived and will be moved on site at Curtis Island off Gladstone. The prefabricated steel structures, all cryogenic modules, weigh a total of 2777 tonnes and will form part of the LNG train’s liquefaction system. Santos vice president downstream GLNG Rod Duke said the business had reached another significant step as the modules were the last of the major components required to deliver Santos GLNG’s first liquefaction processing train, known as ‘Train 1’. “Train 1 is made up of 82 modules and it has taken close to two years to construct and transport these components to our LNG plant on Curtis Island,” Mr Duke said.

“These final modules are currently being set in place on Train 1, using selfpropelled modular transporters, before being connected to our LNG plant.” Bechtel is constructing a two-train LNG plant on Curtis Island for Santos GLNG. In total, 111 modules will be produced for Train 1 and Train 2. Train 1’s largest module – a chiller module with components measuring 35 metres wide, 48 metres long and weighing 2500 tonnes – was also recently moved into final position on the site. “The arrival of Train 1’s final modules and other recent construction milestones across the business demonstrates Santos GLNG’s ability to deliver world-class projects and operations,” Mr Duke said.

SANTOS has reached the enviable milestone of more than 11 million hours of work without an injury requiring a person to take time off on its CSG projects. Santos’s CSG division is broken into three parts, with around 3000 people working in the Surat Basin gas fields, more than 1000 on the pipeline to take the gas to port, and around 3000 people building the gas processing facility in Gladstone. So to put it another way, if all their 7000 staff started work on the same day and worked a 40 hour week, they would be into their 40th week without an injury. The team building Santos’ largest gas compression hub in Fairview field has worked 4 million hours without anyone sustaining an injury that required time off. Site manager Mick Dunne said the huge amount of activity taking place at the hub made the recent milestone a great achievement. “Everyone here is taking safety very seriously this year as we work to deliver

the hub for Santos GLNG,” Mick said. “I’m very pleased to see how well our team is watching out for themselves and their work mates, to make sure everyone goes home safe at the end of each shift. “Congratulations to everyone involved and keep up the good work.” Making comparisons to other industries and sectors is made difficult by the fact that it is very hard for Safe Work Australia to get reliable figures for injuries requiring just a few days off. However they can get accurate figures for injuries that require a person to take a week off when that person makes a compensation claim. In the coal sector there are 3.2 of these compensation claims for every million hours worked. In oil and gas, 2.2 claims are made for every million hours worked, while in agriculture, forestry and fishing more than 10 claims are made for every million hours of work.

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Tripper installed at WICET

INSTALLED: The tripper was installed in early April.

IT looks likely that the Wiggins Island Coal Export Terminal (WICET) will load its first ship in November with key in-loading infrastructure now being installed. Both the stockyard coal tripper and central carriage have been lifted into place

ALMOST COMPLETE: Key in-loading infrastructure is now being installed. Picture: Murray Ware

and installed on top of the gantries, 25 metres above the stockyard floor, with the latest lift being completed on April 8. The 120-tonne tripper will transfer coal from the gantry conveyor system to the stacker bridges, which will load

the product onto the stockpiles. The stacker bridges will be connected to the 190-tonne central carriage that will enable each to move along the length of the gantry structure to deposit coal across multiple stockpiles.

Both the tripper and central carriage were pre-assembled on site by John Holland Group, which also completed the associated lifts. Stage One construction of WICET is more than 80 per cent complete.

More coal, lower costs BOWEN Basin mines must produce more coal and lower their production costs to stay profitable, according to industry heavyweights. BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) head of finance Gerhard Ziems and Queensland Resources Council (QRC) chief executive Michael Roche gave their insights into the state of the industry at the Bowen Basin Mining Club luncheon in Moranbah earlier this month. “With a dropping coal price, recently falling 12 per cent in four weeks, and high exchange rates, it’s hard to stay competitive,” said Mr Ziems. “We can’t control global economics or royalty payments, so BMA is focusing on what we can influence and we are calling it our productivity agenda. “BMA is rolling out a program of onsite efficiencies and we are increasing coal production to offset major cost burdens and low profit margins.” Speaking to a sell-out audience of 250, Mr Ziems said coal prices were the lowest in four years, but the company continued to invest

21st April 2014

heavily in the Bowen Basin to secure its future competitiveness. Mr Roche said BMA’s experience was being shared across the sector. “At the moment, you’d be hard pressed to find a coal mine turning a profit,” he said. “Coal is 14 per cent of Australia’s Gross Regional Economy. Take that out and you’re losing a big chunk. “Industry is replacing price with volume to offset costs, amid falling coal prices.” Bowen Basin Mining Club director Jodie Currie, who hosted the event, said it was clearer than ever contractors had to rise to the challenge to reduce costs and increase efficiency. But those suppliers of goods and services who met expectations would prosper. “It was very encouraging to hear that BMA’s local buying program is gaining momentum and now offers attractive opportunities for small businesses in the Bowen Basin. I would urge local companies to contact BMA to find out how they can benefit,” said Ms Currie.

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21st April 2014

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Draglines on cruise control?

DRAGLINE BREAKTHROUGH: Andrew Jessett is leading research into automating dragline operations

THE rate of retirement of skilled dragline operators has prompted a push towards automation that’s being led by Queensland researchers. “It takes a long time for an operator to become truly

proficient at these machines and hence it’s a worry about the retirement rate,” MineWare chief executive Andrew Jessett told Shift Miner. “There is a big variability between the performance of

the guys leaving the industry and the new guys coming in. You can’t simply download into somebody’s head what they need to know - it takes time.” MineWare is collaborating with CRCMining and the

University of Queensland to develop technology to ease that knowledge gap. Researchers have already developed a technology system that allows operators to definitively know they are “digging to the plan”, and in the past few months it has been introduced at mine sites across the Bowen Basin. The next step is to come up with an algorithm - or formula to work out how to position the machine on the bench and then move it from point a to point b. This algorithm will be generated by looking at past excavations, which are currently recorded and tracked to a high degree of detail. “What it will mean for the operator is that when they get to an end of a piece of work they will know they have done it correctly,” said Mr Jessett. “The machine will be able to position itself where it needs to be to reach the material in a cruise control type function, and then the operator will take back control when it’s time to start digging.”

Despite this push towards automating elements of dragline operations, it is unlikely humans will be fully eliminated from the process any time soon. “If you’re talking about a robot-style operation, that is very difficult to achieve and it won’t happen in my lifetime - and I’m not that old,” laughed Mr Jessett. “The operators are always going to be a critical part of draglines and there are very good reasons for that. These environments are just so variable, and as yet no technology can account for that. “This is simply about augmenting what those guys are doing.” Mr Jessett said all technology breakthroughs in mining were about achieving consistency, and in this case, consistency in excavation. “What we’re talking about is the fastest way something can be done. What we’re hoping to achieve is a 10 per cent improvement to operations, which is a significant step-change.”

Mackay engineering firm turns to retail IT’S often said that in adversity there is opportunity, and certainly the current downturn in the coal sector has been just about as adverse as it can get for many mining support businesses. However, true to the dictum, the prevailing conditions are forcing some businesses - like Group Engineering in Mackay - to rethink how they operate. Group Engineering is on the cusp of a major breakthrough at a large Central Queensland mine, where in the next month one of its recently in-house designed and built products will be fully commissioned. Managing director Allan Ruming says

21st April 2014

they have had to reinvent themselves to suit the prevailing conditions. “The long-awaited tsunami of maintenance hasn’t arrived yet, and I don’t know how long it can keep going like it is,” he said. “I literally was just talking to a bloke this morning who was worried about his business, because he is just not getting the work he needs through the door. “I am not close enough to the maintenance cycle at the moment, but what I am hearing is that they are stretching everything out and just doing the essential stuff, not the volume stuff that so many local businesses need to keep operating.”

Group Engineering has spent the past 12 months transitioning itself from a people business to a product business, and Mr Ruming said the importance of that change had been paramount. “The end goal has got to be having a business that you can sell, and in a time like this you need to find other sources of income,” he said. Despite its much reduced cash flow and workforce, Group Engineering has forged ahead with the development of a number of products it has been working on. The first item, the Splice Mate, which has consolidated a number of individual

belt splicing components into a single, portable unit. The other item is the Nissen HC01 Belt Profiler, which allows volumetric measurement on a conveyor belt. “We have just delivered the first of our belt scanning machines to a large mine in Central Queensland,” Mr Ruming said. “We will be able to divulge much more information about our project once it has been fully commissioned some time after the end of April.” “We have really taken our business back to the bone, and looked at what we can do, and what we can do better.”

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Toowoomba-built machine to hit gas fields

LOCAL BUY-IN: More than $4 million spent in Toowoomba in fabrication.

Diesel-less underground mining?

EASTERNWELL has delivered a regionally built drilling rig to its client Santos this month as part of a broader $30 million contract it has with the company. According to Easternwell, the delivery of the machine - which was built in Toowoomba - shows that regional centres have a big part to play in the mining and gas industries. “The construction, delivery and management of this rig has not only cemented our relationship with Santos but also that of the community in which we operate,” Easternwell chief executive Darren Greer told Shift Miner. “This rig was built locally at our Toowoomba workshop and approximately $4 million was spent with local and regional suppliers, and demonstrates our commitment to local participation. “We hired 30 new people to help complete this contract, expanding our total workforce to 1200, 65 per cent of whom are from regional Queensland.” Easternwell currently supplies “heavy workover” services to Santos and the two companies have been working together for more than 20 years. It manages 10 rigs in the Cooper and Surat Basins.

Excavation breakthrough

PERPETUAL MOTION: New technology could change underground mining forever.

THE CRC for mining is working on a new technology that could revolutionise the way underground coal mining is conducted in Queensland. It is developing a module that could be placed underground and used to wirelessly recharge nearby battery operated machines, while they are parked - and importantly - while they are working. It’s a long-held dream that underground work could be carried out solely using electrically driven machines because, according to CRCMining, they are safer, more efficient and cheaper to run than existing combustion engines. It would also cause a major reduction in exhaust emissions, which could generate major savings in the ventilation requirements for an underground mine. Not only is ventilation equipment expensive to install, but it is also responsible for 40 per cent of an underground mine’s total energy use. However, using electrical engines has always had its own set of problems - until now. “Traditionally electrically driven machines in mining operations have had significant constraints around their operation, by requiring trailing cables, or battery change out systems,” the CRCMining said. “Trailing cables are often damaged during operation and require vigilant

maintenance. They are also range limited by their cable length. “Battery based systems are limited by their relatively low energy density and require regular battery interchange which reduces productivity.” However, the introduction of wireless energy transfer systems to a mine site could change everything, and it is a technology already in use commercially in other sectors. “Wireless energy transfer systems are a rapidly evolving technology, which is able to efficiently transfer large amounts of energy across an air gap,” the Mining CRC said. “Commercial systems are currently being used to charge trams and buses in different cities around the world and pilot projects are also underway for cars and high speed trains.” “This ongoing innovative technology has now reached a tipping point where its adoption into a mining environment has the potential to provide significant operational and economic benefits.” The CRC has not put a date on when it will complete its research or when the technology could become commercially available. However it is working with a number of mining companies to take the project forward. Any companies wishing to get involved should contact the CRC by going to www. crcmining.com.au

PRODUCTIVITY BOOST: CRCMining researchers can now better match equipment to mine-specific sites

RESEARCHERS have unveiled a new way to analyse dig conditions so equipment selection, bucket design and sizing can be better matched to boost productivity on mine sites. The industry research cooperative CRCMining has developed the new testing regime, and program leader Dihon Tadic said the outcomes for the resources sector would be significant. Rock excavation systems typically operate well below their potential capacity, which significantly lowers the productivity of load and haul mining systems. This is usually the result of improperly matched or inappropriately sized equipment.

Tailoring digging equipment to minespecific dig conditions should significantly boost productivity - and therefore profitability - at a time when most mine sites are struggling with low coal prices and a high Australian dollar. “CRCMining’s on-site digging characterisation and scaled laboratory dig testing allows us to design buckets that can significantly boost shovel and excavator performance, reduce maintenance costs, ensure optimal equipment sizing and improve operational control,” said Mr Tadic. The new testing method also takes into consideration the effect of blasted material properties on digging performance. 21st April 2014

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Around Town

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TRIVIA FOR A CURE! BMA Blackwater mine workers held a trivia night to fundraise for Shave for Cure recently. [Photo credit: Jeannette Fletcher]

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Around Town

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MOVIE NIGHT Blackwater residents were out and about in the open air for a movie night recently, sponsored by Blue Ridge. [Photo credit: Jeannette Fletcher]

Cathy, Lydia and Chloe Drew

Jonah Goldsworthy enjoying his sausage in bread

Krystal Bloomfield proudly showing off her painted face

Adrik and Naomi Gardner

.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

FETE-AL ATTRACTION

Recognise anyone you know at the Blackwater State School fete? [Photo credit: Jeannette Fletcher] (L-R) John and Jo Petty and their boys Jesse and Dylan

(L-R) Dylan and Cameron Twaddle with Lovesha Chilly

Uriah Hill and Ramon Spooner

(L-R) Theresa, Savanna, Hayden and Guy Fletcher

(L-R) Bailey and Dylan Charles with Rayden and Vallen Rasmussen

(L-R) Syvella and Tobias Evans with Loralei and Eli Firth

Amity Jackson

(L-R) Alina, Montana, Ruby, Lola, and Caitlin Fitzgerald

Rhiannon and Kim Solinas

(L-R) Daniel, Doug and Demi Gilbert

Buy this and many other images at

School principal Ron Wood getting Lily Terry on the Teacup ride a good dousing from one of his pupils

(L-R) Brooke Fenner and Nathan and Brady Bozier

Briella Munday and Charlee Keleher as “ghosts and ghouls” in the haunted house

Holding a social event you want photographed?  Call the Shift Miner office on 4921 4333 to let us know.  You can also give our office a bell if you’d like a copy of any of the photos in this edition.

21st April 2014

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FROm THE EDITOR

Battling the bulge SEVERAL years ago, as I was lazing on the sofa, hand unconsciously dipping into a giant packet of chips and jaws moving like a cow chewing its cud, it hit me that I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the healthiest of lifestyles. The last time I had attempted to jog, I made it about 10 metres before I feared my heart would give out. It was far more pleasant to spend time on the sofa. That was until one of the kids poked me in the gut, and it was as though their hand had disappeared into risen dough never to emerge again. It was at that moment I realised I had to change my lifestyle - and although it has taken hard work and discipline, I have (although I still have dates with the sofa and a packet of chips occasionally) it has been well worth it. So I take my hat off to Catrina Gollen, who works at German Creek, who has lost a whopping 41kg in six months. That is bloody hard work - and whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more she has done this with all the temptations of unlimited camp food. Mining Family Matters has some really good information on how to employ a healthy lifestyle while you are at work, so take a look when you can: www.miningfm.com.au. Here are some tips on making healthy eating choices next time you stand in front of the bain marie. The tips have been prepared (with no gravy on the side, sorry!) by Mining

Family Matterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s resident personal trainer Mareike Bout, South Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Personal Trainer of the Year in 2008.

Lunch

Wraps or grainy bread like multi-grain or wholemeal filled with chicken breast and as much fresh salad as possible are a great choice. Finish off with some fruit and a few nuts and you will have plenty of energy to get you through the afternoon.

Dinner

Inga StĂźnzner Do you have any tips you can share? SMS Comment or SMS 0409 471 014

Breakfast Avoid:

Try:

Bacon

Cereals (esp muesli, porridge & Weet-Bix)

Sausages

Fresh fruit

Scrambled eggs

Grainy, wholemeal toast

Poached fruit

Poached or boiled eggs

Croissants

Grilled tomato

Butter

Low-fat natural yoghurt

Fruit juice

Nuts and seeds

Baked beans

Sent in by one of our readers

21st April 2014

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On a number of levels the start to season 2014 has been nothing if not difficult for the Newcastle Knights supporters. Three losses from three starts, ongoing uncertainty and turmoil around who will take the club forward off the field, and a devastating injury to a fine young man. The first two issues - one improving after a strong performance on Sunday - and the other in the who knows (and for many, who cares) bucket, pale into insignificance after what happened to Alex McKinnon 30 seconds from half time against Melbourne recently. Such is the enormity of that incident, that many close to Alex and to the game will be able to tell you, many years from now, where they were and who they were with when it unfolded in the middle of AAMI Stadium. As a father of five boys, four of which who play rugby league for the local Dudley Magpies, my reaction was sheer horror and I could only imagine what his parents, girlfriend, family and friends were going through watching, waiting, desperate to know more. As I write these words tears well up, and hairs stand on the back of my neck. It is, quite literally, every parentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nightmare â&#x20AC;&#x201C; more so that they werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t on hand - as they normally always are, to be with their beautiful young man when he left the field. I know and accept things can happen out on the field; I and tens of thousands of current and former players, professional and amateur, are walking testament to the unforgiving nature of the game that we inherited from the communities we grew up in and loved more than anything as kids. But this incident was more than I had ever witnessed and it has affected me deeply, as I know it has more so his team mates and his devoted coach. When events like this impact our lives many emotions and thoughts consume us. Why did it happen? Whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fault? Whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s to blame? What can we do to prevent it in the future? The first two points are subject to much discussion and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll leave them to one side for now, but the third (referees, parents and administrators) can work together to implement. But what needs to change or was it just a tragic accident and we should go on as before?

and gas com

FIFO

Tony Butterfield is a former Newcastle Knights Captain who now works for AUSCOAL Super. These are his reflections on Alex McKinnon, and we thought they would resonate with the TAYLORS SOLICITO RS wider mining community.

LAW

This is where it can get tough: you have worked hard all day, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re hungry and tired and all you want to do is relax and eat a tasty and satisfying meal. The bottom line with weight loss or weight maintenance is that you must keep your portions to a reasonable size. Your body can only process and use so much food at a time; any excess is quickly stored as body fat. I tell my clients that the one thing they can do right now to start losing weight is to eat what they normally would, just 1/3 less of it. Simple. You still get to eat what you like (within reason!) so you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t feel deprived and you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to worry about counting calories or sourcing special foods.

Photos to THE EDITOR

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My view, vastly different to when I played of course, is formed now in the light of the young boys I coach and the parents who have entrusted me with their sons. My view is that we all owe each other a duty of care. The days when the game was truly gladiatorial, when a suspect bandaged knee was the proverbial red rag to a bull, to target and attack, is thankfully now part of the games rich if lamentable history. Going forward, amateurs and professionals will continue to play hard, as that is the nature and attraction of the game, but from now because of whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s happened to Alex, I hope players will be more aware that all their fellow combatants have families, jobs, dreams and futures â&#x20AC;&#x201C; just like them. All players, (as Robbie Rochow did so well in a moment after half time in that Melbourne game) should be aware that when a fellow player, regardless that he be the â&#x20AC;&#x153;enemyâ&#x20AC;?, is hoisted into a dangerous position, all efforts should be made, particularly by the player controlling the players upper body, to turn him and protect him as he falls to the ground. As our children commence another exciting season playing a game they love, they should be confident that they can play to the best of their ability and have fun with their mates and test themselves against young blokes a few suburbs away. Comfortable in the knowledge that their opposition players and coaches understand and exercise a strong sense of fairness and adherence to the duty of care they owe to each other. It may be human nature, but sometimes it takes incidents such as this to focus the mind and put into perspective our fascination with sport and winning. Sport in its purest definition is really a means to an end, to better health and inner confidence, to teamwork and mateship and to community pride, rather than an end in itself. Get well Alex - in your own time â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the Hunter Community, and people everywhere will always hold you close as you face the challenges ahead.

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Frank the Tankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Dear Frank,

My husband is turning 40 next year and I think he is going through mid-life crisis. He has organised an â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;adventure raceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; for his friends where they run through scrub, bike up mountains and paddle through croc-infested water. Keeping in mind they are all a bunch of 40-year-old men with dodgy knees, paunch bellies and tennis elbows, their wives are slightly concerned. Should I gently tell my husband I think the idea is crazy, or do I let him go ahead with his plans and risk being made a young widow? Sally, Rockhampton

You should be ashamed of yourself, Sally. Trying to deprive a man his Godgiven right to teach mother nature a lesson by riding bikes all over her face. The battle between man and nature has been raging for centuries, and thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a an ebb and flow that makes it virtually impossible to determine a winner. An explorer climbs a mountain, notch one up for man. Two hunters are tricked into shooting one another by a particularly smart moose, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one for nature. When I was a slightly younger man, I frequently entered interspecies boxing tournaments to prove my superiority as man. I knocked out an unbelievable 14 kangaroos in a row, a record that came back to haunt me when the RSPCA eventually shut down our fight club. You may argue that having to perform 500 hours community service scooping up kangaroo droppings at a wildlife park was

Fair Dinkum!

MISTAKE: Unlike this hyena, another in Malawi preferred the taste of a manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s toes and manhood.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Streakinâ&#x20AC;? good love advice

a victory for nature, but those marsupials knew who was boss. Your husbandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s adventure race is important for other reasons too, Sally. As men get older itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only natural they start to worry about their virility. I can still recall my dear old grandfather leaping out of his chair at his 70th birthday party and karate chopping a heavy-set waitress in the neck. Everyone assumed heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d snapped and fallen prey to senility, but I knew the truth. He was simply proving he still had â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;the right stuffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exactly what your husband is trying to do, Sally. Just think of the adventure race as a money-saving exercise. If your husband competes and wins youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll never need to fork out money for costly â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;marital aidsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; like viagra, or my personal favourite Xiang Li Ho - a highly illegal topical sex cream from North Korea.

SENSIBLE SUSAN Sally, Be thankful itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just an adventure race and he doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to buy a Lamborghini or something like that! Perhaps you could insist the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;adventure raceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; be vetted by the wives to ensure there are no truly life-threatening conditions involved. The race itself doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t seem like a bad idea. At least it involves some fitness so it might actually reduce those paunch bellies you referred to. To be honest, I think you should be more worried about the liberal consumption of alcohol thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sure to follow the conclusion of the race.

Susan

Frank

IN THE US - Have you ever

IN DENMARK - Travel

IN AFRICA - A Malawi man

- Just when you thought American lawsuits couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get any more ridiculous. A California man is suing McDonaldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s for $1.5 million because he only received one napkin with his quarter pounder meal. The man claims he asked the manager for more napkins, but was refused. The manager then allegedly muttered something that â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;sounded likeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; a racial slur. According to the manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lawsuit the napkin incident has left him unable to work due to, â&#x20AC;&#x153;undue mental anguish and the intentional infliction of emotional distressâ&#x20AC;?. Perhaps Judge Judy will sort him out.

had one of those mornings where you just couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t face going to work? One Florida man came up with a novel way to escape the rat race; he ransacked his own home and told police heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d been robbed. A fairly brief investigation by police found surveillance footage of the man burgling his own home, and statements from neighbours confirmed it. He eventually admitted to police he had staged the burglary because he didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to go to work, but his wife told him he had to.

is recovering in hospital after having his manhood eaten by a hyena. A local witch doctor apparently told the man that he would become rich if he sacrificed parts of his body. Naturally, he went into the bush naked until he was approached by a hyena, which ate three of his toes and his manhood. He is currently recovering in hospital. There is no word yet on whether the witch doctorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s prophecy was accurate.

company Spies wants to do something about Denmarkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dwindling birth rate. They claim that they can encourage couples to conceive by sending them to romantic locations like Paris. If booking you a holiday to Paris wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t enough, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re also offering three years worth of baby supplies and a child-friendly getaway to the couple that can prove they conceived while on holiday. Spies claim that Danes have 46 per cent more sex on holiday, which results in 10 per cent of the population being conceived.

STILL IN THE US

Reproduced courtesy of the Newcastle Herald 21st April 2014

Shift Miner Magazine

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Captain America: The Winter Soldier is the latest offering from Marvel Studios, and as you probably guessed, is centred on Marvel’s first Avenger, Captain America (Chris Evans). Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L

SUPERHERO movies are about the most bankable commodity there is in film at the moment, which is why studios are churning out more flicks about spandexclad heroes than ever before. Thankfully, they’re doing a pretty good job of it.

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Jackson also reprise their roles as Black Widow and Nick Fury. The film picks up several years after the battle for New York (i.e. The Avengers movie) and sees Captain America now working for SHIELD. 7

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Across 1. Perceives clearly 5. Followed 9. Motorbike fender 10. Body of warships 12. Treasury 13. Haul 14. Henry VIII’s second wife, ... Boleyn 16. Stingiest 19. Well-informed (5-2) 21. Pimples 24. Message brooch 25. Sovereign territories 27. Haphazard 28. Formerly Rhodesia 29. Tennis ace, ... Graf 30. Segregated

Serving his country isn’t quite the same as in the good old days and he struggles with the secrets and espionage that SHIELD is constantly engaged in. Without printing any spoilers, all is not what it seems at SHIELD and Captain America finds himself embroiled in a plot which could spell the end of freedom for all mankind. While The Winter Soldier isn’t the best superhero movie ever made, it’s pretty damn entertaining. The plot unfolds nicely as Captain America and Black Widow investigate what’s really going on at SHIELD, with information slowly released to the audience and punctuated by some exhilarating action scenes. Soviet super assassin, the Winter Soldier, is Captain America’s chief adversary in this movie and while not the most well-known Marvel supervillain, is a good match for the Captain in this movie. Fans of the superhero genre will no doubt already be aware, but if you go and see the Captain America: The Winter Soldier make sure you sit through the credits for teaser trailers alluding to the highly anticipated Avengers: Age of Ultron. Whether you’re a super hero tragic, or just looking for a bit of entertainment, The Winter Soldier, without breaking any new ground, is certainly a well worth a watch.

Down 1. Medieval maiden 2. Entice 3. Perfume, ... toilette (3,2) 4. Carefully tend 6. Compass point 7. At full force 8. Local languages 11. ... here to there 15. Fell asleep (6,3) 17. Shipping hazards # 64 18. Counselling 20. Protective sportswear 21. Walking corpses 22. Large marsupial 23. Go up 26. Peace prize

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Bizarre endurance contests YOU might have thought running a marathon was the ultimate test of endurance...well, get a load of some of these ridiculous contests that push human beings to the limit. World sauna am ch pionships

n 1930s dance maratho

2010 Taking place from 1999 to na sau ld wor the k you might thin good way a like nds sou hips ons champi m...you’d be to relax and get a good stea ature in the per tem ting star The wrong. with half ius, cels sauna was 110 degrees stove every a on red pou er wat of a litre tors can’t last 30 seconds. Most competi ; however the utes min five than e mor r 16 minutes. ove at world record stands the In 2010 one finalist died from y call criti was ther ano extreme heat and onships mpi cha na sau ld wor The . injured have not been held since.

the Dance marathons were all ression; rage during the Great Dep d way apparently they were a goo e time. som kill and to make money n on atho mar ce dan est long The rs - from record went for 5,152 hou 1931. 1, il Apr to 0 193 29, ust Aug er part bett the for For slow dancing aux and dre Bou h Edit ths, mon six of (the Mike Ritof took home $2000 y). Dance toda 0 ,00 $28 of ent ival equ banned. marathons were eventually

hip launched In 1992 a Texas car dealers contestants dy’; dbo har a on ds ‘han truck and -up pick a place their hands on longest the e ther ain rem can r whoeve ame bec test con wins the vehicle. The in 1995, y ntar ume doc a of ject the sub adapted which was so popular it was nds on ‘Ha . ical mus ay adw bro a into 2005 in ned ndo aba a hardbody’ was of the out d ppe dro ant test con after one the street, competition, walked across man’s The . self him t sho and gun bought a g the min clai hip lers wife sued the dea insanity. ary por tem sed cau test con

Kissing contest

a In 2013 a Thai couple set new Guinness World Record r for kissing non-stop for ove r lips 58 hours. Not only did thei have to remain touching, they weren’t allowed to sleep, sit d down and had to be escorte itors to the toilet by special mon e who ensured their lips wer touching the whole time.

Pilot crashes plane Usually the mile high club is reserved for passengers, but this pilot apparently decided he was going to join anyway. Unfortunately, he lost control of the plane and crashed. An air crash investigation revealed the pilot’s seat was fully reclined and both occupants of the light aircraft were only partially clothed.

YOU probably know that it’s illegal to perform sex acts in public. What you may not know is that it is also really dangerous. Don’t believe me? Check out these examples of people who suffered extreme misfortune as a result of their public displays of affection.

Woman eaten by lion Despite police warnings not to venture into concealed areas, one couple in Kariba - a popular African tourist destination decided the bushes beside a highway was the most appropriate place to satisfy their urges. During the act they were attacked by a lion and the woman was killed. Her boyfriend ran for help, but motorists refused to stop...seeing as how he was naked.

Couple overcome by passion on train tracks No, it’s not a misprint. One Ukrainian couple was so desperate to get busy they apparently didn’t realise they were lying on top of train tracks. If that wasn’t bad enough, they failed to move in time and were struck by a passing train. The woman was killed and the man lost his legs in the accident. A statement from the Ukrainian police said the couple had, “Failed to overcome their natural passion.”

Well, well, well A Spanish couple entered a secluded field for a spot of love-making, which took a disastrous turn when a well cover became dislodged and the woman fell in. Her partner, clearly the heroic type, ran off in a panic and tipped off police anonymously

21st April 2014

THESE days internet dating is considered just one of the many ways you can find love. We’ve all seen the TV ads for ‘normal’ dating sites like e-Harmony and so on, but as you’re probably aware, the internet is a strange place...and it caters to some strange people. Without further ado, Shift Miner’s five strangest internet dating websites.

anger levels. They call it being ‘hangry’. Researchers studied 107 couples for three weeks, each night they measured their blood glucose and asked them to stick pins in a voodoo doll representing their spouse to indicate levels of aggression. Participants with higher levels of glucose (i.e. those who may have indulged in a snack) inserted half as many pins in voodoo

dolls as their ‘hangry’ counterparts. In fact the study found that many couples were not angry at all, with people inserting zero pins 70 per cent of the time. Some people, on the other hand, must have been pretty darn ‘hangry’ inserting all 51 pins into their voodoo doll. The study has drawn criticism, stating that it does not effectively measure the

Diaper lover personals

Dating website for sea captains

n Nettle-eating competitio se

cau The stinging hairs on nettles hed...or significant pain when touc on this when eaten. For some reas 1997. competition was formed in to eat as r hou one get tors peti Com can. many stinging nettles as they ehow som er hold rd reco ld wor The 76 feet of munched his way through beer to and er wat only g usin nettles ating le-e nett t nex quell the pain. The England set, Dor in e plac s take contest if you’re on June 7. Why not compete ? way that round

who were able to rescue the woman. She was not injured in the incident.

Good vibrations A Welsh woman passed out and banged her head on some shelves in a grocery store. Why, you ask? She was overcome with pleasure from the vibrating underwear she was wearing under her clothes. Onlookers could reportedly still hear the underwear buzzing as the woman lay unconscious in some sort of pleasure coma.

Raising the roof It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that having sex on the roof is really, really stupid. One couple in the United States learned this lesson the hard way after they were discovered naked and seriously injured by a taxi drive. Turns out they had fallen roughly 60 feet after deciding the roof of a nearby building was the most appropriate place to get it on.

Can a sugary snack save your marriage? A MARS Bar might have the power to save your marriage. Well, maybe not, but new research by Ohio State University has found that sugary snacks may reduce major fights between husbands and wives. The study, which also employed the use of voodoo dolls, found that when people are hungry they have more difficulty controlling

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Online dating - the good, the bad and the ugly

Hands on a hardbody

Sex disasters: from pleasure comas to death

CALL OF NATURE: a sexploit ended badly for one couple fornicating in an African nature reserve.

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correlation between hunger and anger. A truer representation, it was argued, would be to test all couples anger levels when their blood sugar was high and low respectively. Regardless, it might be a good idea to keep the fridge stocked with a few chocolates just on the off chance they do have the power to avert domestic squabbles.

This...is somewhat ing. Diaper lover hten frig personals is “the internet’s largest free personals community for adult babies and diaper lovers”. I feel sorry for the poor child who asks his parents how they a got together and receives rs’ love per ‘dia of tour al virtu as a response.

internet Remember back before the ly sea lone for way when the only ingly long to was love find to s captain ide rf-s wha a at s sing sea shantie head of a the turn to e hop and rn tave e days comely lass? Thank God thos e’ pairs Dat tain Cap ‘Sea r. ove are tain’s with up, you guessed it, sea cap ionship. pan com r thei king see e thos website the on form The search male, actually lists three genders: tain. cap sea and ale fem

Dating website for look-a-likes

If you’ve ever wanted to date someone who looks like you t. then this is the place to star s use om te.c ema FindYourFac to facial recognition software e eon som with up match you who looks similar to you. but Seems a little narcissistic, hey, who are we to judge?

Dating website for ugly people

Stache passions

for Britain’s first dating website is ’ ged llen cha ly ical the ‘aesthet might more successful than you that think. They recently noted two of their members became engaged after a whirlwind tual online romance and a ‘mu lear unc It’s ’. food love of junk whether the website actively tly ensures users are sufficien ‘aesthetically challenged’.

If you’re mad about moustaches why not join an lonline community with a wel documented passion for the ed stache? We were interest whether this website welcomed women with moustaches, but were too scared to look into it further.

SHIFT MINER’S PICK What’s Happening?

Moranbah MotoX Round 2 CQ series

from the “BACK IN BLACK” album to “BLACK ICE “. Brian would be proud to hear himself replicated with such precision and passion. Support band: Snake

Saturday 26 April 2014- Sunday 27 April 2014

Moranbah Community Workers Club - 8 May 2014

Moranbah Motocross Club will be hosting Round Two of the CQ Series on the 26th and 27th April!

Tickets: $28

Gates will be open from 8am and it will be a full weekend of dust and dirtbikes for both Juniors and Seniors. A full canteen and bar will be open all weekend for your enjoyment! A weekend of fun for the whole family! For more information visit the Moranbah Junior Motocross Group on facebook or call Debby on 0408 160 654

AC/DC Tribute Show Thursday 08 May 2014

Come and watch Acca/Dacca rock out all your AC/DC favourites at the Moranbah Community Workers Club! ACCA/DACCA replicate with precision not only the hard rock music of AC/DC note for note but front man Larry caps the show off with passionate vocals that you would mistake for Bon Scott himself. Switching to Brian Johnson isn’t a problem for this seasoned performer as he belts out classics

Doors open: 7:45 p.m. Show starts: 8:30 p.m. 18+ event

Peppa Pig Live

Saturday 24 May 2014 - Rockhampton Thursday 05 June 2014 - Gladstone

After a smash hit season on London’s West End and at capital city theatres around Australia, this delightful puppet show is embarking on an extensive tour of Australia in 2014. Join Peppa Pig and her brother George as they set off on a treasure hunt! There are fun-and-games, problems to solve and plenty of sing-along songs as Danny Dog, Pedro Pony, Zoe Zebra and Polly Parrot join them for a day packed full of adventure. Peppa Pig Live! Treasure Hunt will delight and enchant young Peppa Pig fans. Visit: www.pilbeamtheatre.com.au or www.gecc. com.au for show times and ticket prices.

Want more events in your world?

Go online and look at our events guide. It’s updated daily. www.shiftminer.com or get the iPhone app 21st April 2014

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Bait Shop Banter

pockets of water - one degree can make all the difference. The same goes for offshore fishing.” When fishing offshore Adrian recommends extra consideration to gear. “Because the water visibility is often so much better in winter, bait presentation is really important. If you normally fish with 60 or 80 pound line in summer, try downgrading to something smaller, even the diameter of the line can have an effect on visibility.” Winter will suit those chasing threadfin salmon, which thrive in cold conditions, and coastal wrecks should produce more estuarine species like grunter, black jew and fingermark.

Mackay - Chris from Tackle

Mick Chelepy caught this monster 1400mm threadfin in the Fitzroy River recently.

IN this installment of Bait Shop Banter, we preview all the best places to wet a line this winter, and some helpful tips for bagging fish in the colder months.

21st April 2014

Yeppoon

- Adrian from the Secret Spot Bait and Tackle in Yeppoon says it’s important to pay extra attention to the conditions, and to your gear. “If you’re up the river searching for barra, you need to find warmer

World Mackay says that although the creeks and estuaries might be a bit slower during winter, with a few tweaks to your approach you can still bag some nice fish. “A lot of people think that barra go right off the bite during winter, but that’s not the case; they’re still there. Downsize your lures and target rock bars. If you can find one that’s been in the sun all day, hit that one because the water there is going to be hotter. If you have a depth sounder you can also use it to find the ambient water temperature, and fish the warmer spots,” said Chris. The estuaries should also produce some good king and blue salmon during the winter months. Winter should also see

some good fish appearing offshore. “We normally get a big run of Spanish mackerel in winter, and there’ll be some tuna in the mix as well.” Winter also produces nicer boating conditions, with calmer days and smoother sees - as long as you’re will to brave the chilly mornings!

Gladstone - Dylan from

Pat’s Tackle World: “After some rainy weather you can definitely target salmon and grunter in the estuary system, but as it gets cooler we should see some big bream and flathead lurking around. “Places like Wild Cattle Creek at Tannum Sands, the Boyne River and even sandbars and rock bars in the harbour should be holding some nice fish,” said Dylan. The mackerel have showed up early in Gladstone this year, but hopefully their numbers will increase as the weather cools down. “We could see really good numbers of mackerel moving in this year - it’s well worth getting offshore when the weather allows.” A bit of wet weather here and there should see the crabbing remain consistent around Gladstone right through the winter months. If you have a good photo or fishing yarn send it through to our resident bait chucker-

angus.peacocke@shiftminer.com

Shift Miner Magazine

Sport Monday

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Posted March 31

Posted April 2

Home ground advantage not enough for Miners

Chinchilla delivers on promise

7s a season stepping stone for Basilisks

Uphill battle on wheels worth it

THE return of its headline players on the weekend, wasn’t enough for the Moranbah Miners who went down 28 points to 4 against Mackay Brothers at home. Adding injury to insult was the fact that two second rowers sustained long term injuries in the first half - meaning both players are likely to be out for an extended period. Starting second rower Blake Walker dislocated his wrist in the very first tackle and is unlikely to take the field in the next three months and possibly even the whole season. Aside from the concerning injuries, coach David Roberts says the Miners have a lot of work to do. “We just gave them too much ball,” coach Roberts said. “It wasn’t wet, but it was humid and there just wasn’t enough ball control and that meant our completion rate was low and you can’t win without possession.” “Given the amount of ball they had, they should have probably scored 40 points. So that was one good area, we defended pretty well.” Early season handling mistakes are often symptomatic of other issues like fitness levels, but Coach Roberts says he doesn’t think that is the issue for the Miners this year. “I think they wanted it more than us on the weekend,” he said. “They did play well and I think the whole standard of the competition is high this year.” “But because of the problems we have with rosters, we tend always to be slow starters because we can’t get together as a team as much as we would like before the season.” “It always takes a few weeks for us to gel.” Hooker Neil Budworth was given special mention after a strong game, and young emerging five eighth Nat Hinchliff was awarded players player.

THE Chinchilla Suns have delivered on their promise to perform better in 2014 after knocking off gas fields rival the Dalby Swans on the weekend. Success was hard to come by for the Suns in their maiden season last year, but from the first bounce this year, the club seems destined for better things. “We are pretty stoked ,” said club president Jay Paget. “It was a really tough game and everyone put in to win it.” “We got off to a good start and we were up 15 at half time, but that gap narrowed to three points by three quarter time.” “But we stuck at it and were able to hang on for the win, so we are all really pleased.” Chinchilla has had good numbers at training and says new players are turning up all the time. This was reflected in the fact that they had a full bench on Saturday - something that only happened rarely in 2013. Coach Scott Hannan said he is not concerned about the scoreline, but acknowledges they have plenty to work on. “We had a late start to the pre-season, and then we couldn’t access the oval for a while, so we had to train at the high school,” he said. “There were no goal posts, so I guess it is no surprise that our accuracy on the weekend wasn’t what it should be.” “But it’s not a drama - overall it’s our first hit out, and we will work on improving some of those things for University this weekend.” The Sun’s were led well by captain Christian Muir who kicked five goals, but it was local doctor Cam Purcival who delivered the good medicine for Chinchilla, kicking four goals and being nominated best on ground.

THE Blackwater Basilisks are hoping their recent good form in the Blackwater Rugby Sevens competition translates into the season proper. Sevens coordinator and Basilisks committee member Teran McCasker said the Blackwater boys were pleased to finish third, losing just one match to Townsville based team ‘Island Breeze’. “The guys from Townsville are a group of missionaries who travel around looking after homeless people and disadvantaged youth, they’re all volunteers so they make their money playing in rugby tournaments. They were a class above everybody else,” he said. The sevens tournament provided a good chance for experienced Basilisks players to find form before the start of the regular rugby 15s season. “Our two club captains from last year, Eric Smyth and Robert Coppo both played very well, they really led from the front. Dane Heron had a great tournament at scrum half too, he sort of pulled everything together.” Despite the Island Breeze going through undefeated, the player of the tournament went to a CQ local. “Stephen Tarliton from Emerald took home the player of the tournament, he was a real crowd favourite, everybody got behind him and cheered whenever he touched the ball.” The upcoming season, which kicks off on Anzac Day weekend, will also see the Basilisks blood some new talent in the senior competition. “We’re struggling for numbers at the moment, over the last few years we’ve lost a lot of our core group of players. We’ve had a few under 18s from last year step up to the senior competitions, so they should do really well.” Anybody interested in playing rugby union for the Basilisks should contact the Shift Miner, and we will pass on your information. phone: 49 214 333 email: justin.carlos@shiftminer.com

HE’S the quintessential sucker for punishment with a memory like a goldfish. Next month - for the third time in as many years - Joncris Sentinel Services’ Michael Brady will embark on a threeday, 580-kilometre bike ride known as the Midi-Smiddy Challenge, raising money for cancer research. But lycra doesn’t keep out the Darling Downs chills and Rockhampton’s Mt Archer doesn’t prepare you for the Toowoomba Ranges. “Last year when we left Warwick, it was -3 degrees, so yes I’m a really slow learner,” Mr Brady laughed. The first day of riding from Brisbane to Toowoomba is 206 kilometres of serpentine back roads through countryside that would be beautiful if you had time to smell the roses. “First we went up Mr Walker, that’s ok. Then it’s the Laidley Ranges and that’s pretty tough, but the climb up to

Toowoomba...,” a grimace is all that is needed to describe this part, as Mr Brady becomes lost for words. “It’s just literally straight up. It’s Upper Flagstone Creek Road - but we just call it ‘the Upper’. It’s horrendous. When my front wheel started lifting off the ground that’s when I got off my bike and walked.” Last year, of the 40 bike riders involved in the challenge, only 13 rode their bikes to the top - the rest used two feet. “The gradient is 24 per cent in sections, when you compare that to Mt Archer which is 10 per cent that’s pretty tough.” So why would anyone put themselves through this level of torture? To raise funds for cancer research. “My wife is an RN at the Rockhampton Base Hospital in the chemo ward and she deals with this all day,” Mr Brady explained. “I have lost an uncle to cancer and a friend’s eight-year-old niece is currently undergoing treatment.” Next Friday Mr Brady and fellow Rockhampton rider Melissa Crossman are having a trivia night fundraiser at the MECOBE business centre. For booking please call 4921 9900.

Rider’s on last year’s Midi-Smiddy Challenge

21st April 2014

Moranbah Bull-ish about season THERE is nothing like adversity to refocus a team, and certainly that’s the approach the new committee of the Moranbah Bulls rugby club is taking for 2014. The Bulls have had their fair share of adversity in the last two years with an exodus of players due to the downturn, and two months ago the loss of the clubhouse - and all it contained - in a fire. But incoming president Justin Sloper has ruled out it being an excuse for the upcoming rugby season. “Everyone has recovered and we are regrouping after the fire and using it as motivation,” he said. “We have got good numbers at training and some new faces are still turning up, we certainly felt the pinch in the last couple of years as the construction work finished up. “But the permanent guys are still floating around and everyone is feeling a little bit more confident. “We have a new committee and the opportunity to start with a clean slate and work out exactly where we want to go and how we are going to get there. “So I guess in some ways the fire has forced us to rethink our direction, which is a good thing.” For sporting teams, losing a clubhouse can be a bit like losing your spiritual home, but the Bulls are trying not to dwell on it. Instead, they are focussing on finding solutions to the more pressing problems the fire has created. Problems like the loss of pads and footballs - all essential gear required to train effectively. Interestingly however, other changes at the club mean pre-season training for the Bulls is probably better than it has ever been. “This year we have a dedicated coach with Stan Tagelagi taking on the role,” Sloper said. “That means we don’t have our usual

the field because of the difficulty in getting all their players at training. Like so many other teams operating in the CSG and coal fields there is no quick fix to the problem, and for that reason the Suns are going to maintain training through the Easter break. “Numbers at training is still a problem,” Hannan said. “I have some really good drills that the boys would love but we need 22 players to do them. “We haven’t got any serious injuries - just a few niggling ones that need the week off over Easter to fully recover. “But we didn’t have much of a preseason, so we will train through the Easter break to try and make up for it.”

Posted April 14

Attitude the difference in league grudge match

Suns bench and character the difference THE Chinchilla Suns have got their season back on track after grinding out a tough victory over last year’s premiers Coolaroo in Dalby over the weekend. Coach Scott Hannan was full of praise for his players. “It was a great boost for the club in very ordinary conditions,” he said. “It was a hard slog, but they didn’t give up, they kept up the pressure.” The win was aided by a strong performance from Mark Murphy who got best on ground. Due to work commitments with Murphy Pipe and Civil (we don’t know if he owns the company), Mark is only available on an intermittent basis - like many of the other players who are working in the CSG sector. However, Hannan said when all players are available it makes a big difference. “It was great to have a full bench, given the touch up we got last week when we were down a few players,” he said. “We have had another couple of players rock up off the street this week, one of them came from rugby league and has never played a game before and he went really well. “The other bloke came in off the street and he had an AFL background.” Despite the victory and the boost to player numbers, the Suns are still struggling to get continuity on

Posted April 14

THE road to Moranbah is going to be a long one for teams in the Mackay league competition in 2014, with a weekend clash signalling the Moranbah Miners will be hard to beat at home. Despite ongoing handling errors and trailing 16 to 6 at halftime, it was the attitude and discipline of the Moranbah Miners that carried them to victory on Saturday. In a grand final replay, the Miners played against perennial enemy and rugby league powerhouse Souths in wet and miserable conditions. But with the support of a small but vocal home crowd the Miners were able to win the important game. “We had a few of our starting side out this week, and then we lost two more players in the first half,” coach Dave Roberts said. “It was a wet track and definitely one of our best wins, the boys had a great attitude and discipline and I think that was the difference. “We were down 16 to 6 at halftime, because we turned over a lot of ball and our completion rate was low again like last week. “But in the second half we really improved in that area, and the boys really stuck in there and got the win.” Second rower Michael Hancock was

‘player’s player’ after a huge game in defence; and, once again, Shane Tronc made a large contribution. Roberts says he hopes to build on the win, and will have light training over the Easter break. The Miners next game is against Proserpine in a fortnight’s time.

MONEY TIPS FROM THE EXPERTS

Borrowing to invest

Posted April 16 Grand final rematch pays tribute to ANZACs THE 2014 Central Highlands Rugby League season will kick off on Anzac Day with a grand final rematch between the Clermont Bears and the Emerald Tigers. Secretary of Central Highlands Rugby League Cameron Stallard said the match is intended to pay tribute to men and women who have served in the Australian Defence Force. “We’re planning to have the last post, the ode and a minute’s silence, as well as some fundraising for Legacy, we’re really conscious of making sure this is not only a great match, but a great tribute,” said Mr Stallard. This year the Central Highlands are looking to expand women’s rugby league, with the women from Clermont and Emerald going head to head on Anzac Day. “The ladies will play at about 5 o’clock, at the moment we’ve only got three teams in the competition, but we’re looking to organise a few more games with the central west and really expand the competition.” The Anzac Day opener sees a grand final rematch between the Bears and the Tigers, and it promises to be a heated encounter. “There’s a lot of rivalry there, they’re probably the two strongest sides in the competition at the moment, and both sides draw a good crowd when they play one another, so we’re hoping for a really good turn out.” Mr Stallard said it was hoped this year’s Anzac Day clash would be a success, and that the event could become a regular fixture in the Central Highlands. The Clermont and Emerald women play at 5 pm on Anzac Day at Bear Park in Clermont, with the men’s game starting after that.

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Investment gearing

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the investment loan will be tax deductible. Similarly, if you don’t have a lump sum of money sitting around but can save an amount on a monthly basis, then you could look into instalment gearing. As above you will be borrowing 50 per cent and investing into direct shares or managed funds giving you a greater amount invested, access to more dividends and the interest on the investment loan will be tax deductible. It works on the basis that you select a monthly investment amount, for example $250, this gets invested and matched by a borrowed $250 thus growing over time,

averaging into the market and keeping approximately 50 per cent leverage. One thing to keep in mind with the above strategies is they both carry risk as the borrowed funds are held against the funds you provide. For example say you have an investment worth $10,000 and you have borrowed 50 per cent, if the market fell by 10 per cent in a short period, the investment would be worth $9000. However, you still have debt of $5000 held against it meaning your loan-tovalue ratio has risen to 55.5 per cent. As always to consider strategies such as these, please seek financial advice and continue the conversation by contacting Jeff White on 07 3114 8621 or Simon Milton 07 3114 8652.

Meet us in person

Simon Milton and Jeff White will be presenting a series of seminars on superannuation, investment and personal risk insurance. The seminars are proposed for Chinchilla and Brisbane to be held in mid May. Please register your interest via email to jeff.white@morgans.com.au. We will provide further details closer to the event.

ROOM WITH A VIEW

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31 Bottiger Street, Nelly Bay, Magnetic Island

Exotic homes for the mobile miner

Price: $625,000 If you want that laid back island lifestyle without sacrificing style and comfort, then this one could be for you. Architecturally designed and stylishly finished, this home features three bedrooms, all with built-in robes, polished timber floors, landscaped gardens with automated sprinkler system and scenic outdoor entertaining area. The icing on the cake is the tropical, in-ground pool which encapsulates that carefree island lifestyle you’ve always dreamed of. Contact: Jenny Bishop - Smith and Elliott Real Estate 0400 893 087

59 Williams Road, Broome

THE first ever Canefields versus Coalfields pre-season rugby tournament in Moranbah has been a success with 10 teams participating, and more than $4000 raised to help the Moranbah Bulls rugby club. The competition is primarily about giving teams in Central Queensland an opportunity to play some trial matches before the season starts properly in a few weeks’ time. However, organiser Philip Papanicolaou says there still was a winner on the day. “I think the general consensus was that the results didn’t matter that much,” he told Shift Miner. “It really was just a trial match, and I suppose the stronger teams were from Mackay because they had more players and talent to choose from. “One of the highlights of the day was West Tigers from Mackay who are a brand new club formed this year and they won both their games. “But the overall winner of the tournament was Rolleston, who won the boat race at the end of the day which is how we decide these things.” A number of Rockhampton clubs have expressed an interest in participating in 2015, which means not only will the tournament continue into the future, it is likely to be bigger. Tournament host and one of the major beneficiaries of the carnival was the Moranbah Bulls rugby club. They received around $4000, which will go toward rebuilding their clubhouse which burnt down two months ago. Club President Justin Sloper says the tournament was great for the club both on and off the field. “It was a really good day and we would like to thank all the players and teams that got involved,” he said. “I just want to make special mention of the Cities rugby club which donated two signed jerseys for the charity auction and the Kuttabul rugby club who gave us a BBQ.” “On the field, Timmy Marshall our number 7 caught a few people’s

Posted April 9

issues with players filling multiple roles including that of coach. “Players crave routine and structure in training and in that respect Stan has been great - he is driving the accountability of the players.” The Bulls are looking forward to the Canefield versus Coalfield carnival in Moranbah tomorrow, to have a better look at some of the promising new players they have picked up, and try and get some cohesiveness before the start of the season proper. “We have picked up a few new players, and in particular Jarrod Bryant and Jonathan Carter both have a lot of rugby experience at various levels, so it will be good to see them on the field.” “We haven’t made a decision on our captain for 2014, but we think we have a good mix of youth and experience.

Money Matters

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Price: $4.6 million.

59 Jackson Street, Sarina

Rugby tournament comes down to boat race

eye and I spoke to the coach after the game and he was happy with what he saw. “There were no huge scorelines and we did a few things on the field that we have been doing at training, so it’s looking pretty good.”

Shift Miner Magazine

Posted April 7

Sport Monday

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Shift Miner Magazine

79 Seaspray Drive, Agnes Waters

Price: $599,000.

Price: $565,000

Sleek and modern with rural attributes, this home truly combines the best of both worlds. The property offers stunning views of Sarina and is located only minutes from the CBD. Inside, there are four carpeted bedrooms, all with ceiling fans and air-conditioning. A sunken, open-plan living area offers the perfect place to unwind in air-conditioned comfort, and opens onto an outdoor entertaining area, ideal for hosting family and friends.

This magnificently appointed home captures panoramic views of the hinterland and ocean, including the famous Bustard Head lighthouse. Features include three bedrooms, three bathrooms, separate downstairs living area and three-bay colourbond shed. Wide, wrap-around verandas offer an excellent place to take in the sea breezes, and the four person spa will take you to the next level of relaxation. Recently reduced in price, this home offers dress-circle living at a fraction of the price.

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21st April 2014

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Contact Simon Milton 07 3114 8652 or Jeff White 07 3114 8621 to discuss how we can help you. www.morgans.com.au/milton