PART ONE: Collie Underground Coal Miners
Collie Coal has played a vital role in the development of Western Australia. The danger and hard work that the men (and women who supported the family) endured is incredible and not to mention - hard to comprehend in this day and age.
I wanted to pay tribute to the underground coal mining industry in two parts, this is part one:
Central to the painting is a hostler walking out with his pit pony at the end of shift. The painting is referenced from a photo taken at the Bullfinch Coal Mine (Proprietary)Collie in April 1939
I would love to find the identity of these men depicted, attached is the original photograph from the archives. Please share so you can help solve this mystery!
PART TWO
Last week I teamed up with ArtByDestroy to paint part two of the tribute piece for the Underground Coal Miners of Collie. The mural is laid out like a timeline, from the early days (earliest photo from the 1939) dominated by manual-handling up until the introduction of machinery like the bobcat and the Alpine Continuous Miner.
Drop a comment and let me know if you or any of your relatives are pictured in the mural. Painting the mural was a beautiful experience and I'd love to hear more stories about the underground days or details of any of the Collie Miners depicted.