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Beaconsfield Mine RescuePrint Page Print this page

15-October-2016 (Peter F Williams)
15-October-2016 (Peter F Williams)

Photographs supplied by Diane Watson / Sandra Brown / Erich Nussbaumer / Peter F Williams

The plaque commemorates the men and women who were involved in the rescue of Todd Russell and Brant Webb who were trapped for fourteen days in the mine and rescued on the 9th May 2006.

It also pays tribute to Larry Knight who lost his life in the cave-in on the 25th April 2006.

The Beaconsfield Mine collapse occurred on 25 April 2006 after an earthquake of approximately 2.3 on the Richter-scale. Of the seventeen people who were in the mine at the time, fourteen escaped immediately following the collapse, one was killed and the remaining two were found alive using a remote-controlled device.

Heat-sensing cameras were employed for five days after the quake, and on 30 April rescuers ventured deep into the unstable mine and found the two men – or at least heard them reply. They were alive, but partially buried in rubble. While the first rescuers retreated to a more stable location, communication was established via a microphone placed near to the rock pile the miners were trapped under. For the next eight days the long pipe was their connection to the outside world. Rescue attempts were hampered by fears of further rock falls, and rock five times harder than concrete made the rescue timeline unpredictable. Kept up-to-date via a constant stream of reports from the media, many Australians sat on the edge of their seats as rescuers inched closer.

On 9 May 2006, Brant Webb and Todd Russell were freed from their underground cage, after spending two weeks trapped in the collapsed Beaconsfield goldmine.

Location

Address:West Street, In front of Grubb Shaft Museum, Beaconsfield, 7270
State:TAS
Area:AUS
GPS Coordinates:Lat: -41.201419
Long: 146.815483
Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.
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Details

Monument Type:Plaque
Monument Theme:Disaster
Sub-Theme:Industrial
Actual Event Start Date:25-April-2006
Actual Event End Date:09-May-2006

Dedication

Actual Monument Dedication Date:Monday 29th May, 2006
Front Inscription

Presented on 29 May 2006 by the Prime Minister of Australia the Hon John Howard MP on the occasion of a Parliamentary reception to :

recognise the many Australians who assisted in the rescue of Todd Russell and Brant Webb from the Beaconsfield Gold Mine in 9 May 2006 ;

honour the memory of Larry Knight who lost his life at the Beaconsfield Gold Mine on 25 April 2006 ; 

and commemorate the resilience, generosity and spirit of mateship of the Beaconsfield community

Source: MA
Monument details supplied by Monument Australia - www.monumentaustralia.org.au