Appin Mine Memorial Print Page

The monument commemorates the fourteen miners who were killed in the Appin mine explosion in 1979.  It was unveiled on the 41st anniversary of the event.

The monument consists of 14 steel arches each representing one of the miners who died, gently curved upwards and inwards to form a tunnel, reminiscent of a longwall mine tunnel. The arches were made from local BlueScope Steel and the sculpture's three hardwood seating areas were made by members of the Appin Men's Shed.

The southern district was rocked on the night of 24 July 1979 by a coal dust explosion at the Appin Colliery that took the lives of 14 miners. The explosion was ignited by methane gas and occurred at 11pm in the K panel, the most remote tunnel of the mine about three kilometres underground. Ten members of the Miners Federation died at the section crib room while having crib, and the other four men were found at varying distances towards the face. The disaster shook the small Appin community, leaving 38 children fatherless. One of the victims, John Stonham, left behind a wife and nine children.

Miner Jurgen Lauterbach was eating dinner in a crib room 600 metres underground when sparks from a fan starter box ignited a build-up of methane gas.  The explosion at the Appin Mine, south-west of Sydney, was felt more than a kilometre away and killed Mr Lauterbach and 13 of his colleagues.

His younger brother Frank was asleep at the family home nearby when police knocked at the back door at around 3:00am.  "We went to the mine and waited for the bodies to be bought out," he said.  "I was numb and just thought, 'this can't be true, this can't be happening'.

Forty-six men were in the mine when the explosion occurred around 11:00pm on July 24, 1979.  The search and rescue effort for survivors took more than 16 hours.

No charges were laid over the incident despite two subsequent inquiries into the cause of the blast.  "Justice wasn't served is my problem," Mr Lauterbach said.  "No-one was fined, no-one went to jail. "That's not right and it still doesn't sit well with me."

Gail Rawlings lost her partner Roy in the disaster and said the explosion was an ongoing reminder of the importance of safe work practices.  "It can never be forgotten."

The mine's new owner Illawarra Metallurgical Coal is set to unveil a new memorial at Appin today to mark the 41st anniversary of incident.

"The commemorative sculpture has been created in consultation with the victims' families and provides space for contemplation and remembrance," vice president of operations Wayne Bull said.  "It is important we honour the memory of the 14 men who lost their lives and acknowledge the deep and ongoing impact it had on their families, colleagues, and the broader community."

The mine's new owner Illawarra Metallurgical Coal is set to unveil a new memorial at Appin today to mark the 41st anniversary of incident.  "The commemorative sculpture has been created in consultation with the victims' families and provides space for contemplation and remembrance," vice president of operations Wayne Bull said.

"It is important we honour the memory of the 14 men who lost their lives and acknowledge the deep and ongoing impact it had on their families, colleagues, and the broader community."  The design has been praised by Mr Lauterbach, who will be cutting the ribbon at the commemorative ceremony.

"It's emotional overdrive for me, it's absolutely wonderful," he said.  "Everything aside, it's a great feeling that the mine now is addressing the situation.  "It's a healing process and we're heading the right way now."

[ ABC News. www.abc.net.au, 24 July 2020 ]

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