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Noel White (1923-2019) - Chief Surveyor, Ayrfield Collieries. Recorded 16 June 1992. Part 1/2.

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Noel White was born at West Wallsend in 1923. Mr White's father worked as Chief Surveyor of the Hebburn Group, a position which Noel White was to achieve in later life.

Perhaps overshadowing his working life as a surveyor in the mining industry, was Mr White's rugby league career in which he represented both NSW, Queensland and Australia, usually playing in the wing or centre position. He played in the local league competition and later moved to Townsville for work reasons. Playing as captain-coach of the local team they won a premiership in his first year in charge.

He later moved to Brisbane and after a career ending injury he returned to the coalfields to work at Bloomfield Colliery in 1947.

In 1951 he was appointed Chief Surveyor of Ayrfield Collieries. He was married to Norma Phillips in 1949, having two sons, Brian and Phillip and a daughter, Jan.

SummaryNOEL WHITE
Recorded Tuesday 16 June 1992
Part 1/2

Noel was a surveyor at Ayrfield No 3 Colliery. Follows an earlier tape made 2/3 years ago.

00:44
Noel draws a mud map of the pit top – including the main road from Cessnock – road past Greta Main to the colliery offices and turned to Millfield North. The gantry, the surveyor’s office, the tunnel mouth leading to the pit top.

3:40
Noel didn’t have much to do with the homes of the workers or the mine itself.

4:26
He indicates the bath house. The coal was dumped on a flat piece of land.

7:51
The air shaft and tunnel – in relation to the escarpment and outcrop.

9:40
Pumps and conveyor used to load the coal into a bin and alligator.

12:46
They used to discharge the coal into the alligator via the conveyor. There were ventilator holes on the map.

15:25
Mine subsidence show bearings and base line pegs.

16:24
Noel was based at Ayrfield 3. He was working at Bloomfield. He damaged his leg in a game in Queensland – he married Norma in 1948 and he returned to Weston with Norma. They lived and worked at Bloomfield. He was 24/25.

20:54
Noel went to work as the chief surveyor of 5 collieries at Ayrfield, Millfield and Millfield North and Great Northern at Teralba (called Rhondda). He lived at Kurri and had the use of a car.

23:45
Hector Harrison was his assistant.

25:59
Miller’s pits – he started with them in 1951 till 1966 – 17 years.

26:40
Peter Murray was the manager until Kelly retired and became superintendent.

28:54
Noel worked on the Hexham Box which was part of Hexham Engineering for J & A Brown. It was on a gooseneck track. The block and tackle was under the wharf and the ship would winch itself forward till the boom was over the hold. The ship was then loaded. The weighbridge would weigh 30 tonnes of coal. The conveyor belt would go from underneath the bin into the hopper.

32:30
The ship had to be loaded on the tide – the skippers said they had to cut a new channel out – the hull was skidding in the mud. Bouncing off the mud.

33:15
The coal went into Miller’s ships.

35:00
The coals were driven past the office in trucks past the pit top bins. One of the trucks came off the road. Kelly and the Millers had him doing 4 or 5 jobs without extra pay.

39:01
Wakefield – they decided to run the cable over the mountains and drop it down in a bore. They wanted to get a substation into position – the cable was 4” in diameter, with each one as thick as your finger, made of steel –it takes about an arc of 10’ to get the bend. Using calculations he was trying to calculate the point below ground where the point would occur above the ground. Where a high degree of accuracy was needed and using a percussion drill ( not a diamond drill) – when the drill came up through the roof “it knocked the chalk mark off the roof.”

43:21
They reorganized the whole pit top at Great Northern – they drove a rising belt to the surface bringing the skips into bins and loaded it on to belts.

45:05
They decided to drive underground tunnels on an arc to join up with the other headings. They went beyond the barrier board into the solid rock so it was level.

46:43
Kelly became impatient and he decided to drive the other one at the same time so they had to be level and to join together. Noel calculated it accurately. He was never thanked by Kelly who figured Noel was only doing his job.

Tape duration 46:55. Last edited by: Dave Trimble

SubjectWhite, Noel, 1923-2019 Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

SurveyorsAyrfield No. 3 Colliery (N.S.W.)Wakefield (N.S.W)Millfield Colliery (N.S.W.)Northern Rhondda Colliery (N.S.W.)R.W. Miller & Co.PersonJack Delaney Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

Depicts or Relates ToBede Kelly Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

CreatorWhite, Noel, 1923-Delaney, Jack, 1919-2010CollectionVoices of the Hunter Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

Date Created16th June 1992Location^[1]Ayrfield No. 3 Colliery, NSW Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

^[2]Northern Rhondda Colliery, NSW Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

Identifier431A Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

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