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Noel White (1923-2019) - Chief Surveyor, Ayrfield Collieries. Recorded 16 June 1992. Part 2/2.
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SummaryNOEL WHITE
Recorded Tuesday 16 June 1992
Part 2/2
1:29
Rothbury pit top – the Box from here may have been transferred to Hexham.
4:39
The railhead was hooked up the siding at Branxton. No 1 was an outcrop mine whose tunnels only went to the level. Cwmdu, a Welsh name owned by Dick Thomas bought from him by Millers. This side of Black Creek. Across the creek Ayrfield 1, 2 & 3 started.
7:00
Old Rothbury miners who had been in the riots in 1929 – were still working there when Noel was there. They said it was a pretty nasty time.
7:55
Merewether's owned the Cwmdu property and the Tomas took out mining leases on the land and paid royalties to them. Millers paid Merewether’s royalties the whole time he worked for them.
10:10
Originally Ayrfield No 1 was on a property called Harefield – Samuel Clift owned it.
11:05
Peter Murray was only at Rhondda. Dick Thomas became the manager when Noel was there. Kelly dispensed with his services and became both manager and superintendent. He would arrive at 2 pm when Noel was to leave at 3 pm, fill the fridge with Miller's beer and he used to think if he was giving you free beer you should stay on. Noel would get in his car and go home to his wife and kids in Kurri. Kelly would say “Where’s White? Isn’t he interested in his job?”
12:35
Kelly’s mother was RW Miller’s sister – so Kelly was Miller’s nephew.
12:45
The engineer was Reggie Dixon from Cessnock. He was a good engineer and crucified by Kelly. Nobody got rewarded.
13:50
He’d been paying into a life insurance – Rod Miller turned the policy over to him.
14:34
No superannuation. He lost everything- subscriptions to the miner’s fund, because he left of his own accord.
15:42
The three sons of the Miller’s family – Roderick, Robert and Marcus.
16:10
Kelly kept the Miller boys away from the mines. Roderick got into investment. Robert got into shipping and Marcus into hotels.
16:35
Neither thought Kelly was a shareholder. Rupert Brierley first interviewed Noel. Pierce was early in Miller’s history – he was an early director.
18:35
Audrey Dee was a coal ship – Stanley Pierce got Miller interested in land at Tester’s Hollow. He was always a director of Miller’s companies. Jack talks about Miller’s coal search and his contact with Merewether.
21:40
Dick Thomas told Noel that Millers stole Cwmdu off him. Dick was pressured into being a manager. Dick was working for wages – the Millers were hard, ruthless men.
25:00
He drew up new mine plans at Bloomfield – Ironbark Estate – Parish of Hexham – 2 symmetrical plots fronting the Minmi Road – Portion 11 & 12, about 1200 chains x 640 chains. The Donaldson and the Big Ben seam, offshoots from Bloomfield.
27:30
Miller didn't work them in White's time. They acquired them, established a washery but it never got going. Miller as a company has gone – Howard Smith Coal and Allied took over. It owns only 20% of Mt Thorley. Possibly a Korean Co owns 80%.
30:00
Ian McLeod – no loyalties with mining companies. Alex Wardrop – a Miller
man trained by Kelly. He was at Millfield and Ayrfield.
33:30
Noel’s plans for water and drainage at Hungerford. Pumps, fuel, pulleys and belts. The art of hydraulics – what sort of a head you had to pump it against.
36:00
Pumping from reservoirs – using 8” pipes made from flange steel – 6 stage pumps to the reservoir – cast iron housings around the pipes – driven by Castlemaine Perkins centrifugal pumps.
39:15
These pumps were driven by flame proof electrical motors.
40:15
The Ayrfield workshops in relation to the tunnel were alongside the tunnel. They were pretty extensive made from galvanized iron and incorporated the blacksmith’s workshop. The building was more than 100 ft long by 50 ft wide with a 20 ft trusses in the roof. Fabrication and welding was done there in the 50’s.
42:15
Before Noel went there, they’d advertised for a surveyor for 2 years.
42:45
Discussion about Ayrfield 3, 4, 5 and 6. The last was getting too vertical – so they went to open cut mining following the seam until it started to crush itself together at the bottom of it. They had timbers across the bottom to hold it apart and it was just crushing the timbers and coming together. They ended up just cutting the seam width probably 20 ft of coal. The open cut would have been over a mile. It was almost anthracite. Noel said No. 5 had closed when he started they and it became part of the open cut. It was impossible to work as an underground mine. The audio gets a bit wobbly towards the end.
Tape duration 46:07.
SubjectWhite, Noel, 1923-2019PersonJack DelaneyDepicts or Relates ToBede KellyIan MacleodCollectionVoices of the HunterLocation[1] Ayrfield No. 3 Colliery, NSW[2] Northern Rhondda Colliery, NSWIdentifier431B
Recorded Tuesday 16 June 1992
Part 2/2
1:29
Rothbury pit top – the Box from here may have been transferred to Hexham.
4:39
The railhead was hooked up the siding at Branxton. No 1 was an outcrop mine whose tunnels only went to the level. Cwmdu, a Welsh name owned by Dick Thomas bought from him by Millers. This side of Black Creek. Across the creek Ayrfield 1, 2 & 3 started.
7:00
Old Rothbury miners who had been in the riots in 1929 – were still working there when Noel was there. They said it was a pretty nasty time.
7:55
Merewether's owned the Cwmdu property and the Tomas took out mining leases on the land and paid royalties to them. Millers paid Merewether’s royalties the whole time he worked for them.
10:10
Originally Ayrfield No 1 was on a property called Harefield – Samuel Clift owned it.
11:05
Peter Murray was only at Rhondda. Dick Thomas became the manager when Noel was there. Kelly dispensed with his services and became both manager and superintendent. He would arrive at 2 pm when Noel was to leave at 3 pm, fill the fridge with Miller's beer and he used to think if he was giving you free beer you should stay on. Noel would get in his car and go home to his wife and kids in Kurri. Kelly would say “Where’s White? Isn’t he interested in his job?”
12:35
Kelly’s mother was RW Miller’s sister – so Kelly was Miller’s nephew.
12:45
The engineer was Reggie Dixon from Cessnock. He was a good engineer and crucified by Kelly. Nobody got rewarded.
13:50
He’d been paying into a life insurance – Rod Miller turned the policy over to him.
14:34
No superannuation. He lost everything- subscriptions to the miner’s fund, because he left of his own accord.
15:42
The three sons of the Miller’s family – Roderick, Robert and Marcus.
16:10
Kelly kept the Miller boys away from the mines. Roderick got into investment. Robert got into shipping and Marcus into hotels.
16:35
Neither thought Kelly was a shareholder. Rupert Brierley first interviewed Noel. Pierce was early in Miller’s history – he was an early director.
18:35
Audrey Dee was a coal ship – Stanley Pierce got Miller interested in land at Tester’s Hollow. He was always a director of Miller’s companies. Jack talks about Miller’s coal search and his contact with Merewether.
21:40
Dick Thomas told Noel that Millers stole Cwmdu off him. Dick was pressured into being a manager. Dick was working for wages – the Millers were hard, ruthless men.
25:00
He drew up new mine plans at Bloomfield – Ironbark Estate – Parish of Hexham – 2 symmetrical plots fronting the Minmi Road – Portion 11 & 12, about 1200 chains x 640 chains. The Donaldson and the Big Ben seam, offshoots from Bloomfield.
27:30
Miller didn't work them in White's time. They acquired them, established a washery but it never got going. Miller as a company has gone – Howard Smith Coal and Allied took over. It owns only 20% of Mt Thorley. Possibly a Korean Co owns 80%.
30:00
Ian McLeod – no loyalties with mining companies. Alex Wardrop – a Miller
man trained by Kelly. He was at Millfield and Ayrfield.
33:30
Noel’s plans for water and drainage at Hungerford. Pumps, fuel, pulleys and belts. The art of hydraulics – what sort of a head you had to pump it against.
36:00
Pumping from reservoirs – using 8” pipes made from flange steel – 6 stage pumps to the reservoir – cast iron housings around the pipes – driven by Castlemaine Perkins centrifugal pumps.
39:15
These pumps were driven by flame proof electrical motors.
40:15
The Ayrfield workshops in relation to the tunnel were alongside the tunnel. They were pretty extensive made from galvanized iron and incorporated the blacksmith’s workshop. The building was more than 100 ft long by 50 ft wide with a 20 ft trusses in the roof. Fabrication and welding was done there in the 50’s.
42:15
Before Noel went there, they’d advertised for a surveyor for 2 years.
42:45
Discussion about Ayrfield 3, 4, 5 and 6. The last was getting too vertical – so they went to open cut mining following the seam until it started to crush itself together at the bottom of it. They had timbers across the bottom to hold it apart and it was just crushing the timbers and coming together. They ended up just cutting the seam width probably 20 ft of coal. The open cut would have been over a mile. It was almost anthracite. Noel said No. 5 had closed when he started they and it became part of the open cut. It was impossible to work as an underground mine. The audio gets a bit wobbly towards the end.
Tape duration 46:07.
SubjectWhite, Noel, 1923-2019PersonJack DelaneyDepicts or Relates ToBede KellyIan MacleodCollectionVoices of the HunterLocation[1] Ayrfield No. 3 Colliery, NSW[2] Northern Rhondda Colliery, NSWIdentifier431Bloading google map....
Delaney, Jack, 1919-2010, Noel White (1923-2019) - Chief Surveyor, Ayrfield Collieries. Recorded 16 June 1992. Part 2/2., [431B]. Living Histories, accessed 28/09/2023, https://livinghistories.newcastle.edu.au/nodes/view/56089