Influences of Miners’ Lodges on local community - Mick Frame - 1987

Interview by Robyn Cagney in 1987 with Mr Mick Frame about the influences of Miners’ Lodges on the local community of Hunter coalfields.

Mick Frame was a community leader, former Deputy Lord Mayor of Cessnock, Former Lodge Treasurer at Abermain Mines, and retired mine worker. He worked in the mining industry for 47 years, starting aged 13 at Hebburn No.2 in 1924, and finishing at Newvale colliery at Lake Macquarie in 1971.

He recalls his experiences and participation in the Rothbury Riots. Mick talks about the history of Lodges, their contribution to the local community, particularly the establishment of Kurri Kurri Hospital when it was identified that medical support was needed after mining accidents. The early hospital had 5 beds, this was a building on the corner of Rawson and Alexander Streets, Kurri Kurri. Miners paid a contribution towards medical services, and also supported the establishment of libraries and School of Arts.

The Margaret Henry Oral History Archive is a collection of audio tapes, transcripts, summaries and essays that were part of the Oral Histories Open Foundation Course (1986-1989). Margaret Henry was a history lecturer at the UON in the 1980s.

The oral history tapes have been digitised by Special Collections, UON Library and made freely available to the wider global research community thanks to the generosity of The Vera Deacon Regional History Fund.
The wider collection of Margaret Henry Oral History Archive – over 220 in total and with many stories of Newcastle, the Hunter Valley and its surrounds and records voices describing the Regions cultural, intellectual and social life. It is an incredible legacy to Margaret Henry.

The original audio tapes and written sources are held in Special Collections at the Auchmuty Library, University of Newcastle (Australia).

You are welcome to use the sources for study and personal research purposes. Please acknowledge as Courtesy of the “Margaret Henry Oral History Archive, University of Newcastle (Australia)" For commercial requests you must obtain permission by contacting Special Collections.

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These sources are provided free of charge to the global community thanks to the generosity of the Vera Deacon Regional History Fund. Information about the Vera Deacon History Fund is here uoncc.wordpress.com/vera-deacon-fund/ And you can directly donate here: dotnet.newcastle.edu.au/donations/