Unfortunate Mining Life

Eagle1

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To all my mining friends past and present another comrade is experiencing an all too familiar story. Imagine getting a text message on fly in day after 2 weeks away that says "get a taxi and get your shit off my lawn". Well its true, another one of my mates has got this message and now I'm really worried about him.
Just when he thought he was setting up his family for life by having a plan to pay off a great house, a car, toys and kids education BOOM!! the wife has decides she doesn't like him anymore. What place does a wife have to decide to kick him out and keep it all whilst she maintains her home lifestyle of coffee and afternoon drinks with her friends whilst all he was dong was providing for them?? Now he will now be working to pay support for her and the kids for another 10-15 years without any sense of family or assets to show for it. All without any adult face to face discussion just text message???
As FIFO husbands you know how hard it is to miss school assembly, school awards, birthdays and family events. We do FIFO for our family but sometimes our families don't understand or appreciate the sacrifice we make or just how hard it is for us.
None of us like the baine marie after the first week. FIFO is not dining out the second week in. Occo busso Monday, boiled chicken tuesday, curry chicken Wednesday, Chicken casserole Thursday, Fush and Chups Friday, pork chop sat, lamb roast (dried) sunday. REPEAT......ALL between the hours of 7-8pm.
The two weeks looks like this. WAke up at 0430 go get breakfast (boiled bacon and cold eggs), make your lunch (salad and cold pressed meat again) get a bus at 0530 to be on site at 0600 (the rest of the world still asleep so cant call kids). for the next 12 hours no phone or text allowed, do the same job everyday then at 1800 hand paperwork in and get bus back to camp by 1845. Shower, try and get laundry in washing machine. get dinner (see above). then get washing out and try and get a dryer. all without falling asleep and go to room to watch the same movie that's been running for 4 weeks. in between trying to call a tired wife at home.
So my FIFO mates he's not the only one going through this please dont crash your motorbike or car into a tree or let your mates get traumatised by finding you have necked yourself in your donga on site. Most importantly call your mates for a yarn. I'm here for you big dog. Or if you are too proud to do that call Lifelines on 13 1114 or beyond blue on 1300 224 636.
i've been to 10 funerals for FIFO mates I dont want another.
 

Dawgfather

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To all my mining friends past and present another comrade is experiencing an all too familiar story. Imagine getting a text message on fly in day after 2 weeks away that says "get a taxi and get your shit off my lawn". Well its true, another one of my mates has got this message and now I'm really worried about him.
Just when he thought he was setting up his family for life by having a plan to pay off a great house, a car, toys and kids education BOOM!! the wife has decides she doesn't like him anymore. What place does a wife have to decide to kick him out and keep it all whilst she maintains her home lifestyle of coffee and afternoon drinks with her friends whilst all he was dong was providing for them?? Now he will now be working to pay support for her and the kids for another 10-15 years without any sense of family or assets to show for it. All without any adult face to face discussion just text message???
As FIFO husbands you know how hard it is to miss school assembly, school awards, birthdays and family events. We do FIFO for our family but sometimes our families don't understand or appreciate the sacrifice we make or just how hard it is for us.
None of us like the baine marie after the first week. FIFO is not dining out the second week in. Occo busso Monday, boiled chicken tuesday, curry chicken Wednesday, Chicken casserole Thursday, Fush and Chups Friday, pork chop sat, lamb roast (dried) sunday. REPEAT......ALL between the hours of 7-8pm.
The two weeks looks like this. WAke up at 0430 go get breakfast (boiled bacon and cold eggs), make your lunch (salad and cold pressed meat again) get a bus at 0530 to be on site at 0600 (the rest of the world still asleep so cant call kids). for the next 12 hours no phone or text allowed, do the same job everyday then at 1800 hand paperwork in and get bus back to camp by 1845. Shower, try and get laundry in washing machine. get dinner (see above). then get washing out and try and get a dryer. all without falling asleep and go to room to watch the same movie that's been running for 4 weeks. in between trying to call a tired wife at home.
So my FIFO mates he's not the only one going through this please dont crash your motorbike or car into a tree or let your mates get traumatised by finding you have necked yourself in your donga on site. Most importantly call your mates for a yarn. I'm here for you big dog. Or if you are too proud to do that call Lifelines on 13 1114 or beyond blue on 1300 224 636.
i've been to 10 funerals for FIFO mates I dont want another.
This is heart breaking and I share the pain you and he clearly must feel. I spent a portion of my career flying in and out of a number of remote mine sites, and the lifestyle is brutal. The level of isolation you experience when you're out there is not on par with anything else that I've experienced and I think most city slickers have zero appreciation of this.

Most city slickers assume miners earn big bucks without realising what they go through to earn it.

All the best to your mate.
 

Eagle1

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This is heart breaking and I share the pain you and he clearly must feel. I spent a portion of my career flying in and out of a number of remote mine sites, and the lifestyle is brutal. The level of isolation you experience when you're out there is not on par with anything else that I've experienced and I think most city slickers have zero appreciation of this.

Most city slickers assume miners earn big bucks without realising what they go through to earn it.

All the best to your mate.
It's sad I know but it's the positivity around them , I've been through it myself but hey never say die and don't let adversity bring you down
 

steve1700

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I'm looking to get into mining industry but how you make it sound im not so sure now I suppose tge wage might make it worth it.
 

Dawgfather

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It's sad I know but it's the positivity around them , I've been through it myself but hey never say die and don't let adversity bring you down
Some mining companies and contractors do camp life better than others, and towards the end of my stint flying in and out of mining camps, some of the newer camps had a much better lifestyle with access to decent amenity but there was still plenty of camps that were more depressing than most could imagine.
 

Dawgfather

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I'm looking to get into mining industry but how you make it sound im not so sure now I suppose tge wage might make it worth it.
It's not a bad proposition if you're still a young bloke in their 20's and ideally single. If that's who you are, then it's actually a great lifestyle.
 

steve1700

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It's not a bad proposition if you're still a young bloke in their 20's and ideally single. If that's who you are, then it's actually a great lifestyle.
I'm the opposite 40 and married hahahaha
 

Dawgfather

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I'm the opposite 40 and married
There's no one rule that fits for everyone, but my personal opinion is that unless you have an extremely understanding partner and a very solid and mature marriage, FIFO lifestyle is a dangerous proposition to consider.
 

Caveman

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I'm the opposite 40 and married hahahaha
Go and get your MC licence and drive bdoubles, good work life balance and great pay once you've got a few hrs under your belt.

I was doing 3 days on 2 off 4on 3off and on $148k plus 5 weeks annual leave.
 

N4TE

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To throw his shit out on the lawn kind of hopefully justifies the move is right in the long term in your mates head. Won’t be ever easy but hopefully look back and think fuck I’m glad I’m not still with someone that thinks it’s okay to play that sort of bullshit. Very tough journey ahead of him.
 

Eagle1

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I wish I had enought money to build a rehabilitation place for the unfortunate people
 
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