Archive for November, 2010

As human beings we are separated from life and death by a mere heartbeat or two.Loved ones we saw in the morning can be gone from us forever in the afternoon.

This has been graphically  the incredibly sad case only this week , when exacly 7 days almost to the minute as I am typing, 29 coal miners from the Pike River Coal Mine on the South Island West Coast of New Zealand became trapped underground, after a massive explosion of Methane Gas ripped through the mine.

New Zealand along with our closest friends and neighbours in Australia, South Africa and Britain all with miners trapped, waited in agony as efforts were stalled because of the high levels of gas still in the mine, making rescue attempts impossible.

Looking at the damage to the ventilation shafts and surrounding scorched bush and trees, should have prepared us to believe that the chances of survival were at the best part slim. Maybe if we had looked at the results of a similar mining accident in the United States in early April of this year , we would have seen a gas explosion had killed an identical number of miners. The similarities and the repucusions are frighteningly similar, especially on whether rescurers should have gone in immediately after the first explosion.

But instead the worlds press and local  media had our nation sitting on the edge of our seats ,as we waited for a miracle such as what happened after an August 5 cave in at the San Jos’e mine in the Atacama Desert , Chile.

To a massive world wide audience of over 1 billion, 33 men were brought to the surface after being trapped for a record 69 days. The estimated USD20 million cost  to rescue these men was probably the best money ever spent …. which would certainly be the view of loved ones anxiously waiting on the surface.

I am in little doubt the grieving families and friends at Pike River, would have paid that amount many times over to see their loved ones again.

But the ephoric hope generated by the Chilean rescue was sadly far different to the reality of both Pike River  and the Upper Big Branch Mines, simply because the Chile Mine was a copper – gold mine and the nature of the entrapment was a cave in where as the latter two were the results of deadly toxic and volitle gas explosions.

I wonder whether our expectations would have been different if the Chilean rescue had not happened.   This would have left our thoughts with a biase towards the earlier lethal and deadly mine blast in the United States.

It is easy to comment on hindsight. But with all underground mines, I am amazed there is no rear door exit. In cars, buses , houses and buildings there is always  ” a back door “.   It is called an emergency exit. After all when it only took less than a couple of days to drill the 170 metres into the mine with a 6 inch hole, why when the mine was being developed where there not more escape exits that at least meant the men could have had a better chance of survival than having to walk the 2 kms out of the mine.through the front  and only entrance?

Mining disasters are many, especially in coal and hard rock mining. China has many mining accidents …80% of the worlds yearly total, but other countries have shared in the disasters that befall one of the worlds most dangerous occupations.

Belgium 262 miners in one mine Aug 8 1956, the Hillcrest Mine Disaster in Canada in June 1914 left 189 men dead, 130 widows and 400 children fatherless. Chile June 1945, 355 miners died in a single coal mine disaster , overcome by carbon dioxide.But maybe the worst in terms of loss of life  Courrie’res Northern France a staggering 1,099 miners , many just children on the 10th March 1906.

Even the loss of one person is tragic especially when they have so much living to look foward to in their life ahead. And it is on that topic I want to close.

So many people think that because they are young, the will live at least to the three score years and 10 ( 70 years of age).Yes…. statistically that should happen, but sadly that is not the realisation for many people.Take every day as a blessing, and Bless others by being a blessing to them. It does not take much only a little time . And It may only require a hug, a reasurring word the promise to stay in touch, by a letter, or E mail   or text, …. even a regular phone call.

But please do it. There would be many on the West Coast Of New Zealand and in West Viginia in the United States, who would have loved to have done much more of any of those things with the ones they loved and no so painfully miss.

One of the sadest and moving songs I heard is one I hope you will listen to , especially if you have a child, or a loved one who is away from you at present.

It is called Bring Him Home with the Wonderful Voice of Colm Wilkinson, a song from Les Miserables.

Here is the link…..

Give those you love all the love you can give them, not just occasionally but often!!!

I will write again Soon. I love your comments they keep me inspired to write

Friday 26th November 2010