THEY alighted the train onto the brick platform after the eight-hour trip from Byron Bay into a cold westerly gust. The dusty wind swirled, chilling them to the bone. Hailing a taxi they loaded their two baby daughters, stroller and two bags ready to start a new life in Newcastle. They would remember the dust from the platform covering their scarce belongings for years to come. Their new home was a caravan in the landlords backyard in waratah for six months until they could buy their dream home in New Lambton for 3000 pounds. By 1959 Byron Bay's railways and whaling station had closed down. Newcastle was booming. Byron Bay had been home for two generations, but now changes were needed. Big Harry's, as BHP was known, had jobs, lots of jobs. Bruce was offered a position as a water attendant in the Number Two Merchant Mill.
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TODAY was the 10th anniversary of Bruces new life in Newcastle.
Peeling off his thick protective coat, Bruce wiped his brow. It had been a long and tiring double shift. He was used to them. That afternoon Bruce had waved farewell to Mary and his girls at 2pm, expecting to be in his bed around midnight. But that night when Stevie had rung in sick, he knew he was in for a long night. Dog watch was the shift the men hated the most. It ruined their family time, making them irritated and tired.
But Bruce liked the quietness he found in the unbroken noise of the machines during dog shift. Occasionally he could catch a nap if the boss wasn't around. Those were the good shifts. Tonight had not been one of those nights. Steel making had never been for the faint hearted. It was dirty, hot and often dangerous work. Safety had been improving in the 10 years since Bruce had started. Sturdier boots were just being supplied. No more mending your own boots with Nylex in a vice on your days off. Management had started courses in safety after several fatal accidents.
Things were changing, but inevitably accidents still occurred. Tonight all hell had broken out. A major fault had shut down production. Electricians, maintenance staff and bosses were everywhere, frantically trying to trace the fault and get the mill running again. Time was money. Tommy the Pommy shouted shrilly at his crew and frustration was thick in the air. Bruno the new apprentice had been rattled by the chaos. Forgetting safety, Bruno had had a near miss with severe burns from the molten steel. The medical centre was a picture of hustle and bustle, more to attend to was a far cry from what was needed.
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GOOD morning, Greenie he yelled out as his work mate showed up to takeover from him. Putting his time card into the clock, Bruce traded his heavy blue coat and hard hat for his pants and bicycle clips ready to ride home. Hanbury Street bridge fast approached and Bruce was cautious there were so many more cars then a few years ago and many thought it was funny to knock a cyclist off of their bike. Last week on Turton Road riding home at midnight, Bruce had almost been knocked of his bike by a motorist.
Long shifts and riding his bike to and from work, day and night, sunshine and rain was yet another hazard of his job. He realised while he was reminiscing that he hadn't had a single sick day since he started. He must really love this place or he was caught up in the routine so much he couldn't change. He wasn't sure which one it was.
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MARY and his two daughters had settled in well. Susan and Elizabeth knew no other life now. The steelworks tentacles spread life and drew people from all over Australia and overseas seeking work and a happy life. The Steel City had become home. They loved it.
Their street was a mix of doctors, housewives, university professors, lifetime residents and new Australians, just beginning to make their new life. Even if they weren't employed directly by the BHP nearly everyone had a link to the steelworks. While outsiders sneered at the chimney stacks of the furnaces spewing out smoke, the township knew it was the city's heartbeat. The soul was the energy of the residents in their quest for a happy life.
Things were changing at the steel works. Demand for steel was growing. More male workers and even women were being employed in production jobs. The city was growing fast. New Lambton had been a quiet, tea-tree-filled suburb. New shops, new families and more cars flocked to fill suburbs from Mayfield all the way out to Lake Macquarie and beyond. All this the flow from the mighty Steelworks. Bruce had taken a call last year from his sister, Iris. She too wanted to move south. Now she was studying at Teachers College, building a new house in Warners Bay. Life kept circling the changes as a result of the booming Newcastle steelworks. Bruce's brother also moved to town finding work in the building industry which spawned from the bustle. Bruce shook his head at the direction life had taken them all.
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Big Harry's had just had the first air-conditioner installed, a computer had arrived with an entire room especially set up for it. The city within a city was shining brighter than ever before. Eleven thousand and five hundred people now clocked on and off. The family networks had established, new careers started, new suburbs forged, new industries and businesses had sprung up. Newcastle was a melting pot of workers, nationalities, skills, stories, life and energy. Just as the molten steel flowed, so did the life of those employed by Big Harrys.
The life cycle continued as two days later Bruce and Mary welcomed another baby into the city, Sandra. Life couldn't be better.