A wonderful, moving, simply told and beautifully edited story. I feel such respect for these two men and for all the miners and the mine manager and the medics involved in their rescue. They seem to be natural story tellers, as well as being so strong and grounded when it counted. I noted that each of the two men stepped in and continued talking when the other found a particular aspect too upsetting to talk about.
Brant and Todd and their families deserve every dollar that their story will bring them and the chance to live in a safe environment. They deserve a happy life above ground and one can only hope for a safer work environment for other miners who must continue in the industry. Both Larry’s family and the mine manager and his staff will be mourning the loss of Larry so we feel for them all at the same time as we are feeling thankful for the rescue of Brant and Todd.
Tracy Grimshaw was at her best in this story - her dry sense of humour matched that of the guys perfectly - I doubt that any other interviewer could have conducted this tragic but courageous storytelling in a better way.
Meanwhile, in China, 15 miners a day are reportedly being killed in accidents in coal mines.
Posted by Polly Watch on 22/05/06 at 10:52 PM
A point, perhaps THE point, about Polly Watch’s closing remark - “Meanwhile, in China . . . accidents in coal mines” - is that the main difference in how authorities in each nation react to such disasters lies in media freedom and political accountability; it’s not surprising [well, it shouldn’t be] that post-WWII Europe’s worst mining tragedies “routinely” took place in the old “workers’ paradise” of the USSR.
How the Beaconsfield mine rescue was covered in one edition of one UK paper:
Posted by Leonard Colquhoun on 23/05/06 at 02:03 AM
Good link Leonard—interesting that the Poms list Shane Warne as one of our enduring ‘macho heroes’. His mobile phone provider probably thinks so.
And now we can all sit back and wait to see how the government handles the all-encompassing enquiry we need to have to understand a) whether this whole thing was avoidable and b) whether the mine will remain viable. Of course, if it doesn’t, a pulp mill will answer everyone’s prayers, won’t it?
Stay tuned. And just quietly—good onya, Todd and Brant. I was with yas up until yas started singing that wretched Kenny Rogers song. (This year’s winning Eurovision entry was a marked improvement, I can assure ya.)
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