THE air was heavy with emotion when former BHP workers met for their last annual reunion.
Aubrey Brooks has organised the gathering of BHP workers, contractors and OneSteel employees under the Newcastle Industrial Heritage Association banner for the past 16 years, but Saturday’s event at Newcastle District Tennis Club was the last.
‘‘We had close to 500 people, the place was packed,’’ Mr Brooks said.
‘‘We had people in the auditorium, the bar area, spilling out onto the footpath.
‘‘You couldn’t hear yourself over the people talking about the old times, asking ‘Do you remember when?’ and ‘Have you seen?’
‘‘The atmosphere was unbelievable, it was very heart warming.’’
Mr Brooks said ‘the people’s manager’ Jack Risby, former section manager Eileen Doyle and a number of women who had worked in the typing pool were among the attendees.
‘‘A lot of people were asking me why this was going to be the last, but we’ve had a big year with the centenary of steel, the unveiling of the memorial sculpture, filling the time capsule and getting given the book [from BHP Billiton] with the names of people who died at the plant,’’ he said.
‘‘We wanted to go out with a big bang.
‘‘We’re marching into history now and we’re taking all the lost souls [of those who died] with us.’’
Mr Brooks said smaller satellite reunions, of boilermakers, for example, would live on, as would the memories of all former employees.
‘‘Steel is in their blood,’’ he said.
‘‘It’s all they’ve ever known.’’
Mr Brooks will continue to offer muster point tours, his services as a guest speaker and advocate for the establishment of an industrial precinct with artefacts on the former Newcastle steelworks site.
source:theherald.com.au
STUDIO 3 NEWCASTLE AUSTRALIA 