Congratulations Peter Walsh on 40 years of service to mining

Congratulations to Hunter Valley Operations (HVO) Continuation Project Manager Peter Walsh on 40 years of service to the mining industry. His career journey has been highlighted in a My Mining Life feature of @ The Coalface Magazine.

Peter’s career in mining started in 1984 at what is now HVO. He was an apprentice fitter and turner in 1984 at Lemington No1 Underground.

He said he received great training and was fortunate to win several apprentice of the year awards in those formative years.

Peter wanted to be an engineer but also wanted to have a trade background. He became an engineer in 1996. In 2007 he moved into projects work. His current project is the design and seeking of approval for HVO’s Continuation Project – the proposal to continue mining until 2050.

Peter said he is enormously grateful for the opportunities the mining industry has offered him. As well as the Hunter Valley, he’s worked in Western Australia, Tasmania, Queensland and Canada.

When asked by the magazine for his thoughts on criticism of the mining industry, Peter had this to say.

“I don’t think a lot of people appreciate how much the Australian mining industry, and indeed the NSW coal industry, contributes to their standard of living and the daily expectations of how their world works. Yes, we have an environmental impact, but we put in a lot of work to minimise our impact. Minimising and abating greenhouse gas emissions is something we factor into our mine design and operations too, but we can’t turn off Australian coal mining instantly and maintain the lifestyles we enjoy.”

When he is not at work, Peter is a keen cricketer. He plays for Newcastle Hunter Veterans Cricket and also fills in for some local club cricket games.

Everyone at HVO congratulates Peter on his mining innings of 40 not out. Bat on!

You can read the Coalface Magazine story here.