Women and Death in a Mining Community

Abstract

When we hear about accidents or fatalities at work, all too often it is put to us in terms of bare statistics, but rarely do the media comprehend what it means for those directly and indirectly affected. Underground coal mining is one of the most dangerous industries there is, and whenaccidents strike they affect whole communities. We spoke to women in the Queensland coal town of Moura about how they organised through the women's auxiliaries and the experiences of the women, their families and friends, and the town, including the role of the media, in the disasters that struck the community in the last quarter of the last century.