Goldtarget
(AKA OldGT)
Sitting here watching this program tonight. Thought it was worth a mention. Very interesting. Focusing on FIFO but good aussie production.
Flying Miners
- Thread starter Goldtarget
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Coyote
Cliff
Been doing it a few years now. Not all its cracked up to be. Love to be home every night, but that's not where the work is.
Goldpick
Chris Johnson
Same here, over 20 years of fifo. The money is good, but money isn't everything. I am happy just to be home with my partner, even if I am poorer for it. (financially that is) 
Family member in the mines but not fifo. Yep, a difficult time without partners/children and all the problems that come with it. Money isn't everything, a few years of fifo might put you in front financially, but often the jobs don't last as we saw on the program.
Goldpick
Chris Johnson
Problem is that you get used to good money, and spend it just as quick, it's more like an addiction where you find it very hard to go back to a normal lower paid city job. Spending money to me was an offset to the amount of time I spent away, trying to live life to its fullest in just a short period of time whilst on break. A lot of other people I knew lived in the same fashion.
If you do move into mining, a much better idea is to go into a residential role vs fifo, at least you have your partner and kids close by, and can enjoy some sort of lifestyle.
If you do move into mining, a much better idea is to go into a residential role vs fifo, at least you have your partner and kids close by, and can enjoy some sort of lifestyle.
been fifo for 5 years now.........almost had enough. it was a 5 year plan and the time is almost here............money's good though
- Joined
- Oct 31, 2013
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Yep, there are both pro's and con's. Harro did it for over 12 years and I did it for just over 8 years. Our kids had all grown up by the time I started in the FIFO so it wasn't too bad. You do get used to the money but that is exactly why we have both been able to retire now. He's 63 this year and I have just turned 55. Mind you, it wasn't too easy when his roster was a 4 and 1 and mine was a 3 and 1. Hard to catch up....or when we both were on 3 and 1 and he worked in QLD and I was over in WA. At least with that we both had our R & R at the same time. Would not recommend someone starting out with a new family. Have seen so many break ups it's not funny, or you see someone who has done it for years and when they do decide to call it quits, the other partner is so used to them not being there full time that quite often they break up. Then there's the mental health issue.....Definitely not for everyone! All I can say is that I'm glad it's over.
SWright
Steve Wright
Hi All
I did both - residential Kalgoorlie and fifo - up around the Isa and much preferred the residential especially as Kal was a great town to live in but not everyone can get a job there. Those poor people at Cue would have had it just as hard as if you were doing fifo. I found it was a bit like having two separate lives with different friends and all that. Working at the Isa and living in Townsville was a bit like having a holiday at the beach every two weeks except for all the jobs my wife have for me to do on my week off.
araluen
I did both - residential Kalgoorlie and fifo - up around the Isa and much preferred the residential especially as Kal was a great town to live in but not everyone can get a job there. Those poor people at Cue would have had it just as hard as if you were doing fifo. I found it was a bit like having two separate lives with different friends and all that. Working at the Isa and living in Townsville was a bit like having a holiday at the beach every two weeks except for all the jobs my wife have for me to do on my week off.
araluen
15 years in fifo (Uranium and Iron ore), set us up financially but we paid the ultimate price, lost the mother of my kids because i was never there, we grew apart!
Life was never quite the same for me again but as they say, life does go on doesn't it.
Its a single persons life but had some good mining buddies who's wives worked with them on site, on the same shift.....it seemed to work for them!
Sometimes.
I love what I do now in prospecting.....You can take the boy out of mining, but you can never take mining out of the boy!
Regards
Life was never quite the same for me again but as they say, life does go on doesn't it.
Its a single persons life but had some good mining buddies who's wives worked with them on site, on the same shift.....it seemed to work for them!
Sometimes.
I love what I do now in prospecting.....You can take the boy out of mining, but you can never take mining out of the boy!
Regards
Blind_Freddie
Ron
I am a fifo miner, been doing it for nearly ten years and have definitely had enough. The mine is finishing up soon so once I'm made redundant that'll be it, I'll go back to being home every night and working normal hours at least I hope so anyway. I can't wait for it to end...
