The Gap
1977 the year I uprooted my life to be one of the first seven women to work in a Northwest mine. Where I met people, made lifelong friends had relationships and for the first time in my life fell in love. This is the introduction to that story:
Do I really want to be here, look at the heat haze on the tarmac. For better or worse I’m here now willing to give it a go.
To think just the other day, it was an advert in the Saturday paper employment column, what a week is has been. After I applied, I received a telegram advising me of an interview, that was easy, having had several months experience working at Alcoa Dwellingup, as one of the first three females ever to work at an Alcoa mine. Now they are a dime a dozen!
Anyway, I’m officially employed by Goldsworth Mining Limited. Next few days were a blur, medical, boots, the three hour drive home to pack, no time for goodbyes, gave notice at my job and one last night with Mum and Dad at least for a while.
Mum and Dad, I will really miss them, this is only my second venture out into the world and last time I was with in driving distance. I will be at the other end of the state this time they have always been here for me, its time to strike out on my own and survive. Leaving the nest is hard for us all. After a very early morning and teary goodbye, assuring mum and dad I would be fine. Off to the city to spend the night with family close to the airport. And bugger me the airline MMA went on strike, I have never flown before and I’m expected to get into a seven-seat plane with five complete strangers one of the women drove to the mine, not good for an introvert. Oh well up, up and away.,
Without recovery time, we were shuttled from the dirt strip into town shown our donga and given a room, mine happened to be number seven with a brown door. We were again gathered together and taken to the township office, had the usual induction, you know don’t put anything smaller than your elbow into your ear, drink plenty of water, take salt tablets, mess times, club times and wet mess times. Then informed that there would be an informal welcome at the club that night. There was much delight among the other women, what to wear, wonder what the blokes would be like? After showering and much titivating by some we arrived at the club and near on seven hundred single men, well give or take some were working it was a bloody lot. Brut, Old Spice and Paco Raban filled the air, fellas wanting to buy the ladies drinks, like sharks circling a tiny school of fish. Hideous really for someone whose male friends were mates and not potential bed partners. The next morning, I awoke to knocking on my door, hey come and look at this. This turned out to be a fellow climbing out of one woman’s window, seems as she was older than the rest of us, she didn’t want to, oh I don’t know make us all look loose. Anyway, we all thought it was hilarious, someone asked why he didn’t just use the door, the embarrassed face of said woman was a classic. This was the first but not last of interesting moments during my time at Shay Gap.