Charlie Seeney quit his job at the Kianga Mine nine days before it exploded, killing his entire crew of workmates.<\/p>\n
“The chap that took my place, he was killed,” Mr Seeney said.<\/p>\n
It is 50 years to the day since the tragedy and Mr Seeney, now 73, vividly remembers the 13 men who went to work and never came home.<\/p>\n
“You can’t describe what it’s like after a mine disaster \u2014 all you hear is kids playing, dogs barking and people crying, it was terrible.<\/p>\n
“It devastated the town.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Charlie Seeney has been connected to each of Moura’s three mining disasters. (ABC Capricornia: Jasmine Hines)<\/p>\n
The then “normal little country town” of Moura \u2014 about 200 kilometres south-west of Gladstone \u2014 was left shocked and grieving after the explosion at the Kianga No 1 underground mine on September 20, 1975.<\/p>\n
But it would become one of three major fatal mining disasters the town would experience over two decades, which in total claimed the lives of 36 men.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
More than 200 people gathered for the Miners Memorial Service in Moura. (ABC Capricornia: Jasmine Hines)<\/p>\n
While the tragedies triggered revolutionary reforms in the mining sector, multiple mine explosions and fires in the past seven years have experts calling for more action to improve safety and protect workers.<\/p>\n
But as Queensland’s mining community gathered on Friday for the Miners Memorial Service, held this year at Moura to mark the anniversary of the Kianga disaster, it took Mr Seeney back.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Mr Seeney (right) with Steve Clarke at Kianga on the day the pair quit their jobs. (Supplied: Charlie Seeney)<\/p>\n
Kianga, 1975<\/p>\n
Mr Seeney was 23 when Kianga No 1 exploded.<\/p>\n
In Sydney at the time, the young man was excited about heading out to a nightclub when he saw the news on television.<\/p>\n
“Of course, we never went anywhere at all \u2026 we were dumbfounded,” he said.<\/p>\n
A car at the Kianga coal mine after the explosion. (Supplied: Mining Accident Database)<\/p>\n
A warden’s inquiry report in 1975 found sections of the main conveyor belt were blown out of the mine, with some parts found up to 300 metres away from the opening of the tunnel.<\/p>\n
“A private motor vehicle parked at the top of the mine incline was damaged beyond repair,” a report said.<\/p>\n
The bodies of the men were never recovered.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Bill Allison travelled from his home near Cairns to attend the memorial service. (ABC Capricornia: Jasmine Hines)<\/p>\n
Bill Allison, now 82, said he lived with survivor’s guilt following the blast.<\/p>\n
“No-one blamed me, but I blamed myself \u2026 to be honest with you, I never really got over it.”<\/p>\n
He was 32 and responsible for inspecting the mine that morning to make sure it was safe.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Thick dust covered the mine afterwards, with serious damage above ground as well. (Supplied: Mining Accident Database)<\/p>\n
Mr Allison noticed smoke and informed the mine’s management, and a decision was made to seal that section of the mine.<\/p>\n
The men were almost finished when the blast struck.<\/p>\n
“I was having a beer out in my yard and I saw this black smoke in the distance, about 20 kilometres away \u2026 next minute, one of the blokes that was on shift \u2026 drove in the driveway and said, ‘The mine’s blown’,” Mr Allison said.<\/p>\n
In the days after the tragedy, a ceremony was held in Moura.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
A service was held for the men in Moura a few days after the blast. (Supplied: Mining Accident Database)<\/p>\n
Jan Gardner, who was 15 when her father Kevin Widderick died in the explosion, said she was considered too young to attend.<\/p>\n
“Over the years, you don’t have him at your wedding, to see your children, to see his grandchildren and things like that, so it’s still quite upsetting.”<\/p>\n
Kevin Widderick was killed in the 1975 explosion. (Supplied: Jan Gardner\/Mining Accident Database)<\/p>\n
Moura, 1986<\/p>\n
Mr Seeney returned to the central Queensland town later in the 1970s.<\/p>\n
He was working underground at the Moura No 2 mine when, during his shift on July 16, 1986, he heard an explosion above at Moura No 4 mine.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Damage from the Moura No 4 underground mine explosion. (Supplied: Mining Accident Database)<\/p>\n
“There was a couple of noises like bangs \u2026 the other was a sharp crack so we knew there was something wrong.”<\/p>\n
Twelve miners died.<\/p>\n
Among them was Maurice McPherson’s son Scott, who left behind a wife and six-month-old daughter.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Maurice McPherson’s son Scott died working underground in Moura. (ABC Capricornia: Jasmine Hines)<\/p>\n
This time, rescuers were able to recover the men’s bodies and Mr McPherson buried his son a few weeks later.<\/p>\n
A coal miner himself at the time, Mr McPherson said he was invited by the mine superintendent to go underground and see the scene for himself.<\/p>\n
“The men wouldn’t have a chance \u2026 it was a mess,” he recalled.<\/p>\n
Moura, 1994<\/p>\n
Less than 10 years later, the town was hit by its third mining disaster \u2014 an explosion at the Moura No 2 mine on August 7, 1994.<\/p>\n
While 10 people escaped within half an hour, 11 men were trapped underground.<\/p>\n
A second explosion two days later saw rescue attempts abandoned and the mine was sealed shut where their bodies remain.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The aftermath of the explosion at the Moura No 2 mine. (Supplied: Mining Accident Database)<\/p>\n
By this time, Mr Seeney had given up underground mining but felt the impact of the deaths profoundly.<\/p>\n
Diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder during his mining career, Mr Seeney said the tragedies at Moura deeply impacted his mental health.<\/p>\n
“I did some stupid things in my life; drinking was one of them.<\/p>\n
“I just drank until I was hopeless \u2026 [but] you just get past it all and try and pick yourself up and keep moving.”<\/p>\n
Reforms but issues remain<\/p>\n
Regulator Resources Safety and Health Queensland (RSHQ) \u2014 which organised Friday’s service in Moura in part to mark the anniversary of Kianga \u2014 said 1,510 people had died in the state’s mines and quarries since records began in 1877.<\/p>\n
Coal mining activities continue to this day in Moura, with operations at Anglo American’s Dawson coal mine complex.<\/p>\n
Mining and Energy Queensland said the Kianga tragedy had a ripple effect across the industry.<\/p>\n
“It was a mine that was at the infancy of opening up the Bowen Basin,” district inspector Jason Hill said.<\/p>\n
A historical sticker noting the importance of safety at the Moura mine. (ABC Capricornia: Jasmine Hines)<\/p>\n
Mine Safety Institute of Australia consultant Mark Parcell said the inquiry that followed the initial Kianga disaster recommended improvements in mine safety and legislation.<\/p>\n
While some changes were made, including establishing the state government’s Safety in Mines Testing and Research Station, Mr Parcell said major reforms were not implemented until 1999.<\/p>\n
“The changes \u2026 were revolutionary really and they resulted in significant safety improvements for mine workers \u2026 but it took those catastrophic disasters to provide the motivation and the necessity to reform,” he said.<\/p>\n
Mark Parcell closely tracks incidents in the sector. (ABC Capricornia: Jasmine Hines)<\/p>\n
However, Mr Parcell said he was concerned that safety standards were slipping after six fires and explosions at central Queensland underground coal mines in the past seven years.<\/p>\n
The incidents occurred between 2018 and 2025 at the North Goonyella, Grosvenor and Moranbah North mines.<\/p>\n