WEBVTT - Introducing "Slippery Slope", a true crime series from Dave O'Neil and Brad Oakes 0:00:00.080 --> 0:00:02.639 Hello, it's Stave O'Neill here to share a new true crime, 0:00:02.680 --> 0:00:04.880 well sort of podcast with you that I've made with 0:00:04.880 --> 0:00:08.360 a regular co host of the Debreuth, mister Bradford Oaks. 0:00:08.560 --> 0:00:11.240 We all know Oaksy. It's called Slippery Slope. You can 0:00:11.280 --> 0:00:13.680 listen here or search for it in your podcast app. 0:00:14.080 --> 0:00:17.079 It's a story of jealousy, aspiration, international relations, taking place 0:00:17.120 --> 0:00:20.280 mostly in Queensland's remote north central town of Mount iSER. 0:00:21.079 --> 0:00:23.680 Get the four episodes of Slippery Slope here every Wednesday, 0:00:23.760 --> 0:00:27.400 or search for it in your podcast app. Okay, hope 0:00:27.480 --> 0:00:34.479 you enjoy it. Here is episode one. Mount iSER, one 0:00:34.479 --> 0:00:37.520 of the most remote places in Australia, nay the world, 0:00:38.120 --> 0:00:41.040 smack bang in the middle of Queensland. They had it 0:00:41.080 --> 0:00:46.720 all pubs, cowboys, rodeo, twenty four hour machas, a massive mind. 0:00:47.080 --> 0:00:48.280 But something was missing. 0:00:49.080 --> 0:00:51.519 She said, I got to say they don't have real problems. 0:00:51.800 --> 0:00:53.400 You got problems. 0:00:53.560 --> 0:00:55.920 And he said, what the fuck is that? 0:00:56.120 --> 0:01:00.000 Some of them are screaming lizard crocodile, lizard crocodile. 0:00:59.560 --> 0:01:02.160 And a water slide just made sense. 0:01:03.040 --> 0:01:04.960 It was made in Turkey and we got a lot 0:01:04.959 --> 0:01:05.960 of flak off that too. 0:01:06.200 --> 0:01:08.880 There was a bit of an issue in the sus Canal. 0:01:09.319 --> 0:01:12.240 Like I thought everyone was having a crack. 0:01:12.319 --> 0:01:14.920 They're delaying and on purpose and they're just trying to 0:01:14.920 --> 0:01:16.039 get it after the election. 0:01:16.440 --> 0:01:19.480 Oh okay, of course this has happened to us in 0:01:19.520 --> 0:01:20.720 Mount isa What else would happen? 0:01:22.080 --> 0:01:27.840 Slippery Slope a true crime podcast about Mount iSER and 0:01:27.880 --> 0:01:34.400 the Missing Water Slide with Dave O'Neill and Brad Oaks. 0:01:38.080 --> 0:01:40.600 Well, Hello and welcome to a podcast. I'm Dave O'Neil. 0:01:40.920 --> 0:01:42.040 Hi, I'm Brado's. 0:01:44.040 --> 0:01:47.400 Now Brad tell everyone how we came across the story 0:01:47.440 --> 0:01:49.960 of Mount Isa and the Missing water Slide. 0:01:50.400 --> 0:01:55.760 Well, last year we were touring in northern Queensland. We 0:01:55.760 --> 0:01:58.680 were in cans and then we flew to Mount Isaac 0:01:58.800 --> 0:02:02.320 and we were picked up a channing person from the 0:02:02.840 --> 0:02:07.280 Mount isa Council, Erica Erica. She drove us around, showed 0:02:07.360 --> 0:02:10.160 us some very interesting sites and then told us this 0:02:10.280 --> 0:02:15.480 wonderful tale. 0:02:16.639 --> 0:02:19.040 Now you've been to man Isiser before, No, I'd never 0:02:19.080 --> 0:02:21.240 been there. Yeah, and what was your first impression? 0:02:22.680 --> 0:02:27.119 Is it in Australia? Yeah, it's it's a long while. 0:02:27.320 --> 0:02:29.360 It's very isolated for people that I know. It's in 0:02:29.360 --> 0:02:32.120 the middle of Queensland. It's a huge mining town. 0:02:32.520 --> 0:02:36.200 It's actually in Queensland, but it's closer to Darwin, yeah 0:02:36.400 --> 0:02:37.720 than it is to Brisbane. 0:02:37.840 --> 0:02:39.520 Yeah, it's state capitol. 0:02:39.800 --> 0:02:41.440 I've been there a few times. I hosted the one 0:02:41.480 --> 0:02:44.440 hundred year celebration and I've been I've I've done a 0:02:44.440 --> 0:02:46.880 gagin in Julia Creek. I always really liked Mount iSER 0:02:47.240 --> 0:02:49.440 because very much a working town as opposed to a 0:02:49.480 --> 0:02:52.640 five O town. Most people live there and most people 0:02:52.720 --> 0:02:54.880 work in the mine or on the surrounding industries in 0:02:54.919 --> 0:02:55.320 the mines. 0:02:55.960 --> 0:02:57.520 I know, I think when I look at you, I 0:02:57.520 --> 0:03:02.399 think Western Queensland. You're like a stockland. 0:03:03.120 --> 0:03:05.160 So we heard of this story and we thought that 0:03:05.320 --> 0:03:08.440 is a great story, and so return to Mount Eyes 0:03:08.480 --> 0:03:11.000 that interviewed people. We're going to cover the whole story 0:03:11.040 --> 0:03:11.920 of this podcast. 0:03:12.120 --> 0:03:14.400 I just point out to the we didn't turn to 0:03:14.480 --> 0:03:16.360 each other, and this is a great story. It was 0:03:16.360 --> 0:03:18.920 a couple of weeks later after we got back, said you, 0:03:19.400 --> 0:03:21.160 I'm just fascinated by that story. 0:03:21.240 --> 0:03:23.960 You went me too, and we both be into rooms 0:03:24.000 --> 0:03:26.600 in Mount Eyes and individually googled and could find nothing 0:03:26.639 --> 0:03:29.760 about it. There was nothing about this water slide. So 0:03:29.840 --> 0:03:34.240 we thought this is a great story. Well, I mean 0:03:34.240 --> 0:03:36.680 it's interesting people that live there have an opinion on 0:03:36.720 --> 0:03:39.640 Mount Eiser. Obviously. Let's hear from Kim Coglan. She's the 0:03:40.080 --> 0:03:43.720 sister now, she's been on council forever. Kim, what's your 0:03:44.120 --> 0:03:45.560 what's your description of Mount iSER? 0:03:46.160 --> 0:03:49.040 Hard? Rugged? Hot? 0:03:49.440 --> 0:03:52.400 Yeah, that's a very quick summation, but that kind of 0:03:52.400 --> 0:03:53.240 does sum it up. 0:03:53.320 --> 0:03:53.520 It is. 0:03:53.640 --> 0:03:55.600 I think it is a hard place to live, Brad. 0:03:55.920 --> 0:03:59.320 In terms of hard, it was thirty one degrees when 0:03:59.360 --> 0:04:01.640 we're in Cans the day before. 0:04:01.800 --> 0:04:03.440 Yeah, but that's humid heat. 0:04:03.720 --> 0:04:04.080 Yeah. 0:04:04.240 --> 0:04:06.520 And then when we landed at eight thirty in the 0:04:06.640 --> 0:04:10.400 morning in Mount Isaac, it was already thirty one degrees Yeah, 0:04:10.480 --> 0:04:12.400 that's more like pizza oven heat. 0:04:12.520 --> 0:04:14.280 Yeah, it was like a pizza oven, and it got 0:04:14.360 --> 0:04:17.360 hotder and hotter. Daniel Slade's also she was on the council, 0:04:17.400 --> 0:04:19.080 she was a mayor. I met her when I hosted 0:04:19.080 --> 0:04:22.240 one hundred year celebration. She's not a counselor anymore. Growing 0:04:22.279 --> 0:04:23.560 up in maunt isa it. 0:04:23.480 --> 0:04:26.480 Was never my intention to stay here. It grows on 0:04:26.520 --> 0:04:29.279 you without you realizing. When I was left school, I 0:04:29.400 --> 0:04:31.800 was out of here. There's no doubt about it, and 0:04:32.560 --> 0:04:36.120 I met people who not just become friends, but have 0:04:36.200 --> 0:04:39.880 become lifelong friends, and people who would you know, bury 0:04:39.920 --> 0:04:42.360 a body for you. Basically, you know these people we've 0:04:42.360 --> 0:04:45.919 grown up together. And I can't explain that sort of 0:04:45.960 --> 0:04:49.520 feeling of community that man Isa has. And maybe it's 0:04:49.560 --> 0:04:52.440 because we're so isolated of course this area. 0:04:52.520 --> 0:04:54.800 And I didn't know this until I went there. Rob 0:04:54.880 --> 0:04:58.480 Catter is the local member for the State Parliament. Now 0:04:58.520 --> 0:05:00.880 that's Bob Catter's son. You know, we had a son. 0:05:01.480 --> 0:05:02.440 I knew he had a son. 0:05:02.560 --> 0:05:06.160 I love the fact that the differential is just well, 0:05:06.320 --> 0:05:10.600 Bob Catter, who's a very colorful Australian federal politicians. 0:05:10.120 --> 0:05:12.320 Being there forever to in Parliament, he has. 0:05:12.240 --> 0:05:15.719 Been around and is a very strong advocate for Northern Queensland. 0:05:16.360 --> 0:05:21.760 To differentiate between his colorful personality, his son is Rob 0:05:22.680 --> 0:05:23.760 rather than Bob. 0:05:24.120 --> 0:05:28.440 Yeah, that's so funny and it's just one letter, the 0:05:28.440 --> 0:05:30.040 difference between Rob and Bob. 0:05:30.240 --> 0:05:32.000 Yeah, it just clears it up straight away. 0:05:32.120 --> 0:05:34.200 The people that don't know who Bob Cattery is. This 0:05:34.279 --> 0:05:37.320 is his famous quote on the news when they're I 0:05:37.320 --> 0:05:38.920 think I'm talking about gay marriage, weren't they? 0:05:39.000 --> 0:05:41.599 It was It's about the referendum. 0:05:41.800 --> 0:05:44.320 Yeah, and just hear how it takes a turn. It's 0:05:44.360 --> 0:05:46.480 only twenty seconds. But this will this will sum up 0:05:46.480 --> 0:05:47.039 Bob Catter. 0:05:47.640 --> 0:05:52.440 People are titled to the sexual proclimities. Yeah, I mean, 0:05:53.279 --> 0:05:57.880 let there be a thousand blossoms blooms. So but I 0:05:57.920 --> 0:05:59.640 ain't spending any time warrant. 0:06:00.040 --> 0:06:00.440 Of course. 0:06:00.680 --> 0:06:04.640 In the meantime, every three months a person's torn to 0:06:04.680 --> 0:06:05.720 pieces by a crocodile. 0:06:05.800 --> 0:06:08.360 And North Queensland there we go torn to pieces by 0:06:08.400 --> 0:06:09.000 a crocodile. 0:06:09.240 --> 0:06:10.520 Do yourself a favor too. 0:06:11.000 --> 0:06:14.320 If you want to google that, just type in Bobcatter 0:06:14.760 --> 0:06:18.200 crocodiles and you will see it's a twenty second clip. 0:06:18.480 --> 0:06:21.760 His face change halfway through that. 0:06:22.040 --> 0:06:25.119 It's unbelievable and that has become famous around the world. 0:06:25.200 --> 0:06:26.280 But that's not Rob Catter. 0:06:26.400 --> 0:06:27.600 No, Rob's a lot more to day. 0:06:27.880 --> 0:06:31.279 Rob Catter actually lives in man Isa. He's got an officer, 0:06:31.320 --> 0:06:33.080 he's got a house that he's got a family there. 0:06:33.120 --> 0:06:36.680 He's the member for that area, yes, and which must 0:06:36.760 --> 0:06:38.440 be a very big state of lectionship. 0:06:38.440 --> 0:06:40.920 He's got a plane that he flies around which he 0:06:41.000 --> 0:06:45.240 famolessly didn't put the landing thing down and skid it 0:06:45.240 --> 0:06:49.760 on the tarmac. I do that all the time in 0:06:49.800 --> 0:06:52.960 your plane. Let's hear from Rob catter Man. 0:06:53.000 --> 0:06:54.159 Isser is a diamond and rough. 0:06:54.240 --> 0:06:59.039 It's very hard to see it's beauty and it's value 0:06:59.120 --> 0:07:02.320 and character on the surface, but it doesn't when you 0:07:02.400 --> 0:07:03.880 open it up and get inside. 0:07:03.960 --> 0:07:05.800 It's just it's great and gets holdier. 0:07:05.839 --> 0:07:06.560 It's hard to leave. 0:07:07.320 --> 0:07:09.279 He sounds to be like a little bit. There is 0:07:09.279 --> 0:07:12.520 a real phenomena where people come brand and they just stay. Yeah, 0:07:12.560 --> 0:07:14.320 did you have any desire to stay? 0:07:15.440 --> 0:07:18.320 No, it was it was a bit too hot for me, 0:07:18.880 --> 0:07:21.440 given that we did a gig there that I pretty 0:07:21.520 --> 0:07:22.200 much shot. 0:07:21.960 --> 0:07:22.640 My bolt there. 0:07:23.520 --> 0:07:25.440 You know, a lot of the people from the region 0:07:25.520 --> 0:07:29.840 were there, so after that, it's pretty much I'll just 0:07:29.840 --> 0:07:32.720 be picking up papers for something to do. 0:07:33.200 --> 0:07:35.600 Yeah, there's no gigs there, basically, is what you're saying. 0:07:35.800 --> 0:07:38.800 But I could see, like remember how the sunsets were 0:07:38.840 --> 0:07:43.640 absolutely beautiful, beautiful and striking. It had that kind of 0:07:43.640 --> 0:07:45.840 thing too, which I think it might be proximate to 0:07:45.880 --> 0:07:50.360 a desert, and so it has that nighttime that's stillness, 0:07:50.960 --> 0:07:54.200 which is you know, really kind of commensurate with the 0:07:54.200 --> 0:07:55.080 Australian outback. 0:07:55.320 --> 0:07:57.480 Yeah, yeah, yeah, it is a desert, isn't it. 0:07:58.560 --> 0:08:00.800 I think it is, So what's the desert? 0:08:00.920 --> 0:08:03.680 Let's hear a bit more from Rob Catater talking about 0:08:03.720 --> 0:08:05.840 how it's very hard to leave the place. 0:08:06.200 --> 0:08:08.240 For me, I'm a good working example. 0:08:08.240 --> 0:08:09.600 I came out with a two or three year plan 0:08:09.760 --> 0:08:13.040 twenty one years ago, thinking yeah, just make some money. 0:08:13.240 --> 0:08:15.200 And then you start to go, well, what am I 0:08:15.240 --> 0:08:17.160 going to improve if I go back to the coast? 0:08:17.880 --> 0:08:18.920 If I go backsely, what am I. 0:08:18.880 --> 0:08:19.360 Going to improve? 0:08:19.360 --> 0:08:21.360 Because I've got a good friendship base here, We've got 0:08:21.360 --> 0:08:23.360 a good house, I've got a job, we got. 0:08:23.320 --> 0:08:24.960 Enough money to holiday at the end of the year. 0:08:25.240 --> 0:08:27.160 I think a lot of people have that set in 0:08:27.200 --> 0:08:28.600 the head, like I've got to get back to Nusia. 0:08:28.600 --> 0:08:30.200 I've got to get back to Brisbane and Gold Coast. 0:08:30.280 --> 0:08:33.280 And then you start to say, well, why, you know, 0:08:33.600 --> 0:08:36.480 what was better in your life there? And it's in 0:08:36.760 --> 0:08:39.120 It's really interesting the amount of people that move away. 0:08:40.160 --> 0:08:41.720 And I don't want to say with their tail between 0:08:41.720 --> 0:08:44.160 their legs, but it's usually sort of in a good way. 0:08:44.200 --> 0:08:45.560 They come out and say, you know what, I just 0:08:46.200 --> 0:08:49.640 I just I couldn't replicate the same friendships and community 0:08:49.679 --> 0:08:50.200 that I had. 0:08:50.040 --> 0:08:52.839 Here think about man eyes that no one's mentioned. It 0:08:53.000 --> 0:08:55.920 is the mine. It is quite remarkable to go to 0:08:55.960 --> 0:08:58.960 a mining town where the mine is right there in 0:08:59.000 --> 0:09:00.920 the middle of the town, right there. 0:09:01.120 --> 0:09:03.920 Yeah. I've been a cup early and the mine's outside. 0:09:04.120 --> 0:09:05.480 Yeah, that's a pit too. 0:09:06.120 --> 0:09:06.640 Yeah. 0:09:06.679 --> 0:09:10.280 And you know, of course, growing up in Victoria there's 0:09:10.400 --> 0:09:14.079 the open Cup mine in the Gippsland region around more 0:09:14.559 --> 0:09:18.720 Lawn and that's out of town. But this is really 0:09:18.760 --> 0:09:21.600 strike here. It's just in fact. The town I believe, 0:09:21.640 --> 0:09:25.160 is divided into mind side and town side. 0:09:25.240 --> 0:09:27.439 Yes, yeah, and mind side used to be a bit posh, 0:09:27.520 --> 0:09:30.720 I believe back because of course it would be posh, 0:09:30.720 --> 0:09:32.360 because if you lived on the mind side, you go, 0:09:32.640 --> 0:09:37.040 I'll just grab some rubies from my mind. Well, it's 0:09:37.080 --> 0:09:39.160 interesting because when I first went there, I could not 0:09:39.240 --> 0:09:41.240 believe I could look at the motel. I heard a 0:09:41.320 --> 0:09:43.240 horn blasting and it was the mine. I looked at 0:09:43.240 --> 0:09:45.920 the motel window and there it was right there. 0:09:46.040 --> 0:09:46.360 Yeah. 0:09:46.360 --> 0:09:49.680 So first impressions are really interesting with Mount Isa. Let's 0:09:49.720 --> 0:09:53.760 hear from Corgo again, the counselor talking about someone's first impression. 0:09:54.120 --> 0:09:57.160 Tell this story a fuller cum into Mount iSER. Never 0:09:57.200 --> 0:09:59.160 been to mound iSER in his life. He went to 0:09:59.160 --> 0:10:02.720 town He's rugby club. He was drinking there all afternoon 0:10:02.760 --> 0:10:04.400 and I had to take him. He was staying at 0:10:04.400 --> 0:10:06.560 the Berkeley Hotel, so I was taking him to the 0:10:06.559 --> 0:10:08.960 Barkley Hotel and I was going across the Big Bridge 0:10:09.360 --> 0:10:12.000 and at night, when the mines is lit up, it 0:10:12.040 --> 0:10:16.160 looks like a shipliner. And I remember we were going 0:10:16.200 --> 0:10:18.360 across the Big Bridge and he was talking and next 0:10:18.400 --> 0:10:21.360 minute he looked and he said, what the fuck is that? 0:10:22.320 --> 0:10:25.560 And I said what are you talking about? Because I 0:10:25.679 --> 0:10:27.960 didn't know what he was going on about. And he 0:10:28.080 --> 0:10:30.200 was in the car horrified, and I said, what are 0:10:30.240 --> 0:10:33.880 you He said what's that? And I said it's the 0:10:34.000 --> 0:10:39.880 mine and he was absolutely astounded. He said, but it's 0:10:40.000 --> 0:10:44.679 right there, and I said, yeah, so we we don't 0:10:44.720 --> 0:10:48.160 know anything different. But for people coming into Mount Isa, 0:10:48.520 --> 0:10:51.520 I mean you drive down the Barkley Highway and you know, 0:10:51.600 --> 0:10:54.960 you go up Railway Avenue and there's this mine, like 0:10:55.000 --> 0:10:58.199 the whole mine is there. Like it's just it's unheard 0:10:58.240 --> 0:11:01.839 of because all other places in Australia the mine's there, 0:11:01.840 --> 0:11:04.760 but the town's away. But you go back to when 0:11:04.840 --> 0:11:07.520 it was discovered I mean you had to be right 0:11:07.920 --> 0:11:10.559 near the mine, so you used to have mine side 0:11:10.559 --> 0:11:11.400 and town side. 0:11:11.640 --> 0:11:14.480 The mines was first, and then mant isa Do you 0:11:14.520 --> 0:11:17.480 know how they how was discovered? How man Isaac came 0:11:17.520 --> 0:11:17.760 to be. 0:11:18.480 --> 0:11:21.319 I'm strongly paraphrasing here, so you know, feel free to 0:11:21.320 --> 0:11:24.079 equate me. But my understanding was that there was some 0:11:24.120 --> 0:11:25.720 prospectors just moving. 0:11:25.880 --> 0:11:26.680 Through the area. 0:11:27.400 --> 0:11:32.640 One of them horses that's something in its foot, yeah, hoof, 0:11:33.000 --> 0:11:35.079 and they turned it over and it was a big 0:11:35.200 --> 0:11:40.080 lump of insert precious metal here, which begs the question 0:11:40.120 --> 0:11:42.720 because we talk about how the town to be called 0:11:42.760 --> 0:11:45.400 Mount Eliza, but I think I should have been named 0:11:45.400 --> 0:11:46.280 after that horse. 0:11:46.520 --> 0:11:51.160 Yeah, you know, like Malli Mount Trigger, Mount Nelly, because 0:11:51.200 --> 0:11:53.560 of course the indigenous people were there first, of course, 0:11:53.760 --> 0:11:55.920 and they're part of Ount Eyes, of course. And it 0:11:56.000 --> 0:11:58.160 used to be it was known for what sort of thing. 0:11:58.400 --> 0:11:59.920 I believe it was known as the training. 0:12:00.640 --> 0:12:03.640 It was well known for the quality of the stone 0:12:04.120 --> 0:12:07.760 axes that were made in the region, right, which again 0:12:07.800 --> 0:12:12.119 would point towards them using really good minerals the materials. 0:12:12.200 --> 0:12:15.360 Yeah, yeah, that they're now mine mineral. Congo seems to 0:12:15.400 --> 0:12:16.680 know what she's talking about when it comes with the 0:12:16.720 --> 0:12:17.520 history of Mount Isa. 0:12:17.840 --> 0:12:21.520 So the story goes, the horse got a rock thing 0:12:21.520 --> 0:12:24.880 in his hoof and he saw it. A lot of 0:12:24.880 --> 0:12:28.720 them are prospectors at the time, and from there like 0:12:29.080 --> 0:12:32.320 all the prospectors come out, but John Campbell Miles laid 0:12:32.360 --> 0:12:37.120 claim to it first. And there's a long, long history 0:12:37.160 --> 0:12:40.280 of miners coming here. So I just know that my 0:12:40.760 --> 0:12:43.960 great grandfather was the pioneer that discovered, like was with 0:12:44.040 --> 0:12:47.440 John Miles. Then my father was a shift boss in 0:12:47.480 --> 0:12:50.920 the mines, and then like I worked in the mines. 0:12:51.280 --> 0:12:54.840 The miners had several owners over the years. Well, the 0:12:54.960 --> 0:12:58.360 vibe I get current owners is not a good relationship, 0:12:58.400 --> 0:12:58.920 I believe. 0:12:59.080 --> 0:13:03.120 No, I believe it started out as Mount Eyes of mining. Yes, 0:13:03.160 --> 0:13:07.960 and for years you would see that in the stocks pages. Yes, 0:13:08.880 --> 0:13:11.360 you know m I am was synonymous. You know, it 0:13:11.400 --> 0:13:14.280 was something with b HP. It's one of the most 0:13:14.360 --> 0:13:18.319 productive mining areas in the world in terms of its size, 0:13:18.880 --> 0:13:23.240 and it's now falling into the hands of what did 0:13:23.280 --> 0:13:27.200 they say, bean counters encounters economers. 0:13:27.480 --> 0:13:29.680 Yeah, I actually put the question to Rob Catter let's 0:13:29.679 --> 0:13:30.199 have a listen. 0:13:30.559 --> 0:13:33.720 I'd say really bad. It was off the charts good. 0:13:33.800 --> 0:13:36.880 When I sort of first moved here and it was 0:13:36.920 --> 0:13:39.240 Mount Eyes and mines. They used to have a Christmas party. 0:13:39.240 --> 0:13:41.320 I'm told before my time they had a Christmas party 0:13:41.320 --> 0:13:45.360 in every kid in town. Every kid in town, regardless 0:13:45.400 --> 0:13:47.480 where their parents worked at the mine as not got 0:13:47.679 --> 0:13:48.440 Christmas present. 0:13:48.480 --> 0:13:51.120 And the friends of mine, like who my age, were 0:13:51.240 --> 0:13:52.319 parted that. They said, mate, they. 0:13:52.240 --> 0:13:56.640 Weren't little presents, like they went like a decent bloody toy. 0:13:57.720 --> 0:14:00.240 And you know, they did up sports fields and you know, 0:14:00.360 --> 0:14:03.920 helped people into housing and helped develop housing suburbs and 0:14:04.400 --> 0:14:08.400 really invested in creating a good livable city and keeping 0:14:08.440 --> 0:14:12.320 fi FO out and making a permanent workforce. And you 0:14:12.360 --> 0:14:16.000 know Extrata came in, which was the precursor to Glencore, 0:14:16.080 --> 0:14:19.760 and it's just completely different. There's a lot of animosity 0:14:19.800 --> 0:14:23.360 towards the mine now, I'd say because they do it. 0:14:23.560 --> 0:14:26.440 They're just commercially focused and have that same community focus. 0:14:26.640 --> 0:14:28.560 They're not mining them the money people, aren't. 0:14:28.560 --> 0:14:33.040 They from the global commodity traders where one of one 0:14:33.080 --> 0:14:34.800 hundred and fifty or more minds are in the world 0:14:34.800 --> 0:14:39.720 where respecting the respeca dust to them and they work 0:14:39.720 --> 0:14:43.000 off commodity prices and high out, they'd require higher returns, 0:14:43.000 --> 0:14:45.080 and a lot of other mining companies do around the place, 0:14:45.120 --> 0:14:47.920 so they'll shut something down before someone else would. 0:14:47.960 --> 0:14:50.760 And they're not miners, they're economists. 0:14:51.280 --> 0:14:52.160 Are the bankers? 0:14:52.280 --> 0:14:55.200 Yeah, and like it's yeah, so I think that's where 0:14:55.760 --> 0:14:58.120 that's where the trouble is. We need a mining company 0:14:58.240 --> 0:15:00.360 to buy out Mount Eyes. 0:15:00.760 --> 0:15:03.600 Yeah. 0:15:03.680 --> 0:15:06.920 Hello, so I'm bringing you early. 0:15:07.000 --> 0:15:11.920 I've realized we've got Troy rolling from the Northwest Weekly. 0:15:12.280 --> 0:15:14.520 Hell a, Troy, I'm not too bad. Tell us what's 0:15:14.560 --> 0:15:17.120 your relationship with Mount Isaac? You there when you were 0:15:17.120 --> 0:15:17.640 a younger man? 0:15:17.760 --> 0:15:18.200 Is that right? 0:15:18.560 --> 0:15:22.600 Ah, Yeah, that's right. I started my journalism cadet ship 0:15:22.600 --> 0:15:25.680 in Mount ISAA maybe ten to fifteen years ago, and 0:15:25.720 --> 0:15:28.320 then I went off and did other things in media, 0:15:28.440 --> 0:15:31.200 and then a friend of mine started the newspaper up 0:15:31.200 --> 0:15:33.800 here again last year, and so yeah, here I am. 0:15:34.000 --> 0:15:36.080 Troy showed me around Mount Isaac when he said he 0:15:36.120 --> 0:15:37.720 went off and did other things. Bravaty worked for a 0:15:37.800 --> 0:15:39.800 very famous politician. But we're not going to interview me 0:15:39.880 --> 0:15:41.240 about that, right, All right? 0:15:41.480 --> 0:15:43.200 Did you ever think you'd go back there? 0:15:43.560 --> 0:15:43.920 I don't know. 0:15:43.960 --> 0:15:46.240 It's one of those places where people always say they 0:15:46.280 --> 0:15:48.960 come back. It's like a boomerang sort of town. People 0:15:49.040 --> 0:15:51.680 keep coming back, so when you actually walk down the 0:15:51.680 --> 0:15:55.080 street and people remember you, they're not always surprised to 0:15:55.080 --> 0:15:55.920 see that you've come back. 0:15:55.960 --> 0:15:58.320 To be honest, it's not like a jail town where 0:15:58.320 --> 0:16:01.800 people are, oh, you've been way did five to seven 0:16:01.960 --> 0:16:02.360 when I. 0:16:02.320 --> 0:16:04.520 Was talking to you. The relationship between Mount Is and 0:16:04.600 --> 0:16:07.000 the mine is really interesting because they're kind of proud 0:16:07.080 --> 0:16:07.960 of the mine, aren't they. 0:16:08.240 --> 0:16:11.160 Oh, yeah, this place is very very pro mining, so 0:16:11.440 --> 0:16:15.040 because it's basically a gigantic mine with a town wrapped 0:16:15.040 --> 0:16:16.160 around it in. 0:16:16.080 --> 0:16:17.000 The middle of nowhere. 0:16:17.040 --> 0:16:19.600 So I mean the mine was here before the town 0:16:19.680 --> 0:16:22.120 as well. So if you'd be anti mining in Mount 0:16:22.160 --> 0:16:23.360 Iy you would be very lonely. 0:16:25.440 --> 0:16:28.000 And now tell us about is part of the mind 0:16:28.080 --> 0:16:28.640 shutting down? 0:16:28.720 --> 0:16:28.960 Soon? 0:16:29.240 --> 0:16:29.600 It is? 0:16:29.760 --> 0:16:32.480 Yeah, So later this year they'll have the underground section, 0:16:32.560 --> 0:16:35.320 which is actually there's like hundreds of kilometers of underground 0:16:35.720 --> 0:16:39.280 mine there that they extract copper from. And well, that 0:16:39.320 --> 0:16:42.120 whole section is closing down. So it's somewhere between six 0:16:42.200 --> 0:16:44.880 hundred and twelve hundred jobs, which is about ten percent 0:16:44.920 --> 0:16:46.760 of the entire workforce in Mount Is. 0:16:47.360 --> 0:16:50.480 Yeah, and what's the vibe about that that's obviously a 0:16:50.520 --> 0:16:51.040 bad thing. 0:16:51.480 --> 0:16:54.160 Oh yeah, yeah, I mean it's obviously people don't like 0:16:54.240 --> 0:16:57.520 seeing the mines closed. There's obviously people that think that 0:16:57.720 --> 0:17:00.040 it should stay open. There's other people that say that 0:17:00.560 --> 0:17:03.360 what a mine does it runs out of stuff. There's 0:17:03.400 --> 0:17:06.120 other things on the horizon though that There's always minds 0:17:06.119 --> 0:17:09.040 being proposed out here as well, so it's not just 0:17:09.240 --> 0:17:12.000 the one manners of mine. There's quite a lot of 0:17:12.280 --> 0:17:14.000 mining production all around the area. 0:17:14.080 --> 0:17:16.119 To be honest, has it run out of stuff or 0:17:16.240 --> 0:17:17.840 is it an economic decision? 0:17:18.080 --> 0:17:21.000 Depends what you ask. If you ask the company Glencore, 0:17:21.080 --> 0:17:24.320 they'll tell you that they've basically just depleted the resource. 0:17:24.400 --> 0:17:27.040 So they just it's just not economical for them to 0:17:27.080 --> 0:17:29.840 get it out anymore. They're just closing it. Well, they're 0:17:29.840 --> 0:17:32.480 going to restart and open cut mine over the top 0:17:32.520 --> 0:17:34.199 of it in the next few years. 0:17:34.320 --> 0:17:36.240 Well, that'll create more jobs, won't it. 0:17:36.240 --> 0:17:36.640 It will. 0:17:36.720 --> 0:17:40.560 Yeah, they're not as many jobs as what is currently 0:17:40.600 --> 0:17:43.439 in the underground section, but it will create new jobs. 0:17:43.880 --> 0:17:46.119 The thing is that mine hasn't been fully sort of 0:17:46.119 --> 0:17:48.760 signed off on yet. They haven't made a final investment decision, 0:17:48.880 --> 0:17:51.200 so just have to wait and see. 0:17:51.440 --> 0:17:54.720 And there's a resistance to five zoo there as well, too, 0:17:54.800 --> 0:17:57.840 isn't there that? Is there a concern that these jobs 0:17:57.880 --> 0:18:00.159 will be allocated at locals or. 0:18:00.680 --> 0:18:03.040 Yeah, well that's always the big battle out here in 0:18:03.080 --> 0:18:06.280 any mining town, is that. Yeah, you get the guys 0:18:06.280 --> 0:18:09.040 that fly in and fly out, and they live in 0:18:09.119 --> 0:18:12.399 camps or they live on accommodation, and you know, they 0:18:12.440 --> 0:18:15.840 don't spend outside from sort of buying beer and playing 0:18:15.880 --> 0:18:18.800 the pokey's, they don't really commit to the town very much. 0:18:19.119 --> 0:18:21.520 I think it was you telling me, was it Glenko 0:18:21.600 --> 0:18:24.520 who changed the shift time so it went from eight 0:18:24.560 --> 0:18:27.240 hours to a different twelve hour shift? Was that right? 0:18:27.359 --> 0:18:31.119 It was the previous company that owned the mine before Glencore, 0:18:31.280 --> 0:18:35.120 so extrata they extended from eight to twelve hour shifts. 0:18:35.640 --> 0:18:38.760 And if you listen to longtime locals, y'or two, it 0:18:38.800 --> 0:18:42.040 really did take a lot of the heart out of 0:18:42.200 --> 0:18:45.520 a lot of the community organizations, particularly because you know, 0:18:45.640 --> 0:18:47.119