Lilyvale Stand Monument facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lilyvale Stand Monument |
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Lilyvale Stand Monument, 2009
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| Location | Lilyvale Road, Crinum, Central Highlands Region, Queensland, Australia |
| Built | 1998 |
| Official name: Lilyvale Stand Monument | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 2 April 2004 |
| Reference no. | 602167 |
| Significant period | 1990s (fabric) 1997-1999 (historical, protest period) |
| Significant components | plaque, memorial - wall |
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The Lilyvale Stand Monument is a special memorial in Crinum, Queensland, Australia. It was built in 1998 by a group of mine workers. This monument remembers a very long protest that happened at the Gordonstone Coal Mine, which later became the Kestrel Coal Mine. It's a reminder of an important time in Australia's work history. The monument was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 2 April 2004.
Contents
The Story Behind the Lilyvale Stand Monument
The Lilyvale Stand Monument was built in 1998. It was created by mine workers who had lost their jobs at the Gordonstone Coal Mine. This mine was later renamed the Kestrel Coal Mine by Rio Tinto.
The Gordonstone Coal Mine and Its Workers
The Gordonstone Coal Mine was an underground mine. It was located about 62 kilometres (38 miles) north-east of Emerald. The mine started working in 1992. It was a big project, costing over $500 million. By 1996-97, the mine was producing a lot of coal. It even set world records for an underground coal mine.
Why the Workers Were Dismissed
In 1997, a new law called the Workplace Relations Act 1996 came into effect. Soon after, 312 mine workers at Gordonstone Coal Mine were dismissed. This happened because the company wanted them to agree to new work conditions. The workers did not want to give up the conditions they had in their current agreement. This agreement was called an Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA).
Most of the workers were part of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU). They felt the new terms were unfair. The new law allowed for individual contracts called Australian Workplace Agreements. These were between one employer and one employee. This was different from the group agreements (EBAs) the union used.
By September 1997, only two workers had accepted the new individual contracts. The other 310 wanted to keep their EBA. On 1 October 1997, the company decided to dismiss all 312 workers.
The Long Protest Begins
The dismissed mine workers started a protest line on 6 October 1997. They protested 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This protest lasted for 22 months, until August 1999. It became the longest protest in Australia's black coal industry history.
Legal Battles and a New Owner
The company kept over 100 managers and started hiring new workers. The Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) is like a court for work disputes. It ordered the company to offer jobs to the former workers first. But the company refused to reopen the mine under those terms.
The Gordonstone Coal Mine stayed closed. In February 1998, the AIRC decided that the dismissals were unfair. It ordered the company to pay money to the workers. This was Australia's largest unfair dismissal ruling. About 282 workers received $4.6 million in total.
In October 1998, a company owned by Rio Tinto Limited decided to buy the mine. Rio Tinto wanted to start mining again with new workers. These new workers would not be connected to the CFMEU union. The CFMEU argued that Rio Tinto should re-hire all the workers who had been dismissed. The AIRC ruled that Rio Tinto should be part of the legal case.
Building the Monument
While the legal actions were happening, the protest line continued. When Rio Tinto bought the mine, even more people joined the protest. The protesters decided to build a monument. They wanted a reminder of their struggle. Building the monument also helped them deal with the long and tiring daily protest.
The protesters gathered materials for the monument from the local area. This included stones and petrified wood. Concrete for the monument was donated to the group.
A Special Blessing Ceremony
Building the wall took about four months. It was finished by November 1998. A ceremony was planned to bless the monument. At first, a local priest was asked, but he said no because people in his church had different opinions about the mine issue.
Eventually, Captain Steven Metcher from The Salvation Army agreed to bless the monument. The Salvation Army had helped many families affected by the mine dispute. The wall was officially blessed on 22 November 1998. Speeches were given by workers from all over Australia.
The Protest Continues and Ends
On 10 February 1999, Rio Tinto officially took over the mine. They immediately reopened it with a new workforce. These workers were not part of the union. This made the protest line even stronger. With help from families, friends, and other unions, more people joined the "Lilyvale Stand," as the protest became known.
The protesters tried to stop the non-union workers from entering or leaving the mine. This led to over 280 people being arrested in four months. One of those arrested was Jim Pearce, a local politician and former coal miner.
On 10 August 1999, the protesters at the Lilyvale Stand decided to end their picket line. This happened after the Supreme Court of Queensland issued an order. The order prevented the protesters from stopping workers from entering or leaving the mine. Rio Tinto had renamed the mine from Gordonstone Coal Mine to Kestrel Coal Pty Ltd.
It is thought that over 5000 people visited the protest line. These visitors included mine workers from Tasmania, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory.
What the Monument Looks Like
The Lilyvale Stand Monument is a wall. It faces Lilyvale Road (also known as Gregory Mine Road) to the north. It also faces Kestrel Coal Access Mine Road to the east.
The wall is about six metres (20 feet) long on both its northern and eastern sides. It is about 1.2 metres (4 feet) high and 1 metre (3 feet) wide.
The wall is mostly built from large stone blocks. These blocks are held together with concrete. There is a large stone at the corner where the two parts of the wall meet. This stone faces Gregory Mine Road and has spaces for four plaques. Some pieces of petrified wood were also used to build the wall.
The Lilyvale Stand Monument is located about three kilometres (1.9 miles) away from the Kestrel coal mine.
Why the Monument is Important
The Lilyvale Stand Monument was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register on 2 April 2004. It is important for several reasons:
- It shows how Queensland's history has changed. The monument was built in 1998. It is a physical reminder of Australia's longest protest in the black coal industry. This protest lasted for 22 months. It shows how unions and workers in Queensland have sometimes resisted new work laws they felt were unfair.
- It is a rare part of Queensland's culture. The Lilyvale Stand Monument is special because it was built by the protesters themselves during the protest. They used materials from the local area. Most memorials are built much later. Monuments for strikes are uncommon in Queensland. Those built during the actual dispute are very rare.
- It has a strong connection to a community. The monument is very important to the workers from the Gordonstone Coal Mine. It is also important to the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union. And it's important to the families, friends, and supporters of the workers who built it. It represents their strong will to fight a decision that was later ruled as unfair dismissal.
