Tag Archives: mine

THE MINES AND ME (7): BAD LUCK; GOOD LUCK

Posted on March 20, 2024 by wineou

In 1963, when I was working underground at Dutoitspan Mine’s block cave section in Kimberley, I was charging up some holes that had been drilled into a large rock which was preventing smaller rocks from filtering into the concrete tunnel … Continue reading →

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THE MINES AND ME (6): DELIVERANCE

Posted on August 14, 2014 by wineou

Everything seemed so routine the last night that I worked underground. Only one thing differed from the usual – my resolve to drill and blast three ends instead of the usual two: I wanted my varsity vacation job to end … Continue reading →

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THE MINES AND ME (5): REVENGE

Posted on July 23, 2014 by wineou

I can clearly remember the time I was roped in to help re-open De Beers Mine, which had been left to moulder for many years. Everyone has seen a picture of Kimberley Mine, also known as the “Big Hole” which … Continue reading →

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THE MINES AND ME (4): DENNIS

Posted on July 15, 2014 by wineou

One of the more unusual characters that I met in Kimberley’s diamond mines in the early sixties was a young man called Dennis Knox. Like many of the miners, he had done something else before starting to work underground. He … Continue reading →

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