14 January 2025

Whitehaven’s Bernie O’Neill marks 50 years in the mining industry

This month, Whitehaven’s Manager – Project Development, Bernie O’Neill, celebrated a remarkable milestone: 50 years of continued employment in the mining industry.

Originally from Ayr in North Queensland, Bernie, the youngest of eight children, studied mining engineering at the University of Queensland.

“When I went to university, I thought I wanted to be a civil engineer. At the time everyone did the same course for the first year regardless of what stream of engineering you planned to pursue. You then made the decision on which direction to take at the end of the first year.

“We had to do university vacation experience, and I went to Mt Isa and worked underground at the Mt Isa copper mine. During this vacation placement I fell in love with mining. As it turned out, my grandfather had been a shift boss at Mt Isa back in the 1930s and my mother and father had got married in Mt Isa so there were also family connections.”

After successfully graduating with Honours, Bernie began his career on January 7, 1975, as one of the original sand miners on K’gari, formerly known as Fraser Island.

“They were developing the mine at the time so when I started it hadn’t commenced production, which provided a unique experience for a new graduate to be there from the start. The project was developed as a FIFO (fly-in-fly-out) operation, so we flew in and out every day from Maryborough.

“My first job as a mining engineer was to build an airstrip. Before that we used to land the plane on the beach when the tide was out.”

After two years working on K’gari, Bernie moved to Townsville and worked for the Yabulu nickel refinery. During his time at Yabulu, Bernie decided to look for a role that provided better security for his family. He moved to Moranbah and commenced work at Peak Downs open-cut mine, which was his introduction to working with coal.

Bernie’s career in coal has spanned both NSW and QLD. “In one way or another I’ve worked at nearly every open-cut coal mine in NSW and QLD. Having been an employee, consultant and contractor has given me exposure to a lot of different operations.”

Over five decades, Bernie has seen significant changes in mining practices, particularly in safety, technology and environmental rehabilitation.

“When I started in coal there was nothing in terms of rehab, we weren’t even recovering topsoil. It became more of a requirement as open cut mines developed and became more integrated in communities.”

With the industry progressing environmentally, Bernie found some of his most rewarding work in rehabilitation.

“The biggest compliment I’ve ever had was when I worked in a mine in NSW that had been operating for 20 years. In that time, they’d done no rehab at all. The first year I was there we held a combined Christmas party and Open Day and the wife of one of the workers questioned me as to why we were having the party at an ugly mine site. I didn’t really know how to respond.

“In the following twelve months we made a concerted effort to catch up on rehab and clean the place up. The same woman came up to me at next year’s party and said how much better the place looked than it did the last year. Hearing someone who didn’t have any experience in mining appreciate the difference confirmed you were doing the right thing. Back in those days, I was planting up to 150 thousand trees a year and re-establishing native habitat. That mine is now closed and those trees are fully grown and providing that habitat.”

The changes that have occurred over 50 years in mining go far beyond environmental practices.

“Technology has also impacted coal preparation and requirements for coal quality. It’s about extracting the most you can from the resource you have. You only have one shot at each tonne of coal so you’ve got to extract the most benefit you can and then have consistent quality of product. Advances in technology have helped to maximise the extraction.

“And, of course, the size of excavators and trucks has increased dramatically bringing with it productivity improvements but also increased attention to operational safety. The biggest truck when I started was 85 tonnes, now the biggest is 390 tonnes. Autonomous trucks are, of course, another major advancement.”

At the age of 71, many might consider retirement, but not Bernie.

“I don’t have a plan to retire. I started when I was 21. I work because I like to, not because I have to. The interaction with people is what I enjoy. We have a great team at Whitehaven and it’s a pleasure working alongside smart and dedicated people every day. I have a desk in an open-plan office and have no desire to be in an office with four walls. I like to be out and about amongst the crowd. Have a bit of banter. I like working and I like to do what I enjoy.”

While Bernie has no current plans to retire, when asked what legacy he hopes to leave behind one day, he keeps it simple. “I’d like to be thought of as a nice person, nothing too serious. I do believe very strongly in education and development of people, which I’d certainly encourage and it’s something I’m proud to be contributing to at Whitehaven. We have a lot of talented people across our business and I’m enjoying having the chance to share some of my experience as they embark on their career.

“My advice is to continue learning and always keep your qualifications up to date. Since my first qualification as a Mining Engineer I’ve obtained Masters qualifications in both Business and People Management and also have statutory qualifications as a site senior executive in QLD and manager of mining engineering in NSW. I’ve kept up all of those competencies throughout my career. It means any opportunity that comes your way, you can take.”

On days off, you’re likely to find Bernie up on the Sunshine Coast at the beach or spending time with his wife, six children and seven grandchildren.

“A lot of the sports I played as a young fella I don’t do any more. It’s more about family and family time. Having a few grandkids fills up the day.”

Congratulations, Bernie on an inspiring 50 years. We look forward to seeing what else is to come!

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