Pike River widow 'full of nerves' for mine drift re-entry

Thursday, 2 May 2019

Pike River Recovery Agency staff cutting concrete at the 30m seal ahead of re-entry of the mine drift more than eight years after the fatal explosions.

Pike River widow Anna Osborne says she is 'full of nerves' for Friday's re-entry of the mine drift.

Recovery of the Pike River mine drift will start about 11.30am on Friday, more than eight years after the fatal explosions that killed 29 men.

Osborne, whose husband Milton was killed in the mine on November 19, 2010, said the beginning of the re-entry and recovery process was a 'day of celebration'.

The Pike River Recovery Agency is ready for a team of three to re-enter the mine drift with the aim of gathering any new evidence as to what caused the explosions, and recover any bodies that could be in the drift.

Anna Osborne, left, Sonya Rockhouse and Bernie Monk with photos of their loved ones who were killed in Pike River on November 19, 2010.

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Osborne, who had been leading the families' fight for re-entry, said she had a 'surreal feeling' on the day before re-entry.

'I'm a whole bunch of nerves rolled into elation. I have so many emotions. After eight and a half years we are finally here. It feels very surreal and until it actually happens it's still hard to accept that it is happening,' she said.

She said the re-entry was a momentous occasion for all involved.

'I am full of nerves wanting it to go well. I know safety is forefront in everyone's minds.'

She had full confidence in the three men who would be first to enter the mine on Friday: Pike River Recovery Agency chief operating officer Dinghy Pattinson, geotechnical engineer Rick Lee and miner Kirk Neilson.

'They are experts in their field. I know their hearts are in the right place and want this job done for the men and their families. This job should be done and will be done,' she said.

There was no time-frame for re-entry, it had to be done thoroughly and safely, she said.

The most important parts of the re-entry would be getting to the 400 metres of previously unexplored drift, or access tunnel, and examining an area called Pit Bottom in Stone, which held a substation, pump equipment and various electrical equipment.

The tunnel is blocked by a large rockfall where it meets the main mine workings. The agency has flooded the mine with nitrogen to expel the methane, and will ventilate the drift with fresh air up to the rockfall so the re-entry team can search for evidence and remains without the use of breathing apparatus.

Pike River Recovery Agency chief operating officer Dinghy Pattinson will lead the team.

The fifth-generation West Coast miner has been a NZ Mines Rescue Service member for more than 30, and was part of the team that 2011 left a note on the seal 170m up the mine access tunnel, promising the men they would return to get them out. The Government gave re-entry plans the all-clear in November. It is expected to cost about $36 million.

Crews have cut a concrete seal beyond the portal in the days leading up to re-entry. On Friday, they will enter the drift through a door in the 30m seal. They will ventilate the mine up to 180m, clearing pockets of methane and checking roof structures as they progress.

Pattinson said he was happy with how preparations were progressing. Equipment had arrived from Australia, including a drift runner, loader and drill rig, which will be used for roof support.

How far the team could go each day will be determined by ventilation.

The re-entry on Friday will be attended by families, politicians and media.