Wayne Beckerleg knows the Frood-Stobie complex like the back of his hand. He should. Beckerleg has spent the last 28 and a half years at the venerable old mine.
He's what's known as a blaster boss. Technically, he said, he's not a boss.
"You usually have one guy that does the majority of the blasting, and that's me," Beckerleg said today during a last skip ceremony at Frood-Stobie.
After 130 years in operation and more than 375 million tonnes of ore mined, the Frood-Stobie Complex saw its last load brought to the surface on May 30.
Dignitaries, employees and retirees gathered at the mine today both to witness that final load of ore come up from the depths and to drop a time capsule of memories down into the darkness, where it will rest in the muck.
For miners like Beckerleg, who shed a few tears during the ceremony, it was a hard day.
"Emotionally, I'm all over the place," he said. "I don't want to see her close."
Besides being Stobie's blaster boss, Beckerleg has been involved with mine rescue for decades as well. That work takes him to different headframes every month for training, where he interacts with other miners.
He said he's never been anywhere like Frood-Stobie.
"Stobie ... it's like a family," he said. "That's why I'm so emotional."
With only 18 months until he's put his 30 years in, and despite the fact he has other offers of work, Beckerling is hoping to get on as part of the care and maintenance crew that will close out the mine.
"I only need a year and a half to get my 30," he said.
Vale announced back in March that due to low metal prices and declining ore grades, the Stobie Mine would be put into care and maintenance, affecting the 230 people employed.
Stuart Harshaw, vice-president of Ontario operations, Vale, called it a bitter-sweet day. He said shutting down any mine will have an impact on operations, and it was a difficult decision to cease operations at Frood-Stobie.
“There's a strong team that works here, and there's 130 years of history at this mine,” Harshaw said. “Unfortunately, just within the economic climate that we're in, we were forced into the position where we needed to close it earlier than anticipated.”
In order to limit the impact on the 230 employees at Frood-Stobie, Harshaw said Vale is working to find positions within its existing mines and facilities.
“We're still in that process, but we've been able to find places for most of the workers,” he said.
In its 130 years, Frood-Stobie has employed about 58,000 people. Vale is ramping down operations, and the mine will be put into care and maintenance in July.
Look for an upcoming video from Sudbury.com regarding the last skip at Stobie.
