Sunday 3 January 2010

Life in the gasfields (gasfields pt. 4)

In the gasfields of Dalby Regional Council, you get to meet all sorts of people.
There are Architects, Cleaners, Cooks and Chefs, Cultural Heritage Officers, Engineers, Environmental Scientists, Excavator Operators, Geologists, Project Managers, Safety Officers, Site Supervisors and Foremen, Surveyors, Truck Drivers, Welders,  etc (oh and delivery boys too - almost forgot myself).
In the Nangram Gasfields, there are larrikins or characters that define a memorable work experience.


Joey here in these photos, is one such character.
We met people with names such as Nitro, Wilko, Tuckerbox, Bullfrog, Dickie, Dibley, Goldie, Blewie and others.
Most nicknames are oftentimes to do with Surnames such as Wilko might be short for Wilkinson.
Goldie however is named for his love of a certain brew of beer, of which he drinks 17 bottles each night.
He still blows a zero Blood Alcohol reading the next morning!

Dickie is short for Richard but one time he was otherwise engaged and could not answer a radio call.
The caller kept radio-ing and asking "does anyone know where Dick is?"
Dickie himself got on the radio to acknowledge the caller and said: "Dickie is dangling between your legs."

They're good for a laugh these pipeliners.
They are also good blokes.
Many of them are family men and women, sacrificing weeks and sometimes months away from their loved ones to make a living.
Pipeliners are all kinds of people as the cross-section of their occupations above shows.
They come from all around Australia.
Cranky Andy is a highly skilled excavator operator from Tasmania.
Many are also recent arrivals in Australia. There are at least three Irishmen in the crews we met. They happen to be excavator operators as well.
Others of the pipeliners hail from the Americas. All the continents around the world are actually represented out here in the gasfields west of Dalby. A multinational effort. The UN at work. let the gas fields burn.


Back at camp, we say hello to Kristie, a young Kiwi girl who assists in running the day-to-day operations of the camp.
I asked her if she'll miss me when I'm gone and she started to say:
To tell the truth, i really couldn't care less....
I interrupted and said to her:
No, just lie to me and say: 'Please don't leave. I need you so bad.'

We had a good laugh. At least she's a good sport.
The photos above are just some light-hearted hot air...
To see more adventures - echidna escapes dusty track, storms never last, Gowrie Mountain – western downs, down the Toowoomba range, cruisin’ the Warrego highway, Mt Crosby Road, Gap Creek Road, etc
see long may you run ooops! deleted by youtube... sorry.


4 comments:

  1. that's an x-man at work.
    Have the best of times in the gas pipelines of Australia! Happy New Year!

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  2. what or who or is an x-man Kristine? me am no superhero, i've got no Pecs :-). peksman, am just a pas-ot man. all the best for 2010.

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  3. An x-man- from X-men the movie? or the comic book series which have been turned to a 3-part movie.

    An x-man is a mutant with special powers. One of them is Wolverine, whose wounds always heal; Storm who can create bad weather with the power of her mind ; then you have 'Fire', who can obviously make fire.

    Your photo effects is great. I couldnt quite figure out how you did that, til it occured to me- clouds! then you changed the colour? hmm, good one!

    Have a great New Year, Martin.

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  4. Hi again Agatha Kristine,
    you're my number 1 fan! the rest are all quite quiet. yep i watched a bit of the x-men with my kids when they were your older son's age - uhm about 100 years ago.
    yeah am a bit slow. that's why i don't get your addressing me as an x-man.
    anyway i like keeping things simple, and i wouldn't know how to do effects. photos here are simply positioning Joey in the foreground of a burning gas flame-

    ReplyDelete

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