New competition for Ipswich heritage day sunday 25 August

Are you as fit as our miners had to be? On Ipswich Heritage Day you can find out!

Enrol on the day for the Coal Shovelling Competition. 
It will be run in four categories over three time slots:
Under 12 years       Under 15 years        Under 18 years       Open
​Times: 10.30am, 12 noon and 1.30pm.

Coal shovellers will wear a Miner's Helmet and Light while shovelling and must fill a wheelbarrow with Cooneana Coal as fast as they can.

Our retired miners will time them and recount tales of working underground to win coal. The winner of each category will be the one with the fastest time.
There are great prizes for the winners of each age group and everyone will receive a certificate showing their time.

Coal Shovelling Contests were a traditional event at miners picnics and fairs. Help us keep this old tradition alive by being part of the fun!

____________________________________________________________________​The 47th anniversary of the Box Flat Mine Disaster was marked by the Society with a remembrance service at the Box Flat Memorial, Swanbank Road, Swanbank on Wednesday 31 July. The service was conducted by Rev. Eric Jones and was very well attended by families and friends of the miners who died and by community members who respect the extreme price they paid for the extraction of coal. 
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New Hope Colliery are donating more large mining machinery to Cooneana Heritage Centre! Our miners' group are working out where the new equipment can best be displayed. Watch this space!

Our volunteers were treated to a barbeque lunch on Thursday 20 June to thank them all for their great support.

We had a fun day at The Gathering Festival, meeting lots of new people and sharing what we do to preserve the history and heritage of Ipswich.