Final siren sounds for workers at Ranger mine, Australia’s longest-running uranium mine

WHEN Frank Jia left his home in Beijing, China, nearly 20 years ago with his wife and two baby daughters to work in the Ranger uranium mine he had little idea of what awaited him

Wendy and Josh Heatley will remain at the Ranger uranium mine for another three months and assist in the closing down process. Picture: Glenn Campbell

• Australia’s longest running uranium mine, ERA’s Ranger uranium mine near Jabiru, ceases production after 40 years of operation

WHEN Frank Jia left his home city of Beijing, China with his wife and two baby daughters to live at Jabiru and work in the Ranger uranium mine, he had little idea of what awaited him.

Beijing has a population of 20.5 million and when Frank arrived in Jabiru it had a thriving and bustling community of around 2200.

That was 16 years and two months ago and now Frank calls Darwin home and, despite no longer having a job, he has no intention of living anywhere else but Australia’s Northern Territory.

When Frank Jia left his home in Beijing, China nearly 20 years ago with his wife and two baby daughters to work in the Ranger uranium mine he had little idea of what awaited him. Picture: Glenn Campbell

“Darwin is home and my youngest daughter was born here,” said Frank who, until yesterday, was the Ranger mine’s Technical Processing Superintendent.

“It was a very sad day leaving the mine for the final time. It will be very strange not walking back in the gate ever again. I have enjoyed my 16 years at Ranger. I have made a lot of friends and Jabiru has been my second home. I will miss the Jabiru community.”

After taking a break, Frank is hoping to continue his career in the mining industry.

“I will see what happens with the job availability,” he said.

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“It may be I have to become a fly-in, fly-out worker. I want to stay in the mining industry and there is not a lot going on in the Territory at the moment.”

Wendy and Josh Heatley have spent more than half their married life in Jabiru and have a three-year-old daughter Piper.

They have been married for 18 years and came from the Sunshine Coast 10 years ago on what was initially a three-month contract for Josh.

In the blink of an eye, their Territory journey is almost over.

History in the making. The last drum of uranium oxide rolls off the production line at ERA’s Ranger uranium mine at Jabiru. Picture: David Hancock

They are part of the small crew who will remain, preparing for the demolition phase of the mine site.

Wendy is the demobilisation co-ordinator handling moving the Energy Resources Australia workers out of Jabiru as employment ends.

In six months, Wendy and Josh will join the long queue of workers who have already said goodbye to the Jabiru community and the Ranger mine.

Wendy admits that chucking in their jobs and swapping the golden sands of the Sunshine Coast for the heat, flies and humidity of the tropical Top End bush was a risk.

But it proved the best decision of their lives.

“Living in Jabiru and working at Ranger has been the best experience of our lives,” she said.

“Jabiru has been a great town to live in.

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“We made lifelong friends, loved the fishing, and the camping in the Top End is the best.

“And it’s been so easy travelling through Asia.

“We will always have great memories of the Territory and we are so proud that our daughter is a Territorian.”