Friends rally around widow of deceased miner Nathaniel Beesley

THE body of a former UK Royal Marine who fell to his death at Savage River mine has been recovered as friends rally around his wife and two children in Queensland.

Nathaniel and Katie Beesley. Mr Beesly died on March 17 while working in a mine in Savage River.

THE body of a former UK Royal Marine who fell to his death at Savage River mine has been recovered as friends rally around his wife and two children in Queensland.

Father of two Nathaniel Beesley, 32, was working as a contractor when he fell while conducting scaling works.

Mr Beesley was flying in and out of Queensland to work at the Grange Resources iron ore operation while he waited to be transferred from the British defence force to the Australian Army — a process his wife Katie has criticised on social media in the wake of her husband’s death.

A GoFundMe page has been set up by a group of friends from Mrs Beesley’s mothers group, which said it was devastated by the loss of their friend, their children’s friends’ dad and Mrs Beesley’s loving husband.

So far, about $25,000 has been raised.

Hours after Mrs Beesley learnt of her husband’s death, she blasted Australia’s defence force on Facebook saying Mr Beesley, who survived two tours in Afghanistan, was only working in the mining industry because of the army’s “incompetence”.

She told Defence Jobs Australia the sergeant had been waiting on an overseas lateral transfer to the Australian Army since 2014.

“I understand you are crying out for men of such calibre. Oh wait that’s my husband, who is now dead because his overseas lateral transfer ‘being processed’ by your incompetent army since 2014 has resulted in him obtaining work and dying in a mine in Tasmania,” she wrote.

“The Australian Army have placed my family in such distress ... You have told my husband since July last year that his interview would be ‘next month’ and yet no interview or arrangements were made.

“He was not contacted despite being told weeks ago by an army major that he would get back to him ‘within a couple of days’.”

Mrs Beesley said her husband had been forced to accept work interstate to support his family.

“My two sons, Freddie, 4 and Rex, 21 months, are without a father.”

The Australian Defence Force replied to Mrs Beesley’s post saying recruitment was a highly competitive process and intakes could take some time depending on available roles.

“The overseas lateral transfer recruitment scheme applications are also highly competitive and managed by the individual services of the ADF through their respective career management agencies,” Mrs Beesley was told.

“Intake periods for lateral transfer applications will vary and can take an extended period of time as each application is assessed carefully.

“Once again, we’re very sorry for your loss.”