Inquest into Tasmanian mine death of former Royal British Marine another step closer

A veteran of two tours in Afghanistan had moved to Australia with his wife and their two young sons just one year before he died in a mining accident.

THE widow of a former British Royal Marine who died in a rock fall at a Tasmanian mine in 2017 has attended a video conference ahead of the inquest into her husband’s death.

Nathaniel Owen Beesley, 32, was working in an iron ore mine at Savage River, about 100km southwest of Burnie.

The veteran of two tours of Afghanistan had moved to Australia with his wife Katie and their two young sons in 2016 – a year before he was killed in the mining accident on Tasmania’s West Coast.

FRIENDS RALLY AROUND WIDOW OF DECEASED MINER

Nathaniel Beesley, with 4-year-old son Freddie, died on March 17, 2017, while working in a Tasmanian mine.

Coroner Simon Cooper and council for Mrs Beesley, Worksafe Tasmania, SRG Mining Australia and a friend of Mr Beesley’s mother tuned in for the virtual case management conference on Friday.

The meeting was to allow the parties to understand what has been done in the investigation, what is currently occurring and what is to come in the inquest.

The conference heard that in 2017, Beesley was working for specialised mining and civil engineering services company SRG, which had been contracted by mine operator Grange Resources.

He was conducting “scaling” operations on the east wall of the mine’s north pit and had been doing so with three colleagues for several days prior to his death.

Scaling is the process of abseiling down the face of a mine wall to remove loose rocks or other materials as a protective measure for people and machinery below.

Nathaniel Beesley, pictured with his two sons, died in a mining accident.

About 11am on March 17, 2017, a rock fall occurred.

Council assisting the coroner, Luke Taylor, said emergency procedures were immediately put into place at the mine and police were notified.

Investigations into the incident and Mr Beesley’s apparent death commenced that afternoon.

His body was recovered four days later.

Mr Taylor said Coroner Cooper and council would receive 30 exhibits to consider throughout the inquest, including the comprehensive Worksafe Tasmania investigation file.

Coroner Cooper told Mrs Beesley he was sorry to have to meet via video conference.

“It’s terrible circumstances,” he said.

Coroner Cooper will give his findings and any appropriate recommendations to prevent further deaths at the end of the inquest.

There will be another case management conference on May 22.