Visitors from twelve different African countries including Cameroon, Malawi and Nigeria had an in-depth tour of Lithgow’s mining and energy operations on Thursday and Friday last week.
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The 25 participants were able to draw on a range of new experiences and knowledge during their visit.
This included an underground visit to Clarence, Airly and Springvale coal mines, Mt Piper Power Station and a demonstration of the virtual reality simulator at the Western Mines Rescue Station.
The mine and energy tour was organised by the Minerals Council of Australia in conjunction with the Australian National University.
Two of the delegates, Abigail Wamunyu of Kenya and Raymond Kudzawu-D’pherdd of Ghana, described their time in Lithgow as an invaluable experience.
Ms Wamunyu said the best part of the experience was the chance to learn new things.
“Bringing the theory to practical, I won’t forget it now,” she said.
She described her first visit to a coal mine as “very exciting”.
“It was informative and also applicable because we have yet to do coal-mining in my country… so it was a real learning curve.”
Ms Wamunyu was also particularly pleased to meet four women working at Clarence Colliery.
Mr Kudzawu-D’pherdd was equally impressed with Airly Mine.
He had previously visited mines in Canada and his home country but this was his first experience in a coal mine.
He described the operations as “top-notch quality” in all respects.
“They are mining in a constrained area with reserves on either side… and are doing their very best to protect the environment,” Mr Kudzawu-D’pherdd said.
Both delegates were also impressed by the focus placed on safety.
The delegation were given a rare insight into the process of how the coal is then converted into power at Mt Piper Power Station with several of the group never having visited a power station.
The Western Mines Rescue Station gave the group the opportunity to have an immersive experience of what it would actually be like to be in an emergency situation in a mine through virtual reality technology.
Mr Kudzawu-D’pherdd said the tutorial was very helpful and informative despite not being an on-site experience.
The most recent delegation follows a a visit from a group in April and there are plans for more to come to Lithgow in the future.
The delegates are completing a six-week short course funded by DFAT’s flagship development program to Africa, the Australia Awards Africa program.