At a glance
- Company
- Premier Coal
- Announcement
- Event
- Location
- Collie, Western Australia
Key figures
- Students on excursion
- Twenty-three
- Student year level
- Year 11
- Lake Kepwari handover
- late 2020
- Time as a mine before transformation
- almost 30 years
People
- Braedon GaskePremier Coal Operations Manager
- Nathan HouwelingGeography Teacher at John Calvin Christian College
September 8, 2023 -- Twenty-three students from John Calvin Christian College recently explored Premier Coal mine as part of their Geography class study focus on coal mining
The Year 11 students kicked off the overnight excursion with a tour of the replica underground mine at the Collie Visitor Centre. They camped out that night at the stunning lakeside campsite, Lake Kepwari, former open cut coal mine. In the morning, the students arrived onsite at Premier Coal to learn about how coal is formed, current operational activities and environmental management.
The team at Premier happily took the students on a tour of the workshop highlighting and explaining the way we maintain our mining equipment. They then visited the Lookout and completed field sketches of the open cut operation.
Premier Coal Operations Manager Braedon Gaske was delighted to show off the mine and demonstrate the range of trades and opportunities available.
“By being onsite we could bring learning to life for the students. They had lots of questions and were interested in seeing and experiencing the different areas of the operation.
“We are always happy to have students visit our site so we can offer a practical experience and engage them in a potential future career pathway,” said Braedon.
Lake Kepwari is also special to the miner as in late 2020, Premier Coal formally handed Lake Kepwari over to the Western Australian State Government and the people of Collie, following the completion of rehabilitation works. After almost 30 years as a mine, it was transformed into a popular attraction for locals and tourists where people can enjoy swimming, waterskiing, wakeboarding, boating and camping.
Nathan Houweling, Geography Teacher at John Calvin Christian College was delighted with the opportunity to bring the students onsite.
“The students really enjoyed visiting Premier Coal. They particularly liked touring the workshop and viewing the equipment up close.
“Experiences like this are great at opening the student’s minds to all the opportunities available to them. We are thankful to Premier Coal for taking the time,” said Nathan.
END
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Tracy Woodley
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In brief
Premier Coal hosted 23 Year 11 students from John Calvin Christian College for a Geography excursion focused on coal mining. The visit followed an overnight stay that included a tour of a replica underground mine at the Collie Visitor Centre and camping at Lake Kepwari. At the Premier Coal site, students learned about coal formation, operations and environmental management, toured the workshop and sketched the open-cut operation from a lookout. Operations Manager Braedon Gaske said the visit gave students a practical view of the mine and potential career pathways. Geography teacher Nathan Houweling said students particularly valued seeing mining equipment up close. The release also notes that Premier Coal transferred Lake Kepwari to the Western Australian State Government and the people of Collie after rehabilitation work was completed in late 2020.
Key takeaways
- Twenty-three Year 11 geography students visited Premier Coal as part of a coal-mining study.
- Students toured the mine workshop, learned about operations and environmental management, and sketched the open-cut site.
- The excursion included a visit to a replica underground mine and an overnight stay at Lake Kepwari.
- Premier Coal says Lake Kepwari was transferred to the state and Collie community after rehabilitation work.
