"Nothing means more to me than my years at Stobie"
The last skip of ore was brought up from underground Wayne Beckerleg Stobie miner for 28 years said, "It's emotional. It's the end of an era"
130 years is more than a lifetime and vale's Frood Stobie mine has employed generations of families since it began operating in 1887.
But Sudbury's oldest mine has reached the end of the line.
Wayne Tonelli retired Stobie mine foreman said, “I had a great bunch of people, probably 30-40 people at the time was the size of my crew. A very large crew by today's standards, both men and women. Had the privilege of supervising the first female miner underground"
Vintage mining memorabilia was on display.
People contributed meaningful items into the time capsule and priceless stories were shared.
Wayne Beckerleg remembers when he and his peers only sent up five trucks from underground instead of six.
"The sixth truck was not a truck; it was about 20 of us in a cage trying to get out early. So when the deck man went to receive the last car that was supposed to come up. We all stood up and surprised the pants off him because he wasn't expecting people in there; he was expecting a truck you know." Said Beckerleg.
Now despite the mine closing, vale is confident it will find a new mining home for its employees. Stuart Harshaw Vale Vice President of operations said. "We've been very successful in terms of finding roles I would say most employees. We're still continuing on that process. Although we can't guarantee there won't be layoffs, we're doing everything we can to avoid layoffs if possible"
Wayne Tonelli has nearly 20 years at Stobie mine and is now a retired foreman. "A little bit of sorrow to see this place close. It means people moving to different mines now. Hopefully there won't be any layoffs, but there are people that will have to be placed." Said Tonelli.
Although it's a bittersweet day, the storied history and fond memories of Sudbury's oldest mine will forever be remembered by numerous generations.
