Old Coasters know the pain of waiting

Friends and family of the trapped miners comfort each other. Photo / Mark Mitchell

West Coasters are renowned for their fighting spirit, a toughness of character that has been tested to the extreme over the past 36 hours.

As 29 of their own remained trapped underground last night, Coasters spoke of the anguish that was rippling through every member of the tight-knit community.

Arthur Gempton, from the tiny settlement of Moonlight, 35km from Greymouth, has lived in the area for 20 years and said there were few locals who didn't know someone trapped in the mine.

"We're anxious to see those miners get out. It's a big industry on the coast.

"We just want to hear the word that they've gone in there and found them alive. It's hard to sit here and wait."

Leading cinematographer Alun Bollinger, who lives in Reefton, said that while waiting for news, the community was "on hold".

"It's gut-wrenching and heart-wrenching. You can only hope and pray. Everyone's aware of it, but there's nothing you can say. There's all sorts of people down that hole - Australians, South Africans as well as Kiwis. It'll have a hell of an effect on the community, of course it will."

Other prominent Coasters spoke out about their feelings of seeing the ordeal unfold.

Reality TV queen Julie Christie said she hoped the accident would not lead to the closure of the Pike River mine.

"Without that mine that area of New Zealand would be suffering. It's so important, it's huge. If that mine closes down, it would be an absolute disaster for the area."

Christie, the founder of television production company Eyeworks, left the Coast at the age of 17 but still has strong family links with the area. She said it was common for overseas news channels to use Skype, video-phones and other technology to get images out from remote places.

West Coast Tasman MP Chris Auchinvole said that Coasters had a strong community memory of past mining disasters.

"The community will respond with an awareness of the fragile nature of security once you go underground. There's a very strong mateship and collegiate structure between miners."

Labour list MP Damien O'Connor, who was at the Red Cross welfare centre in Greymouth yesterday, said: "Clearly families with their loved ones underground are in turmoil. There is an underlying resilience in a community like the West Coast. It's not the first time that they have faced some challenges.

The nature of having an economy and industries based around nature and all the dangers that go with that. People are shocked, waiting and hoping and remaining optimistic that we'll have a positive outcome."

Film-maker Gaylene Preston, who was born and raised in Greymouth, said such accidents were part of the Coast's history.

"There's a song that says 'Blood is the price of coal'. The reason I'm an ex-Coaster is my mother was absolutely adamant that no son of hers was going down the mine. Let's hope that everything is all right."