Then Again - Strongman Mine

Mid-1980s series Then Again revisited high profile moments in Kiwi history, mixing archive material and interviews with those who were there. This item from a 1986 episode looks back at the Strongman mine explosion of 19 January 1967, which killed 19 men at New Zealand's largest underground coal mine. Twenty years on reporter Jim Hopkins visits the still-working West Coast mine, to see if ghosts still linger. An official inquiry found that the state-run coal mine had neglected safety procedures; the Government paid compensation to families of the victims. 

You can never take things lightly underground, not when you're working under the weight of a roof of rock, or with the threat of seeping gas. This lamp is not for seeing nor for sniffing. It's a gas lamp. If the flame goes out it's time to get out.

– From the narration

Key Cast & Crew

Jim Hopkins

Reporter

Annie Whittle

Presenter

Duncan Anderson

Director

Peter Morritt

Producer