Hey Wiz,
are you talking about the town where Georgie and Queenie are from?
If so i would like to know how you educated your kids in year 11 and 12.
Yup, thats the town (although Georgey passed away.....only Queeny now, and shes gone all christian)
I educated my eldest boy through an agricultural college (he is now an overseer for a mining company owned pastrol company and runs nearly three million acres over four stations) next three were educated through SIDE. (School of Isolated Distance Education) with the assistance and resources of the local high school . All employed as soon as school finished. one as a apprentice heavy duty fitter, one is doing a chefs apprenticeship and the other is employed as a laborer. all employed locally and making more $$$ than their counter parts in the city.
Not all bad in the bush.
Prior to the taxes, 'Mum, Dad, and the Kids(?) would all go to live in the 'towns' established by the larger mines
Although true that the towns were established with the assistance of mining, it is not always the case. The town where I live was built around a mine, but grew as a support town to the districts pastoral industry. the town has existed for quite some time without the mine being a role player in the towns development. Most of these type of towns don't have the interaction of the mines like they had traditionally.
and the kids went to the local school which the mine was obliged to establish.
Also not the case any longer. the mine supply's what they feel is enough to rate a mention in a P&C meeting and nothing else. the school and teachers are state government supplied.
Most of the FIFO work these days is because the mine was established on or very close to the ore body, and not a town. there is 5 major mines in close proximity to the town where I live and most of the people living on site have never seen the town.
Much easier to control the workforce if you position them on site and you can use the withdrawal of accommodation to control what happens after work hours (nowhere to live = no employment. no need to justify yourself to a Union or face a court case for a dismissal for non work related incidences(fighting at the wetty or being an obnoxious prick when off shift, Etc) . the work force is also focused on the job, as there is close to no social aspect of living in a mine camp. Get in and do the job for two weeks and get out.