REX - Regional Express

miningreview A FIFO life for me Many people spend more than an hour commuting to work. Sean O'Sullivan, who works on a mining site 55 kilometres south-east of Coober Pedy in South Australia, puts in about an hour each way – but he covers a whopping 850 kilometres to get to his workplace. O'Sullivan is part of the huge mining workforce that works on a fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) basis. Some people fly between major cities and remote mines; others have been known to commute to Australian work sites from as far away as the UK and the Middle East. "I enjoy the lifestyle. It's great being able to work in a regional community but have a life in Adelaide at the same time," says O'Sullivan. The geologist spends eight days onsite at the IMX Resources Cairn Hill Mining operation, followed by six days "off" when he is flown back home. "Getting six days off in a row means you get a real break from work. You can actually go away and it doesn't chew into your holidays," he says. Of course, there are also financial perks, and the 24-year-old is currently looking to buy a house in Adelaide – something he wouldn't be able to do if he was working in a different industry, he says. "It's a well-paid industry so it's pretty easy to put money away working in the mines." When you're on, you're on, though. Days are long, usually starting at 6am and stretching 12 hours to 6pm – although that includes travel, and O'Sullivan says this is not something that bothers him. With regard to living arrangements on the job, he says that the Cairn Hill IMX mine is pretty comfortable for FIFO workers, as they are based in Coober Pedy and not stationed at a remote mine site hundreds of kilometres from civilisation. He shares a dugout (an underground house – a style of living unique to Coober Pedy) with another geologist and the 22 two of them alternate on and off time, meaning that when O'Sullivan is on site, he essentially has a fully furnished house to himself in his downtime. "It's like a normal life. After work we can go to the shops in Coober Pedy, cook for ourselves, have a few drinks at the pub, check out a festival that is in town or go to the gym at the footy club." While it's more normal than the lifestyle at many mine sites – some of which are, incidentally, bringing in more perks, such as organised entertainment, social networks and gyms, to attract and retain good talent – the FIFO lifestyle isn't exactly an average Aussie one. And it's not suitable for everyone. "There are times when being away from home has its challenges, and occasionally you miss out on events that are on," says O'Sullivan. But O'Sullivan enjoys his work and says these small sacrifices are "something you just take with the job". "Getting six days off in a row means you get a real break from work." Above: Sean O'Sullivan in Coober Pedy. Above right: Andrew, Lynsey and Charlie Reilly lived in Cote D'Ivoire for more than two years working for Newcrest Mining.

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