My FIFO Journey

I was a 24 year old country girl, with two hard working parents, who instilled that there is pride in hard work and accomplishment and decided that working Fly In Fly Out (FIFO) was the right route to help with the mortgage after building my own home. I didn't mind getting my hands dirty and with the help of a mentor got a job working in Drill & Blast as Blast Crew. This was a long process, I searched for a FIFO job for about 6 months, it was also when I got up the courage to finally tell my parents I didn't want to work for the family business anymore (a story for another time). I'd been thinking about this for at least another 6 months prior to talking to my parents. The day we sold the family business, I got two job offers.

I started with Roc-Drill in September 23, where I was in for a culture shock. A young, blonde female in mining doing a labour intensive job is not unheard of but not common. Blowing shit up for a living, working with my partner, the money, the lifestyle and the comradery I shared with a large, dysfunctional family was fun and worth the other side of FIFO, until it wasn't.

The other side of FIFO doesn't get talked about enough and I believe this is due it being a male dominated industry and society has conditioned men to not talk. FIFO is an emotionally, physically, mentally, spiritually taxing lifestyle. Workers tend to turn to vices just to 'get through'. If you're lucky enough to have good chefs (like we were) the food at work is delicious (not the case for many) but also very rich and processed because of the mass amount of people they have to feed. FIFO made us forget who we were. We missed our family and friends, and missed a lot being away. We were told by our colleagues that work life doesn't exist. You come to work, eat, sleep and have a beer or two. It's hard that your friends and families lives happen while you're away. Then when you get home, you need about 3 days to yourself to decompress and learn how to live in the real world again. For 14 days straight you spend 12 hours a day working, get back, shower, eat, beers with the boys, then it's back to your box that has no windows, no natural light, nothing to make the room feel comfortable so you can get a good night sleep. FIFO is a hard lifestyle and I have so much respect for anyone that does FIFO, for any length of time. I can also see how the lifestyle suits some people. My Dad worked away with his own exploration business when I was a kid, and Mum said it was obviously hard when he was away but when he was home he got to be present with us kids, and this is the case for a lot of families.

I am so lucky and grateful to have landed with Roc-Drill for my first mining job. Work felt like a home away from home with a big, weird, dysfunctional family supporting me. I met some interesting and awesome people and learnt a lot about myself. Being a young female in mining was daunting but everyone made me feel comfortable and safe. The other part of being a female in mining however, included not having regular access to a toilet, UTI's caused by bush wees and lithium dust, GI issues due to food and lifestyle, and (sorry TMI) but having my period while my clothes were covered head to toe in emulsion (one part that makes the explosives) and trying to empty my menstrual cup and reinsert was one of the most terrifying experiences of my life.

I am also in chronic pain at the moment. I was strong enough to do everything the guys could do, I proved myself twice over that I was fully capable to be doing a man's job, but my muscles weren't strong enough, my shoulders compensated for the fact that I didn't have as much strength in my arms. Over time, this muscle compensated for that muscle and my entire body is now just incredibly tight and sore. I remember realising something was wrong on a flight home from work and having shooting pains through my neck. I saw a remedial massage therapist who then recommended me to a chiro. My muscles in my neck were so tight they were pressing on my occipital lobe, which I worked out was the reason I fell over a lot at work. I've got a long road to recovery but I've set myself on the right track. I'm stretching and doing yoga/pilates. I'm baking and cooking with lots of herbs and spices and nuts and fruit. I'm sleeping so well, I have been prescribed medicial marijuana, the CBD oil works wonders, and goes great in a fruit and nut slice. I'm going to the toilet regularly! It's so shit that pooping well has a huge influence on how we feel. Your GI health and is so important and doctors really struggle to diagnose and treat GI Issues. Tom and I have really thrown ourselves into cooking. FIFO made us appreciate how much we love to cook and control what enters our bodies.

It's crazy to say that I'm unemployed. I have a very expensive mortgage. But I've worked my ass off to get where I am, and now I have a partner in crime who can share the financial load. It's time for us to take some time to live back in the real world, reacclimate, rest, reconnect with family and the things we love.

My first day of FIFO someone asked me if I had a plan to get out of mining. So many people get stuck in the loop of making lots of money but spending lots of money, and for some people the cycle has been going for years. My best advice to someone wanting to get into FIFO, have goals, have a reason to be there, make some money and get out. For some the lifestyle works but for many the mental stress can change who you are.

My FIFO timeline:

• September 2022: started blast crew position

• January 2023: got Tom a job working with me before he even came home from Broome

• March 2023: stepped up as Trainee shotfirer

• October 2023: completed shotfirer's course! Snagged a couples room

• December 2023: ran my first shot as appointed shotfirer!