mineside

Mineside looking South West. December 1929. Lower right corner is the temporary power house. An additional boiler and generator was installed with the construction starting late August 1929. The tool sharpening shop was completed on 30th December 1929. The housing was being constructed for MIM employees and the Dormitory and single men's quarters for MIM Employees as well.

Mount Isa is a small city located in northwest Queensland, Australia. Payable silver-lead ore was discovered in late 1923, which led to the formation of mining companies, with Mount Isa Mines becoming the sole company two years later. To support the company, the Queensland government surveyed a town site on the opposite bank of the Leichhardt River. However once the British company Russo-Asiatic acquired a controlling interest, Mount Isa Mines built its own town on a scale and form unprecedented in Australian mining. Isa Mines was a company town with its own stores, bank and recreational facilities. It was initially named Isa Mines to distinguish it from the incorporated town of Mount Isa, though over time the two settlements became known as Mineside and Townside. During the late 1940s and early 1950s with the price of lead at a record high, the Isa Mines settlement was extended with further housing and facilities. Source: researchonline.jcu.edu.au/39437/1/39437-kirkman-2011-thes...

In the lower right corner is "Isa Mine State School", a State School, but only MIM employees children were allowed to attend. The lower left complex was Mount Isa Mines private hospital for employees only. That's another long story.

Mount Isa Mines’ historic Urquhart Shaft and Headframe holds a special place in Mount Isa’s iconic skyline and is acknowledged as a significant piece of Queensland’s European heritage. Originally named No. 1 Ore Shaft, the infrastructure was built between 1929 and 1931 to aid in the commencement of zinc-lead production at Mount Isa Mines, hoisting its first ore in 1931. At the time, the hilltop site for the shaft and headframe was selected as it was just outside the 'known' ore-bearing regions of the zinc-lead mine and was in an ideal location to feed into the mill site and smelting workings. Today, the Urquhart Shaft Headframe, which still sits hillside, is a community landmark and a symbol of Mount Isa Mines and is one of five Queensland European heritage-listed assets originally built by the company. The Urquhart Headframe, which used an American A-frame rather than the usual four power frames of the period, was considered innovative at the time. Like much of Mount Isa Mines' early infrastructure, the Urquhart Shaft was named in honour of one of the key players in the company’s almost 100-year history. Originally from Turkey, John Leslie Urquhart, Chairman of London-based Russo-Asiatic Consolidated Limited, was one of Mount Isa Mines’ early financiers and accepted technical control of the operation while also forming a London board of Mount Isa Mines. He held the position of General Manager and Chairman of Directors from 1927 until his unexpected death in 1933. Urquhart, who also held mining interests across the globe and spoke several languages, is credited with importing the latest technological advancements in mining equipment and employing the finest workers from all over the world. He was responsible for developing the mining community known today as Mineside, which included housing quarters and dormitories, shops, a hospital and recreational facilities for Mount Isa Mines employees. Source: www.glencore.com.au/operations-and-projects/qld-metals/re...

Here is an extract from a newspaper, it gives details of the long buildings, "Ranch", in the foreground. Daily Mercury, Mackay, 10th December 1929. "Men arriving at Mount Isa looking for work have to register at the company's labor bureau, and attend there every morning, and when men are required the labor agent picks the men according to the class of labor required, such as carpenters, fitters, concrete men, etc. They do not object to men getting a job without going to the bureau, but they will have to go through the bureau before they can start work. After the men are picked they are given a note to the Doctor, and they have to be examined to see if they are medically fit to work for it does not matter what kind of work they have to do. After getting their certificate the Company distributes them where they are required. They are also given a brass ticket, with a number on it, and they have to show this ticket when they want a ranch ticket or their fortnightly pay. The company has provided temporary sleeping quarters. They are long and narrow buildings, built of corrugated iron and divided into small rooms. Two men share a room and all the rooms are numbered. No charge is made for these rooms. Permanent quarters are being built on a very large scale. The buildings will have forty bedrooms, each nicely furnished and containing a duchess, a wire stretcher, and wash stand. The buildings are enclosed all round with wire gauze netting to make them fly proof. I believe the Company intends to charge five shillings a week rent for these rooms."

Though the major periods of social infrastructure provision saw quite different company initiatives, the aim of management was the same: to markedly reduce the overall labour turnover of the workforce. The management of Mount Isa Mines used social infrastructure to attract and keep its most valued employees, mostly married employees, especially during periods of massive expansion in preparation for increased production. While the success of the company town of Isa Mines was limited in this respect, it did manage to retain a core minority of employees, with home ownership, government housing and support for local businesses, parts of a more strategic approach to consolidating the local labor market by transforming an outback bush town to the suburban norm of Australian coastal cities. This intended to stabilize the workforce for a mine that would last many decades. Mining company social practices at the time: These included rental housing and barracks, home ownership schemes and government-provided housing, both rental and for purchase. The operation and closure of the company stores, bank, and recreational facilities are also part of this, as is the operation of recreational areas to be utilised by all residents. The entire community of Mount Isa was a company town, built and controlled by one company. However the concept proved too difficult to sustain over the entire period to 1963 especially with the existence of the town of Mount Isa (Townside), whose residents and businessmen remained resolutely independent of the company. Sometimes “social infrastructure” such as accommodation, recreational facilities, and other employee programs are provided. Social infrastructure can take several forms such as barracks for single men, an entire township on company leases, or housing and facilities in an existing town. In some cases, social infrastructure has been provided by governments through the use of public money for this purpose has been generally controversial. Some industrial infrastructure provided by companies can also be used for social purposes, especially power stations, and dams. Source: researchonline.jcu.edu.au/39437/1/39437-kirkman-2011-thes...

Mount Isa (/ˈaɪzə/ EYE-zə) is a city in the Gulf Country region of Queensland, Australia. It came into existence because of the vast mineral deposits found in the area. Mount Isa Mines (MIM) is one of the most productive single mines in world history, based on the combined production of lead, silver, copper, and zinc. Hilton - More commonly known as Mineside, on the same side of the railway line as Mount Isa Mines and the Incitec Pivot Sulphuric Acid plant. Employee housing, particularly for managers and visiting staff from Xstrata, Casa Grande; a white brick mansion built for the visit of Queen Elizabeth II; now used for the annual Casa Grande Ball, and some mine operations. Source: www.wikiwand.com/en/Mount_Isa