More than 36-years after they entered a burning coal mine to attempt to rescue work mates trapped after an explosion, three Nymboida miners last week received their Governor General Group Bravery citation and medals from the NSW Governor in Sydney.

Neil and Trevor McLennan and Ian Carter were there with their families to accept the honour while the late Jack Tapp was represented by his family.

General Secretary Andrew Vickers attended as a special guest of the Nymboida miners and described their bravery awards as “well deserved and long overdue. These Nymboida heroes are rightly honoured for their bravery on that day back in January 1976 when they put their workmates lives ahead of their own. But the whole of Australia’s mining communities owe them a debt too. If it wasn’t for all the Nymboida miners taking over that small colliery in 1975 there would be no United Collieries today and no Mineworkers Trust to channel millions of dollars into our mining communities.

“The Nymboida miners have carved a special place in the long and proud history of our Union and they will be forever honoured for it”, he said.