Copper mine closes
After weeks of reporting by the North Queensland Register, this week it was announced that the Gunpowder copper project had ceased production.
Subscribe now for unlimited access to all our agricultural news
across the nation
or signup to continue reading
But it came amid a hail of protest from employees over the terms of the settlement arrangement offered by the mine operators.
Prospects of industrial action faded when miners decided to cut their losses and accept the termination offer.
Under the termination agreement, employees and dependents over the age of three were offered air fares to Brisbane, together with removal expenses, on a sliding scale.
Single men were set to receive removal expense of $25, workers living in their own caravans got $50, workers in company caravans received $100 and families in company houses got $200.
The relocation allowance was considered essential because of the level of unemployment in Mount Isa, where more than 600 people are out of work.
The article said it would make it virtually impossible for displaced Gunpowder employees to find jobs there.
Mine manager John Mitchell said employees had also been granted one weeks pay in lieu of notice. There would also be superannuation payouts for those who had participated in the scheme.
Lucinda Port progress
The third sugar storage shed at Lucinda was taking shape and featured on the front page (pictured left).
The photograph showed all the roofing trusses in position and a start had been made on fixing the roofing sheets.
There was also progress at the shore end of the new Lucinda outloading facility.
Progress was set to be rapid now as construction proceeded on four fronts - from the shore, in both directions from the halfway point and back from the outer end.
Mount Carmel marks 75 years
The Mount Carmel College in Charters Towers was set to witness the return of many past students as it celebrated 75 years.
While the author said there would be few people from the earlier era of boarding school, which began during the first world war in 1916, there would be even fewer who recall the day school years from 1902.
The school started after a simply thought that Christian education for boys was needed in the area.
Also read: Making headlines on September 24, 1977
Want news highlights delivered to your inbox? Sign up to the North Queensland Register newsletter below.
