Meet the Resident Ken
Like just about every lad born in Cessnock in the middle of last century, Ken followed his father and older brother down into the mines. Ken is proud of his heritage and though he sometimes jokes that his life accomplishments are “not bad for an uneducated boy from Cessnock” he remains a staunch defender of Cessnock and the fond memories of being brought up there have shaped the man. When the mines became mechanised and there was little to do for “an uneducated boy from Cessnock” Ken moved to Newcastle and sought work at BHP. It was a time of growth for the steelworks and the workforce contained a huge number of men who had emigrated from Europe and the Mediterranean. Competition for advancement was fierce and many tried their luck at being “yes men” to get ahead, but not Ken. He went on staff and rose through the ranks by being recognized as a true, honest hard working man.
Those men from Italy, Greece, Poland, Yugoslavia and beyond became good friends and not one of them ever envied Ken’s advancement and thoroughly respected the way he spoke to them as friends (which was not always the case for “new” Australians). It was while at BHP, Ken recalls his “greatest achievement” Realizing the “safety handbook” that was issued to every worker on employment was only printed in English, Ken thought of his mates from other countries who would struggle with reading a foreign language.
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