36 JUNE 2023 WorldWide Drilling Resource® Scott was on hand with a table of items from American Granby. WWDR’s Marie & Troy had a great time at TWWA’s Gatlinburg event. 2023 Adam represented Hole Products. Jamie for GEFCO / BAUER. This is just a sneak peek ~ visit www.worldwidedrillingresource.com/gallery.html for more photos online! A Wedding to Remember 3600 Feet Below the Surface Adapted from Information by BHP When Aleese and Ryan met working underground at BHP’s Leinster nickel mine in the northern Goldfields of Western Australia, they did not expect their wedding to take place there four years later; but that’s exactly what happened. Dressed in their bright orange high-visibility shirts, and with a specially-made jacket and veil-adorned helmet, Aleese and Ryan made sure their guests and photographer were properly initiated before traveling over 3600 feet beneath the surface for a wedding ceremony. “Originally, we wanted to elope, somewhere like Broome or near the beach, but Ryan suggested we get married where we first met. I asked my boss Chibs, and four weeks later he got back to us and here we are - it was very cool,” said Aleese. Chibs even walked the bride down the aisle. “It was so important to us that we get married here. Leinster is home for us. I’ve worked here on and off since 2016. I came out here as a road train driver, and then came underground, and over the years the family in town and the family on-site have been fantastic,” said Aleese. “. . . ultimately everyone came together and were so excited to do this for us.” The pair are settled in Leinster and plan on starting their family in the small Goldfields town. “The lifestyle, the work, the people, the community - everything like that, it all comes into play,” added Ryan. Their family was not surprised at the wedding venue given their career choice. “We’re both workaholics, so to have the place that we both love being and both being miners, the family thought it was very fitting,” Aleese explained. “I met the previous underground manager while driving road trains. She asked me to give underground a go, so I’ve been underground for four years now. I love it, I don’t think I’ll ever do any other job. It’s incredible. I want to be a shift boss one day, so seeing a female in that position, and BHP advocating and supporting for that means the world to me. There are so many people here that I look up to and value.” Aleese and Ryan also expressed gratitude to the Tjiwarl community and traditional land owners. “There’s so much we’re thankful for. We’re very grateful to be here and to be able to do this,” said Aleese. Photo courtesy of Sara Hannagan Photography. MIN
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