Tim’s Legacy: 40 years in mining…and counting 

We sit down with Survey Superintendent at Batchfire Resources, Tim Bongers, to talk about his incredible 40-year career in the mining industry. 

Tim grew up just outside of Biloela but, despite being a Callide Valley local, a career at the mine wasn’t his first choice after finishing school. 

“When I left school, I went to teachers’ college to be PE teacher,” he explains. 

“I did a year-and-a-half of my teaching degree and realised I didn’t want to be a teacher. 

“So, I went home to the farm for seven months, worked for mum and dad, and then a job came up as a cadet surveyor and I got it!”  

Tim started as a cadet surveyor at Callide Mine on January 7, 1985, and it’s fair to say the rest is history. These days he holds the position of Survey Superintendent and tells us he’s glad he left teachers’ college all those years ago! 

“I enjoy the maths with surveying – it’s a been a great career choice!” he tells us. 

“I’ve always enjoyed numbers and maths, so it’s fitting for me. I love the inside, outside nature of the job.” 

As a Survey Superintendent, Tim and his team are responsible for statutory plans, geospatial information, volumetrics, set out works and reporting. 

“I’m mainly office bound now, which probably suits me as I get older, but I have always liked the field work a bit more than the office work,” he says. 

“It’s a good balance and it’s suited me!” 

After 40 years, Tim says he still finds surveying as interesting as he did in the early days.  

“I like that there is a bit of cerebral thinking to do, you get to use your brain a bit,” he says. 

“Surveying is a geospatial science, so nutting out problems, volumetrics, just number games; I quite enjoy it.”  

Before returning to Callide nine years ago, Tim worked in various other positions during a period of upskilling, including as a coal quality officer, a project supervisor, a project and pits supervisor and even a dragline engineer. 

“It’s good to test a bit of everything, it helps you know what you want and if you get a bit stale doing the same thing it’s good for a bit of change,” he says. 

“I’ve really enjoyed it since I’ve come back, and I keep gravitating back to surveying.”  

Despite working for various other mines during his nine-year up-skilling sabbatical, Tim says Biloela is the best mining town by far. 

“It’s hard to pick a nicer mining town in Queensland than Biloela,” Tim laughs. 

“You get a range of workforces, you’ve got the diversity, so it’s not just a ‘mining town’ which is good. 

“Callide Valley is such a nice place to live because you’re not far off the coast, you’re not far from Rockhampton and you’re not far from Gladstone! 

“Our home too, it’s a lovely spot. We have beautiful view and every time I take the dogs for a run and I look around, I just think ‘wow, I’m pretty lucky really.’”  

Tim’s advice for people thinking about joining the resources industry is to get in where you can.  

“You might have to make hard decisions about working or moving somewhere else, but that’s fine – just get into it however you can,” he urges. 

“Breaking into the industry is the first step bit and then learning the skills will come, so once you’re in you can be mobile.”  

Four decades since Tim started at Callide Mine, he now has his own cadet surveyor and says that he is excited to pass his knowledge on. 

“I’ve only got so many years left in me, so I’d like to see my team member Eddie get registered and the same goes for the Cadet Surveyor, Lachlan – I’d like to see him through finishing his degree,” he says. 

“It’s a fairly long haul, and I’m keen to help him through that!”  

Tim says he likes that Callide mine is on the “smaller side” compared to other mines he’s worked at, highlighting that there is a great culture and sense of friendliness.  

“I’ve worked for other mines, and I prefer the smaller companies. I’d rather be in an environment like this than any other,” he says. 

“I have got a close team and we get along really well. I enjoy the camaraderie when I come to work, it’s a good culture and the people are great – I’ve got so many friends across different departments.”  

To find out more about Batchfire you can connect with us on LinkedIn or contact us here.