David Proctor – the last manager of Burgowan Collieries Pty Ltd.

 Three generations of Chief Executive Officers of Burgowan Collieries - 1918 - 1997

David Proctor

Bob Proctor

Arthur Proctor Original syndicate member of Burgowan Coal Co. and CEO and Chairman of Directors

David Proctor is a well  known local and the last manager of  the Burgowan mine. His grandfather Arthur Proctor was the original syndicate member of Burgowan Coal and Co. and CEO and Chairman of Directors. His father Bob Proctor was also mine manager.

David said “The Nagoorin Syndicate (which mined coal near Many Peaks in an area known as Nagoorin) abandoned their mine when it became flooded and formed a new syndicate. This became the Burgowan Syndicate. It commenced mining coal near Torbanlea in 1918 at a mine formerly operated by Johann Bellert.  Bellert had been interned due to his German ancestry during World War 1. At this stage the syndicate leased the mine. It later purchased the freehold on 28/10/1920 and the Burgowan Coal Company Ltd was formed.”

He further details “The syndicate comprised 13 members: Arthur PROCTOR; Henry PROCTOR; Joseph PROCTOR; William HAMILTON (Arthur Proctor’s father in law); Herbert YEATES ( Arthur Proctor’s brother in law); Joseph REHDER (Henry Proctor’s son in law); William RIES; Jock SNEDDON; Stephen WILSON; David KERR; John KERR; James KERR (all brothers) and William MADDERS.”

Representatives of the three mining companies in Burrum District at Coal Owners Association -Lloyd Willey, Bob Proctor, Stan Stafford.

According to David the assets purchase in 1920 included several residences located at the mine site. These were relocated to Torbanlea. Burgowan House was one of these and was converted to a house and a shop. The Company also purchased an existing shop at Torbanlea and built a brick butcher’s shop. “Torbanlea was becoming a company town. The company also built a bowling green at Torbanlea which still exists. It was sold to the Burgowan Bowling Club in 1935 for 140 pounds,” David details.



 Panorama of Torbanlea taken from top of the former water tower in late 1950's early 1960's

The glory days for the coal industry were in the early 1950’s. Coal was in demand “following the commissioning of the Howard Power Station as well as coal sold to the railways for their steam trains and coal sold for coking and steam boilers at numerous work sites in the district. Burgowan employed in excess of 150 men. Coal was exported to Japan via the railway line from Torbanlea to the jetty at Urangan in the 1950’s,” enthused David.

“Burgowan also had its own Company (Burrum Timber Company) to supply mine timber which was in great demand as mine props, crowns underground as well as a lime mine near Dallarnil which provided lime for dusting the mine shaft walls and roofs to reduce fire risk and explosions.” said David.

David is proud of the quality of Burgowan coal “It has always had a reputation as a low ash, high heat value coal with a Specific Energy of 31 mj/kj and a washed coal ash content of 8-10%.”

A. Proctor, D. Kerr, R. Keene and T. Rowston. No. 4 Mine.

David details “The mine purchased from Bellert was Burgowan No. 4 and the number sequence continued until the last mine to be opened 1964. Burgowan No 13 which closed at the end of 1976 following the decommissioning and closure of the Howard Power Station. After a short break in 1977 when the Howard Power Station closed, Burgowan No. 12, which began development in 1961, ceased production in 1997.

Over time modernization of the coal mining process occurred. "Burgowan No. 12 was the only Burgowan mine which was not a pick and shovel mine. All others were generally worked by contract miners who consequently were only paid for their production and even had to pay for their own explosives," said David.

Pit Head with winch wheel and cable from underground via man/materials shaft to Winch Room (red roof);  High structure is roof over the Washing Plant which receives unwashed coal from underground via a conveyor belt, separates coal from stone by use of a cyclone and water and loads the coal and washed stone into their respective bins for transportation by truck to stockpile;   Building on the far right is the bathroom.

David reflects “Pit ponies were used until the 1960’s in the pick and shovel mines with stables located underground. The statewide Cog Strike in 1949 even had office staff working underground to maintain the mines while miners were on strike.  Coal in the Burrum District was extracted by the Board and Pillar method which is antiquated method unlike more modern methods such as Longwall Production Method used elsewhere in Australia.”



Burgowan No.13 MineMan/Materials Shaft No.13

Mining at Burgowan No. 12 ceased in 1997. David is disappointed the site did not become a tourist attraction “The mine site was left intact with the intention that it was an historical site and that it would be developed into a tourist attraction however this did not occur and over time the site becoming almost demolished due to vandalism and theft and eventually the site was cleared and nature has reclaimed it” he reflects.  “The brick chimney stack of Burgowan No 7 mine still remains just off Beelbi Creek Road and the only evidence of the Burgowan mines are the mullock heaps which are overgrown and the dams which were created to supply water to the mines,” David says.

If you drive down Beelbi Creek Road you may spot some evidence of the last mine in the region.

Did any of your relatives work at the mine?

More information and newspaper clippings are found in our local history vertical files.

Published with consent from David Proctor.

Tags #Burgowan #mines #torbanlea  #frasercoastlibraries