On the evening of October 30 the A Night to Remember Our Lost Miners Remembrance Service was held in Cobar, as part of the Festival of the Miners Ghost.

The service honours the men who have lost their lives in Cobar mines and was to be held at the Cobar Mining Heritage Park, site of the Cobar Miners Memorial, however the event was moved to the RSL club due to wet weather.

With around 250 townspeople attending, Father Paul Finucane, the Catholic Priest, opened and blessed the evening.

The audience formed a Guard of Honour for those laying wreaths including current and former miners, members of families of those who have died, shire councillors and staff, school teachers and members of the general public.

"The night was, as it always is, a moving occasion," said Kay Stingemore, Curator of the Great Cobar Museum and one of the speakers on the night.

"While it is a solemn event, it is also enjoyable in its engagement with our community and history."

 ABOVE: Cobar Mining Heritage Park from the air, with the Cobar Miners Memorial at the center of the photo [Image: Barry Knight]

The first Night to Remember our Lost Miners was held in 2017, when local community volunteer Barry Knight took on a suggestion from the then Tourist Officer for Cobar.

He organised the first remembrance ceremony and then went on to spearhead the fundraising campaign to build the Cobar Miners Memorial.

Mr Knight and his late wife Ginny's commitment to their community was acknowledged in the NSW Parliament recently, during a Community Recognition statement read on November 10.

 "Barry Knight is what is known in Cobar as an 'Iron Ringer', someone born and bred in the town," Member for Barwon Roy Butler, explained to the Parliament.

"His family have been there for 150 years and he gives his heart and soul to various community projects."

ABOVE: Combined Cobar Schools choir singing the National Anthem [Supplied: L Andrew]

"One major achievement is the Cobar Miners Memorial, commemorating miners who have lost their lives in Cobar mines or from mining related illness."

"The project took over seven years to complete and opened on June 19, 2021," Mr Butler said.

The Miners Memorial honours the 171 men who have lost their lives in Cobar's mines, the most recently in 2017.

Barry Knight's family have suffered their own loss to the mines of Cobar, "A long lost cousin in 1914, he was only 14 years old, he got run by a dray carting ore", Mr Knight told the Western Plains App.

Guest speakers on the night were Curator of the Great Cobar Museum Kay Stingemore, mining engineer Sandra Collins (nee Bailey) and Vice President of the Mining and Energy Union South-Western District, Greg Braes from Broken Hill.

Kay Stingemore spoke about the role of women and children working for the mines in the early decades of Cobar.

"Most of what is known of young boys’ work is recorded because of the accidents that befell them. Boys worked on the surface in a variety of roles, exposing them to various dangers, such as falling from heights or being caught in machinery. Women’s work in Cobar mines was confined to office roles until people such as Sandra Bailey came along and created change and opportunity," said Ms Stingemore.

In 1985, Sandra Collins, was a young graduate mining engineer and who fought against NSW legislation banning women from working underground, so she could work and study underground to attain her mine management certification in the CSA Mine at Cobar.

Mrs Collins spoke about her experiences as a woman in mining. She talked of the many men at the CSA who had mentored or stood up for her. Since her time at the CSA, she has continued to work and progress in the mining field, facing and overcoming many obstacles.

Greg worked underground for many years in Broken Hill and has a strong connection to Cobar. 

Mr Braes is a passionate advocate of getting the government, mining companies, and unions co-operating together to increase safety.

"Greg had a local connection to Cobar, his mother was a Fishpool, and he spoke about his experiences working in mines in Broken Hill", Barry Knight told the Western Plains App.

Students from the Cobar Primary School, St John's Parish School, and Cobar High School formed a combined choir for the occasion.

 "Students from all the schools performed a heartfelt rendition of the National Anthem and Cobar High School students performed the song they wrote in 2021 "They Were Miners" with outstanding artistry", said Laura Andrew, the Music Teacher at Cobar High School.

Shane Josephson, local Cobar Musician performed a song on the night that was also written for the opening of the Cobar Miners Memorial, 'Hard Rock Miners'.