The ingenious way miners are helping families affected by workplace accidents

A unique initiative has launched in Western Australia, using old machinery to raise money for fly-in fly-out families.

The Mining Legends project inherited an old R2900G bogger from gold producer Northern Star, and the 67,000 kilogram loader was far from retirement.

"This one had about 18,000 operation hours on it, which is quite a lot for an underground machine," mining legends rebuild project manager Sean Wood said.

The project is the brain child of Kalgoorlie-based company Worthy Parts, and the idea is to restore old machinery with donated parts and volunteering tradies.

Worthy Parts managing director Michael Worthington put the call out to the mining community and ended up receiving donations from around the country.

"We realised it wasn't just Kalgoorlie companies that were getting behind this thing, we had guys all around Australia."

Mr Wood said they had companies as far as Toowoomba in Queensland wanting to be involved in the first of its kind initiative.

"This bogger literally exploded all over Australia."

More than 65 donors dug deep and it was four months of hammering, welding, painting and even sewing, to get the loader back on the move.

It's then sold off with part of the money going to Miners Promise, which helps West Australian FIFO families, whose loved ones have died in workplace accidents.

Widow Sharon Lawn says the service gave her much needed support after her husband died while on the job.

"They helped me sort out my husband's funeral arrangements, and they were there to talk, 24/7. I could ring this beautiful lady and talk to her whenever."

The Goldfields Esperance Community Trust also gets a share, to look after not-for-profit organisations in the region.

The project raised up to a million dollars, with loader finding a new home with the Super Pit's manager KCGM.

The Mining Legends team is hoping to find its next challenge soon.