Anzac day 10 years since beaconsfield 20160425 p5ua02.html – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
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This was published 10 years ago

Anzac Day: 10 years since Beaconsfield

AAP

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It's 10 years since a massive rockfall shook a tiny Tasmanian town to its core and triggered one of the most publicised mine rescues in history.

Veteran miner Larry Knight was killed, crushed under the weight of hundreds of tonnes of rock and dirt when an earthquake rattled the Beaconsfield gold mine on April 25, 2006.

Two of his workmates, Brant Webb and Todd Russell, were trapped in a cramped cage nearly a kilometre underground.

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It was more than five days before the pair were miraculously discovered alive, and another nine until they finally emerged from the rubble - their near-death ordeal and dramatic rescue capturing headlines around the globe.

Union boss and future Labor leader Bill Shorten shot to prominence as "the voice" of the search and rescue effort, while the sudden death of veteran journalist Richard Carleton tarred the fortnight with further tension and distress.

Mine manager Matthew Gill faced an intense grilling over the collapse, with serious questions raised over whether it was safe to mine at the levels where the workers were found, despite a rockfall at the same depth a few months earlier.

But a coronial inquest found neither the company nor any individuals were responsible for Mr Knight's death.

Speaking ahead of the 10-year anniversary, Mr Russell and Mr Webb revealed their mental scars.

Mr Russell reached out for help only after his wife and kids threatened to walk out.

"The person I became after being stuck underground was a monster," he told Nine's 60 Minutes.

Mr Webb had thought he was coping but a recent run-in with an employer sent him into a downward spiral of aggression, depression and panic attacks and he's still angry about Mr Knight's untimely death.

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"It's beyond comprehension - you dig a hole, it's going to fill in, every fool knows that, but apparently the people that did the inquiry didn't know that," he said.

Tasmanians are expected to commemorate the recovery effort on May 9.

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