Gateway to the Coast

Press, 16 June 1982, Page 21

Gateway to the Coast

J Reefton takes its name from the golckbearing quartz reefs discovered in the hills above Blacks Point in 1870. At that time it was known as Reef Town and was a ■ prospering boom town.

It has survived the gold rush, and now farming, timber and coal-mining are the main industries of the town. Reefton's other claim to fame was electricity. In 1866,

a British engineer, Walter Prince, brought a onekilowatt dynamo to the town. It was instilled in Dawson’s Hotel which became the first building in the Southern Hemisphere to be permanently illuminated by electricity. Since the 19405. steam trains have given way to diesel and it had seemed that the reign of coal had ended. But the energy crisis of the '7os has rekindled interest in coal, and mines are reopening. The banjo shovel, riddling fork and miner’s pick have made way for more efficient methods of mining the coal. . The Starline Coal Mine at .Reefton is just one of the many small mines to have reopened. The mine was closed in 1956 as other forms of energy found favour. Changing circumstances have bought the miners back and the future looks good, according to the Starline manager, Mr Dick Banks. Although the coal has a high .sulphur content, the domestic market still demands the fuel. "There’s a big interest in mines in this area now and everyone is trying to get back into the game," Mr Banks says. Figures verify this. There, are now 34 coal mines working on the Coast, seven of which are owned by the State. At Reefton there are 11 privately-owned mines and one State-owned, and at .Greymouth 12 in the private sector, and two State mines. These supply domestic and industrial consumers. At Buller there, are eight working mines, four of which are run by the State. Apart from coal for industrial purposes, 250,000 tonnes of coal is exported from the Buller State mines.