Life in the Pilbara

Thursday 15 August 2013 @ 10:21

Nothing can prepare our Field Service Technicians for working and living in the Pilbara. For Adam Cordwell from Melbourne, working on rotation in the Pilbara has been an exceptional and highly worthwhile experience.

“This is the most remote, bizarre place to work,” said Adam. “In summer the heat is an unbearable 45 degrees with really high humidity. You have to keep hydrated and I find that I’ve drunk all of my 5 litre Esky by lunchtime.”

“Then just a few weeks ago we got 270 mm of rain in 24 hours. The extremes in weather are amazing. This is a tough place to work and due to the vast remoteness, you have to be self reliant.”

Although he is based at Karratha, Adam is often called out to distant mine sites to attend to Genie® equipment. A routine visit to Newman from Karratha involves a seven-hour road trip each way. It was while Adam was en-route to Newman recently that a freak storm hit, rendering the road impassable. Adam had no option but to turn around and head back to Karratha.

“There are places that I’ve been to that are so remote that you can go two or three days without seeing a soul. You need to be very careful and carry plenty of water and food and be prepared to fend for yourself.”

“It’s a unique experience up here. And while I miss my family in Melbourne it’s really good to know that our Genie customers in the Pilbara definitely appreciate the support service that is now available.”