South Yorkshire Times November 24, 1956

Earning £5 a Day
Former Conisbrough Man Is Uranium Mining

Engaged in radium mining in the Australian bush country is a former Conisbrough miner, mister. G. Smith, who left Britain for down under 12 months ago. He told the South Yorkshire Times this week the average earnings are £5 per day, but the work is not a bit like coal mining, not being so heavy or so dangerous.

Mr Smith is employed as a hard rock minor at the Radium Hill mine and lives with his wife at Radium Hill, a very happy town of only 800 people. They have a beautiful modern bungalow, all electric, including a refrigerator for a rent of 35 shilling a week.

The most popular past time is kangaroo shooting – there are thousands of them, and rabbits too.

Mr Smith writes us: “My sympathy for Mrs Iris Fitzgerald in having to go to the bottom of the Conisbrough housing list after waiting for four years for a council house. Mrs Fitzgerald’s misfortune and her remarks ‘it’s like a desert right out there’- a reference to the new Conisbrough Windhill housing estate – certainly made my wife and I, being ex-Denaby and Conisbrough residents, smile very much.”

This is what it is like living in the desert out here in South Australia, 300 miles from Adelaide, three trains a week, 75 miles from our nearest town of Broken Hill. A bus runs there three times a week to Broken Hill; we get our mail three times a week and our newspaper a day behind.

Flying Doctors Visit

A plane comes in twice a week with airmail and to take out a few passengers. We also have the flying doctor once a fortnight. We have an open air cinema three times a week, one pub (which is the only pub in South Australia to open until 9 p.m., normal closing time is 6p.m., but we have this concession because we are out in the bush).

There is only one shop for provisions and one for clothing and there is only one industry, uranium mining.

Mr Smith formerly lived at 2, Parkgate Avenue, Conanby, and receives his South Yorkshire times regularly from his sister, Mrs. H. Ward, of 2, Wadsworth Street, Denaby.

He adds that he was sorry to hear of the death of Mr H. Robinson, a very good friend of his, in a fatal accident at Cadeby colliery.