Inside out… Daniel Adamski

Name: Daniel Adamski

How long have you been with Glencore and Oaky Creek?
I started at Oaky Creek January 2011 so almost 16 years.

What’s your current role?
Development Overhauls Engineer.

What are you responsible for?
I look after compliance of the development equipment. When machines are at their code life I send them away for overhaul. This involves everything from scope of work, quoting, vendor selection, contracts, transport to and from site, the strip of the machine, and the full rebuild and factory acceptance testing. 

What does a typical day look like for you?
I get up around 5am and arrive at site around 6am. I call the vendors to find out the status of the overhauls and whether any issues have come up. There’s a lot of paperwork to complete and reports to fill out. Depending on what stage of the rebuild the equipment is in, I may have inspections to complete at the vendors workshops, so I’m often traveling around making sure equipment arrives back on time and on budget. 

What do you enjoy most about your job?
Working with different vendors to get the best outcome for the mine. I get to travel to many different locations and enjoy looking at how workplaces complete their work and how they run the workshops. 

What’s the most challenging part?
There are a lot of rules and regulations that the equipment must comply with. Understanding the regulations and keeping the equipment within this is a big part of the role. 

Have you always worked in the mining industry?
No. Before mining I worked around Brisbane as a heavy vehicle mechanic. I worked for Boral Transport, Mack Trucks, Brisbane City Council – Buses, Queensland Rail – working on locomotives and passenger trains and at a tractor dealership.

What attracted you to the mining industry, Glencore and OCC/Tieri?
Like a lot of people, originally I was drawn to the money in mining roles, but over time you come to realise how good and safe the lifestyle is in Tieri. The freedom the kids have to roam around town is something you don’t get in big towns. 

If you weren’t working as an Overhauls Engineer, what would be your ideal job?
A few years ago, I spent some time in Germany working on a friend’s farm. It was in the middle of winter, so the snow was about a foot deep. It was a real change to working in Central Queensland and I would love to spend some more time over there working. 

What do you like to do outside of work?
You will catch me sitting at the score bench of one of my son’s basketball tournaments around Queensland, or running water at a local AFL game for my other son. Outside of this, I’m a taxi driver for my kids. 

Who do you spend your time with?
My family is very important to me. My wife works in cancer care and with her line of work we see how short life can be. I take every single opportunity to spend any free time with my wife and two kids. 

What’s a little known fact about you?
I love motorsport. I had my own speedway car in my late teens/early twenties and I raced street Sedans at Gympie, Maryborough and Kingaroy speedways. I’m a big fan of Formula 1 and have travelled to events in Melbourne and Abu Dhabi. I’ve also travelled to Bathurst a couple of times to watch the V8 supercars.

And people may not know that I’ve ‘starred’ in a promotional short film for Oaky Creek Coal: “Glencore Coal: A Day In the Life” on YouTube (youtube.com/watch?v=9_ugirQCiL8) and on the Glencore Oaky Creek Coal web page. 

What movie have you watched and rewatched the most…and why?
I’m not really a movie fan, but I do enjoy a live stage show with my wife. We’ve seen a few like Singing in the Rain, Mary Poppins, the Book of Mormon, Les Misérables, etc. It’s amazing how they create the special effects on stage. In Singing in the Rain, the whole stage floor retracts and heavy rain covers the stage in a pool of water. We were in the third row and got soaked from the actors kicking water into the crowd as they danced. I soon figured out that’s why they put raincoats in the first five rows! 

What song will you always turn up louder?
Anything by Green Day – I’m a bit of a fan. I saw them at the old Livid festival at the RNA Showgrounds many moons ago. 

Favourite quote?
“Life is short but love your loved ones. Love them, kiss them every day because you don’t know what’s going to happen.” — Angelina Pivarnick.