“At present, the Olympic Dam is the world’s eighth largest copper deposit and largest known uranium deposit. Last year, it generated $670 million in export income for Australia.
I have always felt a sort of burden about working in an industry that relies on pillaging the earth. But this sentence floored me (it was taken from a news release announcing expansion plans for the mine.) Largest uranium deposit in the world? What then, are the chances that I will have had an active hand in the war? What then, are the chances that even a ‘dirty bomb’ will have some connection to me? That is depressing.
Luckily for me, a few jobs have come up way closer to home. So today I've gone for a job in Canberra (only a 3 hour drive), Bathurst (A 2.5 hour drive), and Dubbo (An hour drive). Which is better because
a) Roxby is a 12 hour drive home.
b) None of those three jobs are in the mining industry.
The only bad thing - the mining industry pays a ridiculous amount of money. But living in the middle of nowhere has taught me one thing: money isn't everything. If you're not happy, you're not happy. Job satisfaction is what will keep you somewhere.
So keep your fingers crossed for me!