1958 Erik Gunnar Erickson when working at the Mt Lyall copper mine in Queenstown,Tasmania

In 1958, Erik Gunnar Erickson spent one year working as a diamond driller at the Mt Lyall copper mine in Queenstown, Tasmania. Life was tough and dangerous. One of his fortnightly jobs was to drive down from the mining area to Burnie and collect the company payroll. On one occasion when he did not return, a full search found him badly injured at the bottom of a steep gully - his 4 wheel drive had left the road. Major surgery followed and he carried a steel plate in his skull from then on.