Edmond Bell

4.30 AM

My alarm goes off. I get out of bed at home and quickly have breakfast and take a shower. I have booked a taxi to pick me up at 5.30 am, so I have to be ready when that arrives. I double and triple check that I have my pyjamas in my bag and then head outside to go to the airport. My team works from both Adelaide and Olympic Dam, so I fly up on Monday mornings and fly back on Thursday evenings.

5.45 AM

I arrive at the airport and check in my larger bag before heading to security. My flight is at 7:00 AM but the security queues have been hectic whilst airlines have come out of the pandemic. It is better to be prepared for a long queue!

6.30 AM
My flight boards and I get to my seat. Some people like to get some more sleep once they are on the plane, but once I am awake I find it hard to go back to sleep so I always bring a book (or two!).

7.00 AM

I lose myself in the world of my book. So far this year, I have been reading a lot of books by Murakami J. I also make sure to nibble on the complementary inflight biscuit.

8.00 AM
My flight lands and I grab my bag. There are shuttle buses that run from the Olympic Dam airport to the Olympic Dam plant. One bus runs to the mine and one bus runs to the processing end of Olympic Dam. Make sure you get on the right one, otherwise it’s a long walk haha!

8.30 AM

I get off at the first stop and get changed into my PPE. I don’t necessarily have to wear it every day, but if I want/need to go out into the factory at short notice it is helpful to be prepared. In particular, as a graduate, many opportunities to experience new things can come up very unexpectedly.

8.45 AM

I quickly drop my bag at my desk and go to the crib room to put my lunch in the fridge. I don’t have time to waste, my weekly team meeting is just around the corner!

9.00 AM

My team has our team meeting. We run through a performance board and talk about any outstanding tasks/jobs. We also make sure that everyone in the team is tracking well on a personal level and discuss any safety hazards that team members identified during the previous week. We finish up by discussing some of the problems & issues which team members are trying to solve.

10.00 AM

In my current job, we work on small engineering designs like installing a new instrument or cabling for a pump. This means we often need to go out into the field and get photos to help with our designs and reports. It is always better to do this before it gets too hot! Going out in the field is also a great opportunity to complete field leadership and make sure we keep Olympic Dam as safe as possible.

11.15 AM

After coming back from the field, I quickly transfer the pictures to my laptop. I am currently working on a job with a team member in the mechanical engineering team, and I need to give him access to the photos. It is important to keep everyone up-to-date with the progression of your design.

11.30 AM
Lunch Time! Whilst I eat, I check my emails or catch up on international news & current affairs. With the early starts, I find I eat a lot earlier than I would if I was at home. Remember it’s been almost seven hours since breakfast!

12.30 PM

After lunch, I clean up and then push through my most important emails. Ideally I try to action extremely urgent ones earlier in the day, but between meetings and field time it sometimes is later than you would like.

1.30 PM

Most days I typically have 1 or 2 extra meetings. These can be progress meetings with contractors or a kick-off meeting for a new job I am starting to work on. Currently we are doing an audit on the engineering drawings of a crane. Once we have the edited drawings we work with a team to backdraft the changes onto the master copies.
2.30 PM

Now to quickly complete some of the actions from the meeting!

3.00 PM

Next, I return to the job earlier in the day and start working on the design drawings and report. At times it can be very technically complex, so it is a great opportunity to learn from other members of the team. Across the week there will always be someone who is willing to lend a hand. Between all of them, they have decades of knowledge. It is a great resource to learn from!

4.10 PM
I pack up my stuff and head to the changing rooms. The first bus takes you off-site at 4:25, and on a Monday I leave myself a little extra time to get there because I am weighed down by the extra bag.

4.45 PM
I arrive at Olympic Dam Village and go to collect my key for my room. Hopefully the room is ready for you!

5.00 PM

Entering the room, I collapse onto the bed. I give myself a couple of quiet moments. Your days can be very relentless at times, so it is great to identify your relaxation periods and utilise them. I also get changed into some exercise clothes for later.

5.45 PM
I head to the mess for dinner! Hopefully some of the other graduates are there and we can catch up about our workday & weekends. Across the entire graduate cohort there is always someone to talk to. It is like a family away from home!

6.30 PM

I quickly clean up my dishes and head to the basketball courts where there are gym classes. On a Monday it is a HIIT class. It is very tiring, but it feels good to get the blood pumping after a long day of work. If I don’t feel like a gym class, I can instead go for a run or head to the cardio room and hop on the bike and/or rowing machines.

7.15 PM

I finish up at the gym class and stagger back to the mess to make my lunch for tomorrow. I typically have a couple of sandwiches and some fruit, but it is always nice to grab something sweet as well.

7.30 PM

I head to my room. The hot desert temperature is starting to drop as the sun goes down, and this means all the wildlife comes out. I love taking photos of animals when I see them. There are lizards, rabbits, cockatoos and lots of crickets. And yes… sometimes the occasional snake… but let’s keep away from those.

7.45 PM
Once I’m back in my room I use the opportunity to relax. This can include stretching (I definitely don’t want a strain/injury after the exercise earlier) or using Duolingo to maintain my streak!
Some evenings I head to the music room and use the opportunity to play a little guitar or piano. I’m not very good, but as long as no one else needs to hear me, who cares haha. Being away from home for half the week helps to maintain all your hobbies.

8.00 PM

Usually around this time I brush my teeth and get into bed. Which gives me another opportunity to read my book.

Between you and me, if the book is really good I can always stay up a little later. However, ideally, you don’t want to do this too many times a week though. It definitely catches up with you.

Anyway…Snooze Time! I set my alarm and put my phone on the opposite side of the room. Forcing myself to get out of bed to turn the alarm off makes me less likely to hit snooze. As my own little joke, my alarm is Good Morning Good Morning by The Beatles; the song starts with a crowing rooster!

One day complete, and another soon to start.

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