The Whyalla Asbestos Victims Support Group (WAVSG) has marked another grim milestone by immortalising three more members on its memorial.
Key points:
- Whyalla has a long history with asbestos, particularly surrounding its steel works and former shipyard
- The Whyalla Asbestos Victims Support Group provides essential social support to those suffering from mesothelioma
- An estimated 20,000 people worked on its shipyards between 1941 and 1978, with many exposed to asbestos
The group provides social and emotional support to people in the area suffering from the effects of asbestos exposure, including running an annual memorial to commemorate those who have been lost.
To date, the memorial has 45 names on it, including the three added to it this year.
WAVSG secretary Marlene Arthur said there were at least two other people in the steel city — located on Eyre Peninsula in South Australia — with mesothelioma.
“I think this memorial is very important because my husband has been diagnosed with cancer and, sadly, I guess one day his name will be there,” she said.
The industrial city of Whyalla has a long history of asbestos exposure, particularly around its shipyards.
It was estimated that between 1941 and 1978 about 20,000 people worked at the Whyalla Shipyards, with many of them exposed to asbestos dust and fibre.
A ‘ticking time bomb’
But for group member Geoffrey Keating, his exposure to asbestos began when he was a mechanic apprentice working about 50 kilometres inland at Iron Knob.
“We used to blow brakes out with air. We didn’t have masks, nothing in those days,” Mr Keating said.
“We just did it.
“I didn’t realise I had it for 30-40 years. It’s just like a ticking time bomb waiting to go off.”
Mr Keating said the support group provided an essential service for him and other asbestos victims.
“If it wasn’t here, I’m not sure what people would do. They would have to go to Adelaide,” he said.
“They really are a good bunch. They work hard.”
