"Mining is more isolated now – you have a two-way radio for a partner! "

Arthur Monkman took us on a tour of the NVI mine; going underground helped us understand the procedure of working a drift and moving the ore to the surface.

Art's passion for the mining industry is obvious and he is pleased with Myra Fall’s future. He misses mining but training new recruits gives him the opportunity to play with the equipment underground!

Arthur’s Story

“I grew up in Selkirk Manitoba and was given the opportunity to go into mining in 1977. I had two uncles working at a mine in Red Lake Ontario so I left the prairies to join them at the Campbell Red Lake Gold Mining Company. My first job in the mine was as most start out - digging ditches. After a year and a half, I moved into actual mining.

“I moved to Ashcroft BC in 1981, was married, and worked for Dekalp Mining, an underground Copper Mine. This, like many small operations do shut down too soon. So off to Revelstoke, BC, where I worked a small copper mine from 1982-1984. And guess what, it shut down too!

We moved to Campbell River in 1984 and I started working at Myra Falls for an underground contracting company, Tonto-Lily, working underground construction, stope mining, and drift mining. After touring around BC working at small mines, Myra Falls offered my wife and me some stability and a great place to live and raise a family.