SYDNEY MINES HERITAGE
eMUSEUM

The Old Coal Mines

By Peter Campbell

The old coal mines have gone, dear friend
Their structures all torn down
And all that now remains of them
Their tombs deep underground
The grass has grown above their shafts
Where pulley's used to be
And once where loud noise, thundered forth
There lies serenity.
Oh, once those great commercial giants
Were pouring out their coal
From every corner of the world
They gathered up their gold
Oh, many people had grown rich
In that society
The miners who produced it were
As poor as poor could be.
Many a miner's family
Had little for to eat
And many a miner's grieving spouse
Pour out her heart in grief
While in the casket he did lie
A victim of the mine
And who would care for their despair
The ones he left behind.
The skeletons and piles of bones
That lay so vivid there
So seared upon our memory
The sorrow, pain and care
Are probably best forgotten
We strive to cover o'er
The scars of great injustice that
Was done in days of yore.

The Miners' Memorial Monument, located on Sydney Mines' Main Street across from the old Town Hall, was erected as a memorial to all those men who lost their lives while working in the mines. On "Davis Day", which is Miners' Memorial Day, a celebration of remembrance takes place to honour those brave and courageous men who risked their lives daily.