Sharon Giffard was just 14 years old when she learned her father, Ian Giffard, had perished alongside 13 other men in a tragic blast at Appin Mine.
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From that moment her life would never be the same; she would miss her father not being there when she was married or when she gave birth to her three children.
Yesterday, the Barrack Heights mother was among hundreds of people who gathered at Appin’s Mine Memorial Garden to remember those 14 men and unveil plaques in their honour.
Supported by her husband and three children Mrs Giffard (whose married name is Hili), sister Angela and mother Eileen left roses on Ian’s new plaque, in front of one of the 14 gum trees planted in memory of the men.
‘‘The ceremony was absolutely beautiful, it was very moving, actually,’’ Mrs Giffard said. ‘‘It’s wonderful to have a [memorial garden] like that and the plaques are a really good thing ... so at least our kids and our kids’ kids will know which tree is his.’’
Ian Victor Giffard, 36, was a husband and father to three teenagers when he was killed by a coal dust explosion at the Appin Colliery on July 24, 1979.
The blast left 38 children fatherless.
Yesterday, a poem was read and hymns were sung to remember the men as part of the re-dedication ceremony organised in-part by the CFMEU.
Alwyn Brewin, Francis Garrity, Geoffrey Johnson, Jurgen Lauterbach, Alexander Lawson, James Oldcorn, Peter Peck, Robert Rawcliffe, Roy Rawlings, Karl Staats, John Stonham, Roy Williams and Gary Woods were also killed that day.
