It has been four decades since 14 men were killed in a tragic explosion at an Appin Mine, but for many of the loved ones left behind it still feels like yesterday.
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Crowds gathered on Sunday at a row of gum trees planted in commemoration of the fallen at Sportsground Parade, for an annual service where emotions ran high.
Frank Lauterbach said he has never recovered from the loss of his older brother and his hero, Jurgen, who was killed on the night of July 24, 1979.
He has since endured a dark battle with depression and anxiety but said he is glad the now-owners of the mine South 32 continue to mark the tragedy with remembrance.
"Most companies want to forget the past, they don't want to bring it up," Mr Lauterbach told the Mercury.
"It's been 43 years but it's like yesterday ... it's just a very raw emotional time."
It's understood Mr Lauterbach's brother was in a crib room eating a meal when sparks from a fan starter box ignited a build-up of methane gas in a remote tunnel about 3km underground.
The explosion in the Australian Iron and Steel mine was felt more than a kilometre away and left 38 children fatherless and lives tattered.
The recovery involved more than 100 volunteers and it was not for 26 hours that the bodies were recovered.
I'm [not at peace], I never will be ... time doesn't heal, but time does numb the pain.
- Rhonda Woods
Rhonda Woods said her children were "robbed" of ever knowing the great man that was their father Gary.
Her kids were aged 12, 8, 7 and two with the tragedy impacting their lives dramatically and forcing them to turn to "different coping mechanisms" over the years.
"My youngest has been cheated out of any memory of his dad," Mrs Woods said.
At the time of the incident she said she wasn't concerned about Gary being harmed at work, but instead had fears of him driving along Appin Road.
"He was a big strong man, I thought if anything would happen he'd make his way out," Mrs Woods said.
"I'm [not at peace], I never will be ... time doesn't heal, but time does numb the pain."
Helen Lawson also lost her husband, her daughter aged four at the time.
"She only remembers stories and pictures [of her dad]," Mrs Lawson said.
State MP for Wollondilly Nathanial Smith was at the memorial service and said the most important thing to come of a mine now were not the minerals, but indeed the miners.
An inquiry into the disaster found the explosion occurred because of a lack of ventilation, causing a massive build up of methane in what was a notoriously gassy mine.
Judge Alf Goran made a number of recommendations, which led to more sophisticated checking equipment and procedures. He also cleared all men in the mine of any blame.
Daniel Ward currently works for South 32 and is captain of the site's rescue team.
Thankfully he has never had to complete one rescue in his 17 years in his role.
"It's important as a miner's rescue brigadesman to remember why we do what we do ... and so it never happens again," he said.
"We haven't had a fatality on the southern coalfields since 2000."
The vice-captain of the team John Nellestein said sadly it takes a disaster to learn but is thankful for the safety procedures now in place.
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