A knowledgable worker spent more than four decades at resources operations.
Carol Nicklette recently completed 45 years at BHP’s Mount Newman Mining Company and Nickel West entities.
Nicklette started out as a stenographer to the superintendent project engineering at Nelson Point.
“Being only 19 I was a relatively inexperienced stenographer, so I was thrilled to start on a salary of $204 a fortnight,” she said in a public statement.
Her duties included taking shorthand notes at meetings, typing contracts, tender documents, scopes of work and specifications. Her employee attire was very different back in 1978.
“We used electric typewriters, telex machines, Tippex and date stamps. There was no email, internet, Google and mobile phones. If my boss was out on-site, and I needed to get an urgent message to him, I sometimes had to make up to eight phone calls to track him down,” she recalled.
“Site office-based ladies could wear strappy sun dresses and equally strappy footwear to work in the summer, and the tradesmen in the workshops wore sleeveless vests and shorts called stubbies.”
A highlight of her week was enjoying the “most delicious” fish and chips lunch every Friday at the mess. Workers paid with a meal ticket which they bought for 50 cents.
Nicklette later transferred to the vice president integrated planning’s Perth office in 2005 then Nickel West in 2021. She held various administration roles supporting port managers, vice presidents, general managers and more recently asset president.
“Carol has earned the nickname of ‘the Oracle’ among her colleagues, thanks to her in-depth knowledge of most BHP systems and processes,” the company said.
“She even has an iron ore locomotive named after her. Congratulations on reaching this amazing milestone Carol.”
Nicklette’s husband Norm has worked for the business for 28 years.
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