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On Saturday 4 August 1984, the gold mining town of Vatukoura came alive as 600 people from surrounding areas including Nadi, Lautoka and Suva came to watch the annual Fiji Rock Drilling Championships.
Four days later, the Fiji Times published an article highlighting a major feature of the all-day event – for the first time, 12 overseas miners participated.
Six miners from Kimbalda in Western Australia and six from Tasmania took most of the top spots in the singles and doubles events.
But Fiji Rock Drilling Championships chairman Mark Pizey said the “Fiji Boys”, who have been practising since 1983, made the Australians work hard to take home the prize.
Ingersoll Rand Clyde Engineering and DuPont Explosives Australia sponsored the tournament.
Rock drilling championships have become a popular event in the mining community around the world.
Miners use compressed air-powered rock drills with drill rods on the front to bore holes in the mine for blasting.
Contestants need to time themselves drilling a hole in the center of a concrete cylinder.
There are 64 competitors in the individual events and 16 pairs in the team events. Prizes include an engraved Tanoa trophy, watches and cash prizes.
Mr Pizer said an Australian miner won $9,000 in a year in Australia and officials hoped to offer similar prizes at the Fiji tournament.
The singles winners were: 1st: Harry Hensen of Kimbalda, Western Australia; 2nd: Lance Stebbings of Queenstown, Tasmania; 3rd: Werner Borchert of Kimbalda; 4th: Vorasi Albert of Vatukulla. In the doubles competition, 1st place went to Harry Hensen and Laurie Thomas of Kimbalda, 2nd place went to Kimbalda, Kim Watts and Geoff Skinner, and 3rd place went to Viliame Vula and Munivai Fesau of Vatukulla.
Mr Vula and Mr Fesau would represent Fiji in the doubles event, while Mr Albert would later represent Fiji in the individual event at the 1985 Australian Rock Chipping Championships in Australia.
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