General News
5 March, 2025
Enthusiastic miner is leading by example
The jumbo operator is a finalist in the Resources Awards for Women.
Makaela Coster admits she is an accidental miner, but doesn’t have any regrets about joining an industry she now loves.
The jumbo operator at Mount Isa Mines’ George Fisher site said she didn’t mind working in an all-male environment, but was starting to convince other females on site to take the plunge into operating heavy machinery underground.
“I’ve been the only female in my crew for like four years but one of the truck drivers here said that she was sick of the trucks and she was like, ‘well you seem to be having fun, so I might give it a try’ and now she’s just come across as a development nipper,” Makaela said.
“Just providing that someone for the girls to talk to helps because they see me come up (from underground) and how dirty and sweaty I am and they’re like, ‘oh what did you do today?’
“They can tell that I like what I do, I think.”
Makaela’s fast rise through the ranks at Glencore and her leadership on site has resulted in her being named a finalist in Friday’s Resources Awards for Women, to be held in Brisbane.
The 25-year-old has been nominated for Exceptional Tradeswoman/Operator/Technician in Queensland Resources.
“I was quite surprised when I got the email because I don’t even know who nominated me,” said Makaela, who was looking at moving her flights to beat the cyclone bound for Brisbane this week.
“I’m very honoured to be recognised in that space because I’m the only female jumbo operator at George Fisher, and one of the only ones that’s ever been signed off on being one.”
Glencore said Makaela was a dedicated mining professional.
“She has demonstrated resilience, technical expertise, and leadership in a male-dominated industry,” the company said.
“Beyond her technical achievements, Makalea is a strong advocate for women in mining, actively mentoring young women entering the industry and promoting diversity and inclusion.
“She was elected as a site safety and health representative, using her platform to drive operational improvements and enhance safety underground.”
Makaela said her trip to Mount Isa was only supposed to last for two months but she hasn’t left for five years.
“I came out as a vacation student for a couple of months and, because of COVID, all my uni went online,” she said.
“Glencore asked me if I wanted to stay and work full-time and continue studying. So I did that and I figured out I didn’t really know much about mining and I wanted some hands-on experience.
“One of the supervisors underground asked if I wanted to come underground as a nipper, and then I did, and then I haven’t come back up yet.”
Makaela has a Bachelor of Occupational Health and Safety Science and plans to pursue further studies in mining engineering, aiming to bridge the gap between technical operations and safety.
“Hopefully, I’ll eventually go into like a management role in operations and take that path,” she said, laughing when asked if she might one day be the CEO of Glencore.
“The mine manager role is probably more of a dream.”
Makaela is one of 18 finalists in the 2025 Resources Awards for Women, organised by the Women in Mining and Resources Queensland (WIMARQ) and Queensland Resources Council.
The winners will be announced at a special International Women’s Day event in Brisbane on Friday morning.