Nathan Ross said he owes everything to mining.
The 28-year-old originally moved to Newcastle to take up a job in the mines and play for a local league team before starting his full-time career for the nib Newcastle Knights.
“I pretty much owe everything to mining... so it means a lot to throw the hi-vis on and get to represent all my mates out at the pit,” explained Ross.
This Sunday, the Knights will again play in their hi-vis replica mining jerseys when they clash with the Wests Tigers at McDonald Jones Stadium.
For the fifth year running, the Club has partnered with NSW Mining to celebrate the mining industry’s contribution to the Hunter region and welcome back Voice for Mining Family Day.
Ross is no stranger to some of the different roles in mining after working underground at Glencore’s Blakefield South coal mine.
“I worked everywhere... I started off on the fork and sorting out the conveyer belt structure and I used to call myself a structural engineer but all I did was actually sort it out,” laughed Ross.
“I worked my way into doing some logistics which is carrying materials from surface down to panels and eventually got my shuttle car license.
