The Hidden Cost of Work: A Personal Journey Through Workers' Compensation

In the spring of 1939, just weeks before the world would erupt into war, Kathie Melocco's grandfather lost his life in a quarry cave-in working for the NSW Government's Department of Main Roads at Bowenfels. He left behind more than just rubble and stone—he left a young family of four children and a widow who would receive no compensation for their devastating loss until years later. This tragedy, now over eight decades old, serves as the foundation for our documentary project #ShatteredDoco, which explores the human cost of workplace accidents and the often labyrinthine system of workers' compensation.

Part 1: Returning Home

Kathie Melocco's journey begins in the heart of New South Wales, where she retrace the footsteps of her family's history through the quiet streets of Wallerawang. As a child, she called this region home until the age of eight, living in the neighboring community of Lidsdale. Every morning, her family would make the short journey into Wallerawang, the nearest township—a routine that now carries the weight of history as she sets out to investigate her grandfather's story.

The landscape here tells tales older than her family's tragedy. The Wiradjuri people, the original inhabitants of this land west of the Blue Mountains, called it Waller-owang—"place near wood and water" or "plenty of water." It's a name that captures the essence of this resource-rich region that would later attract European settlers and industry.

Part 2: Breaking the Silence

As Chaplain Kathie grapples with her own spiritual faith and meets these five women the story of workplace injury and inadequate compensation isn't confined to the past. Joining Kathie in this documentary are five remarkable women, each bringing their professional expertise and personal experiences to light. Their backgrounds span across healthcare, child protection, retail, the arts and entertainment, and social services. Together, they explore how the system that failed my grandmother continues to impact workers and their families today.

A Land of Promise and Peril

The history of Wallerawang mirrors many Australian communities where industry and opportunity walked hand in hand with risk and sacrifice. In 1824, just eleven years after the first successful crossing of the Blue Mountains, Ethan Bell received a land grant in what would become Wallerawang. His property, later known as Barton Park, would host none other than Charles Darwin in 1836. Darwin's observations of the local wildlife, including platypus, would find their way into "The Voyage of the Beagle."

As the community grew, so did its infrastructure. The local school, first opened in 1860 near the present power station, moved twice before finding its current home near Lake Wallace in 1995. The Church of St John the Evangelist, an architectural gem designed by Edmund Blacket and built in 1881, stands as a testament to the community's prosperity and faith.

Yet beneath this story of progress and development ran a darker current of industrial risk. In the 1890s, Pipers Flat railway station nearly became the site of a major iron and steel works, proposed by Joseph Mitchell to exploit local deposits of coal, limestone, and iron ore. While Mitchell's death prevented this particular industrial development, the region's resources continued to draw workers—including my grandfather—to dangerous occupations.

Looking Forward

Today, as we prepare to launch #ShatteredDoco, we're not just telling stories of the past. We're shining a light on a system that continues to impact workers and their families. Through our documentary and accompanying dramatization training (available for streaming by businesses), we aim to address the moral injury inflicted by workplace accidents and inadequate compensation.

Kathie's grandfather's story, lost in the shadows of the approaching Second World War, represents countless others whose sacrifices have been overlooked by systems designed to protect them. Through #ShatteredDoco, we honor these stories while working toward a future where no family faces the same silence her grandmother encountered in her time of need.

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In sharing these stories, we hope to create change in how workplace injuries and compensation are handled, ensuring that the price of progress is never again paid in unacknowledged human suffering.