Ms JODIE HARRISON (Charlestown)— It was an honour to stand alongside a number of my parliamentary colleagues and union officials and members at the 25th Northern Mining and NSW Energy District Memorial Service in Cessnock on Sunday, 11 September.

So much work has gone into the restoration of the Jim Comerford Memorial Wall, named for one of the union's most respected leaders, and it stands as a wonderfully fitting location to host a memorial service for the lives lost in mining.

The memorial wall, which was opened by Paul Keating in 1996, also features a miner's lamp and a bust of Jim, who passed away in 2006 at the age of 93. It has recently been refreshed and updated now bears 1793 names—all miners lost in the Northern District coalmines and mining leases since 1801.

The youngest person memorialised was just eleven years old when he died at Plattsburg in 1883. He was named Robert Irving. I would like to pay my respects once again to all those who lost their lives in the mines, their families and descendants, and thank those who follow Jim's example in standing up for the safety of workers.

A Community Recognition Notice is an opportunity for an MP to submit a short statement praising the work of an individual or group in the local community. If you have any ideas about people I can recognise with a Community Recognition Notice, please email and let me know!