This week the laugh’s continue with Steve and his 3rd and final episode, where he talks about everything from returning to civilian life, the price of beer in WA all the way down to how real and serious suicide is in FIFO.

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT:

– I don’t tell anyone that I’m working in Fifo.

– [Interviewer] Yeah.

– Particularly cab drivers. Perth Airport.

– G’day, I’m Jason and welcome back to Fit For Fifo, and episode 17. This week we’ve got Steve, the Tubey from WA, back to the third and final part of his interview, where he discusses how difficult it can be trying to transition back into a normal life with no Fifo. In the back half of this interview you’ll see a more serious side of Steve, where he discusses a topic which I wish wasn’t a reality in Fifo, though it is, and that is suicide.

– Once you get into the industry and you’ve been working in it for a while, you get into, I suppose a bit of a cycle and a rhythm. It’s quite easy to forget some important or valuable things in your life. What are some of those things you can think of?

– What I’ve found, and other guys are probably the same that I’ve talked with, you know, your family. Look, doing four months for so many years, in rosters similar to that, and then going cold turkey on it and then back to family life is a hard adjustment.

– [Jason] Yeah, right.

– It really is, you’re both used to your life, right? She, or he, is used to you being away for four weeks, and then bam, you’re back for a week and you’re off again. And then to come back and do six months with your partner again, you’ve gotta reconnect, it’s gonna take time, you gotta get used to it, each others routine. And kids, kids have got to get used to it again. ‘Cause you’re not always there. So it’s reconnecting is the key, you know.

– Ideas and things you can do to keep that connection with your family?

– You’ve gotta spend that time with them, you know, when they, or they- especially, we only get that one weekend, you’ve gotta spend it with your kids on the weekend, you know. For us off at night and sucking piss, is great for you, but it’s not good for your family. It really isn’t.

– In your situation you’ve got a partner and two kids.

– Two girls, yup.

– So someone in your situation, how long would you say is ideal to stay in the industry?

– When you’re kids are young, there’s not a lot, you can, I mean your missus needs a hand, but if you’ve got, yeah her mother and family, like cool and they can be helped. When kids are young, they’re not needing you so much, but when they start to get older, four and five, you know, then they’re really gonna need Dad around a bit more.

But I think particularly, and I haven’t got to that stage yet, but from what I hear with guys, particularly when, you know, they’re getting into their teenage years, you’ve gotta pull back and go home for a while. So, make your money in the first ten years, then I’d say from ten onwards, they’re gonna need you, yeah. They really are. It’s hard enough, for them, going to school, and life.

– I know about for yourself, like, for a person actually in the industry for their physical and mental health I suppose, do you think is there any sort of time period you’d recommend?

– I wouldn’t want to be doing this, you know, when you’re heading into your sixties. Like up and down ladders all the time, and guys do it, and curry to the old boys, they’re making good coin, and they’re up and down, working hard. And um, I just don’t want to be doing that, at that age. But everyone’s got to do what they’ve got to do. And the money justifies it. But don’t push yourself so hard that you die on the job, because there would be nothing worse than dying on a construction project that you spent most of your life at.

– [Interviewer] Yeah, good point, very valid.

– I would hate it. I would probably die in the ocean.

– Yeah.

– Probably over the falls. Too old! On the job.

– Doing a Fifo, and your best mate comes up to you and says, Steve, I’m not coping well with this. Doing Fifo, being away from family, friends… What would your advice be?

– Aw, look. You really gotta help the dude out. You really got to help him out, that’s it. You know, don’t worry about a job to the point where you just neglect and moan. You’re more worried about keeping the job, because let’s face it, this industry, there’s been suicides, and you don’t want to see anymore, no one does.

But guys get that depressed, you really gotta listen to them. And you’ve got to help them. And maybe you’ll have to forfeit a couple of weeks work, and go home and support the dude. And get his head back around it. And get him back on track. And. And just. I don’t know. Sensitive subject. Talk to management. Of the company, say I’m helping this dude out. It’s not cool. He’s going through a hard time.

And if they don’t understand that, well, they’re fucked. Because they bang on about, you know, all the call centers, helplines and helping people, but really your mates gonna help you quicker than anyone else. Just to sit there and listen to a dude bleed his heart out about his problems at home. You know, I’ve had to talk down a few mates. Guys are crying out, it’s a hard slog in this industry. Not for everyone, but some dudes struggle mighty hard.

– And um, would you advise them to get home, get out of the industry as soon as you can?

– Yeah, they really do, they really just gotta go, you know? This isn’t working, it’s not worth it. You know, they gotta get back to their family if it’s family, or they gotta get back to their woman, their kids, you know. Find another way to do it, because Fifo is not for everyone. Or move your family to the location, you know, if that’s the problem. Get closer to them. You know, everyone wants to go home and see their missus and kids every night. Like this place, you can move up to Gladstone when it was on. You can move there and live there, or nearby and go home every night. You know. You gotta get out of there. It’s been one too many… suicides, and it’s happened to a mate of mine, as well. And I wasn’t there for him, so I know what it’s like, because I’d left the job before… he’d had problems before. Yeah, it’s around.

Everyone bangs on on jobs like Barrow and White Sun and that and laughs about oh yeah, I’m on suicide watch. Shouldn’t really laugh at it, but a lot of people say that, when day one when they get back, ‘oh man, I’m on suicide watch’. Because it’s the first day on your cycle and you know you got another 28 or something in front of you. It’s hard. But you’re there because you need the money. I don’t tell anyone I’m working in Fifo. Particularly cab drivers. Perth Airport. Because like, they go ‘Oh, you’re Fifo. Oh, you’re money.’ And then Bam, you know, you’re just loaded. ‘oh, we’ll go this way’.

And $50 later, and you’re only about 10 minutes down the road. Buddy’s gone the long way. Because they all think you’re loaded. And certain guys have ruined by just, like, lashing out. They’ve made so much money, particularly the younger dudes, making so much money and they’re just dishing it out, pineapples here, boom boom, I don’t care. I’ll just make some more. They do. And that’s why a beer in Perth, or a pint, it’s like $15. Fourteen, fifteen bucks.

– It’s crazy.

– It’s a joke. It’s five bucks, isn’t it?

– Yeah.

– Gold. $5 for a pint a of beer. Can’t get over it. $15 in Western Australia.

– Yeah. Have you got any other advice or tips for our other guys who are in the industry or guys wanting to get into the industry, what things can you…

– You gotta- do things. You’ve gotta have an outlet. You’ve gotta have something to- you know, I’ve heard heaps, something to do, you know. Surf, kite-surf, you know. I was mountain bike riding for a while until I nearly killed myself, so, I’m not doing that or downhill anymore. Anything, anything. You know, guys got Harley’s, you know, and off they go, you know, blow the cobwebs out of their hair. You’ve gotta have that. That’s really what keeps you going.

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