Anna Osborne and Sonya Rockhouse never planned on becoming the faces of justice for the Pike River mine tragedy. But when their beloved husband and son lost their lives, the South Island women found their voices.
It’s a fight that’s taken them all the way to the Supreme Court and now onto the big screen with the upcoming release of the highly anticipated Pike River film.
“The first time we saw the movie, we cried our eyes out the whole way through,” shares Sonya, 66.
Lives lost, families changed forever
Sonya’s 21-year-old son Ben and Anna’s 54-year-old husband Milton were among the 29 miners who died in November 2010 when a series of deadly methane explosions ripped through the West Coast mine.
In the years afterwards, Sonya and Anna refused to be silenced. For 107 days, they and hundreds of supporters occupied the mine entry road – a stand that stopped the mine from being sealed with concrete.
Risking everything for justice
They lobbied the government, leading to a decision to allow police to access parts of the mine to recover evidence, which is still before the Crown Law Office. They also took on the justice system itself, winning a Supreme Court ruling that it was unlawful to drop 12 charges against mine boss Peter Whittall after his insurers paid $3.41 million in reparation.
“We were prepared to put our houses on the line,” says Anna, 59.
“If we lost the court decision, it was going to cost $250,000 each. It was a tough road when we look back, but we did it.”
Why they choose to stand up
Continues Sonya, “Anna and I have asked each other, and others ask us, ‘Why us? Why did we do it?’ I have no idea, but I know together we were a force to be reckoned with. Hopefully, it will inspire other women and people to stand up, too.”
Through it all, their aim has been clear: justice for their men and improved workplace safety for all in New Zealand.
“People go to work and they’re supposed to come home when they finish,” explains Anna.
“It’s something that should never have happened.”
From real life to the big screen
Now they’re the subject of the movie Pike River, where iconic Kiwi actors Robyn Malcolm and Melanie Lynskey have been cast to play them. The friends collaborated closely with director Rob Sarkies, spending time on set during filming.
Actors who brought their story to life
“Robyn and Mel are real, and that’s what I loved about them,” reveals Anna.
“No airs or graces, just two lovely women who happen to be actors. They took us under their wing. “We still have a lot to do with Robyn and I’m happy Mel played me. She said she felt privileged being asked and that she hopes she does it justice – and she absolutely has.”
Adds Sonya, “They were very nervous about meeting us for the first time. I couldn’t believe it because we were nervous about meeting them! I never thought we’d get actors of that calibre to play us.”
Reliving the horror
One of the most challenging moments behind the scenes for Anna was reliving when the former mine boss addressed the desperate families.
“Even after the second explosion, he told us, ‘The gases have come down and mine rescue is ready to go in,’” she recalls.
“Most of us started clapping, but within seconds, a policeman put his hand out and said, ‘Woah, woah, woah, there’s been a second explosion. No one could survive that. All your men are dead.’”
The moment everything changed
Remembers Sonya, “For a split second, everyone in that room thought, ‘Oh, my God, they’ve done it.’ Then it was like the devil reached in and took it away from us.”
It’s still incredibly hard for Anna and Sonya to comprehend Ben and Milton are gone.
“Ben was the loveliest young man,” says Sonya, who’d been helping her son apply for a passport to move to Australia with two of his colleagues.
“He gave me grey hairs, like all young men do, but he was very sensitive, caring and loving. He was far too young to be killed.”
Anna’s beloved Milton was also on the cusp of moving on.
A life cut short
“He was two weeks shy of leaving Pike River to go to Spring Creek… just two weeks,” she shares tearfully.
“That breaks my heart. “He was the love of my life and I just miss him so much. If I could, I would have swapped places in a heartbeat because people like Milt don’t come along very often. I was the luckiest person in the world to have had 18 years of marriage with him.”
One day they hope Ben and Milton’s bodies will be recovered and buried in a place of their choice.
“We will never stop fighting,” asserts Anna.
“And it’s all for the love of our men.”
Pike River releases in cinemas nationwide on October 30.
