New Brunner seat a space to reflect
Care and creativity have gone into the construction of a remarkable new commemorative picnic table at Brunner Mine, thanks to Greymouth’s Deputy Mayor, Allan Gibson.
2026 marks the 130th anniversary of the tragic Brunner Mine disaster, where an explosion deep underground killed 65 miners. One of the most tragic cases was the Roberts family; father John Roberts, and his three sons William, Samuel and David all died in the blast, leaving widow Margaret with four sons aged 12 and under. Today, Brunner Mine is a Tohu Whenua destination, cared for by the Department of Conservation Te Papa Atawhai.
Greymouth-based Roberts descendants, Peter and Neville Roberts, felt that the recent 130th commemorations were a fitting moment to mark the tragedy. Allan Gibson, mechanic and Greymouth’s Deputy Mayor, says, “The Roberts family have done a lot of research into their family history. They asked me to make a commemorative seat for the 130th anniversary. There was no space for people to sit and reflect at the mine site, so the idea was born for a seat and picnic table in the shape of a coal wagon.”
Allan already had railway irons and mine tub wheels from an old West Coast mine, sourced from a West Coast sawmill which used them for rolling logs. Allan shortened the mine tub to make it the right size for a picnic table but then faced the challenge of finding four matching seat ends.
“I finally found four matching seat ends in Blenheim that came out of a Wesley Methodist Church, built in 1893 and taken out when the church was refurbished in 1983.” Gibson felt that the 15kg seat rests were fitting element as John Roberts played the organ in Greymouth’s Methodist Church.
Gibson put a lot of thought into the design, including crafting the armrests into a teardrop shape. Another feature is the hidden time capsule, which holds surprises for future generations.
Getting the seat into place was a team effort. A forklift and heavy machinery were needed to move the one-ton seat and table. The Department of Conservation’s heritage ranger, Casey Rhodes, cleared a space on the railway lines at the end of the Brunner Bridge and laid down a concrete foundation.
Since it’s installation at the 130th Commemorative event the seat and picnic table has been popular. “Every time I’ve been to the site since there are people sitting at the table or lined up to get photos” says Allan. “I have enjoyed doing this project for the community and it’s great to see it being well used.”
