The Mac Camp

When i arrived at the MAC Camp Moranbah, i havent had a clue what my job should be. But Wayne explained i would work in the kitchen as a kitchen hand in the breakfast crew. They start at 2 am. So i checked in, got my little on-suite room and my uniform. I had my first dinner there. Yammi.
The next morning i worked with Jeremys crew. I didn't know what i was supposed to do but that day went well. I was washing the dishes. They are 4 jobs. The cribb room which is definitely a hard job when the fridge in the cribb room is not working. The pots, you will hate the pots if you come across a porrigde pot. The dishes and the Dining room. The dinning room is a very hard job, you really need do have an idea about time management to organize that and still provide good service.
Luckily his crew changed into the dinner crew and the other crew started. But hell that crew was awesome. Alright, Marika and Dedan are just funny people, we did have good times. I stayed there untill Tuesday. There was a job offer for a 5-2( means i work week days and have weekends off). After we cleared up a misunderstanding i got the job. Jesus, now the strangest stuff ever started.
We worked away. I got along with the miners and was always complemented as smiley or the sentence: it is nice to see a happy face once in a while.I liked doing the dinning room but we all swapped around in the jobs. I was brilliant to work with them. I learned a lot. Then we they went for their week off i was sick with a really bad flu. I needed antibiotics and was knocked out for 3 days. It actually took me 2 weeks to get really rid off it. But i worked the Friday with Jeremys crew again. And it was not very hygiene. But my skills werent that good yet. I just did my job in the dining room without looking left or right. When i finished it, everything was topped, cleaned and nice.
So i went for my weekend off which i spent with one of my mates in Mackay. We went out on Saturday. Man that was fun. But as usual something happend=p, they forgot me in the pub.... yepp thats what they did. But no worries. So i went home, already making plan to break into his house or cuddle with the dogs in the garden=p But luckily i didnt have to do any of it. So i went to sleep. 2 hours later he called me up, realized they forgot me somewhere... lol... ahh, he would find it out soon enough that i was safe=p
After that weekend i was collected from one of my chefs. She is brilliant. I picked up all my stuff from the house i stayed before and off i go to my new job.
It didnt take long for me. I worked with Jeremys crew and just did my job. I didnt know better and didnt see as much i would see next time. And hell that would be bad. really bad.
But Marikas crew came back and all good. That Tuesday we moved to Coppabella. Coppabella is another MAC camp. It is about 45 kms east from Moranbah and one of the biggest ones. It has a nice swimming pool, a tennis court and a nice gym. It also has a pub.
That week was one of the strangest weeks i had.The MAC Management Moranbah changed our shift hours without even telling us, so we left Coppabella everyday at 12:30 am and start working at 1:30 am( we found that out a day after)-11 am, and back in camp about 12 pm. If they have organzied the bus, that did not happen very often.
So Marika was sick on Wednesday. And it was a tough day.
Thursday we ran out of fuel in the middle of the way. We had to pull over. Bronwyn, a really strange person, freaked out completely. I had some discussions with her and some arguements. The day before she freaked out with the driver, that he should not drive and it should wait until there were no cars to drive on the main road. Just an explanation, the car was about 2 km away.... She unnerved me as well. But that day just did it. The bus was with the left hindlight on the marking. But totally safe. AND we had hazzard lights on. We were standing uphill as well. SO EVERYBODY could see us. But she didnt want to understand that. Actually the safest place is in the car, with seat belts on. So the rest of the group laughed their butts off. How funny is that??? So while we waited for fuel and our lift, we had a couple of jokes about lighting a fire and do a BBQ. Then we spotted Bronwyn about 20 m east from us. The answer of the question, what she was doing, was. I am checking the airodynamics for the big collision. So i dont get hit. I just cracked up. We all did. How the hell do you check that?? So she stayed seperated from us, and when our lift came she was nearly run over by him. Nobody expected her there!! She is a nice lady but hell she is difficult. She is that kind of person who is afraid of everything but never really lived. And of course she knows everything better. So if the butter is mouldy, just scratch it off and let the miners eat it. No worries. Foodsafety is just a word.
So the story was so brilliant, and when the miners asked me about my day i told the story. I never said who it was, but everybody knew immediately who it was. Same goes for the MAC staff.
That day went and Marika and I went to the pub that night. The next morning Dedan, Marika and I drove with her car to work. It was planned that Bronwyn was taking the bus. But she did not show up. That was friday. The Mac Camp Moranbah had to call Coppabella that they checked on her if she is still alive. She did not give a notice or text. She did not answer her phone or any text. That behaviour is absolutely inacceptable. So i was asked if i would work on Saturday. One of my precious days off. My answer was, yes if she does not show up i will. I did not expect she wouldnt. But apparently she didnt. We had our meeting on Friday. And we were asked why there was a empty bus in the morning. The answer was, we would like to attend this meeting. Otherwise we would not be able to. Ok, we haven't thought about that. That is understandable. Then the next thing was, there was a case about harassment yesterday, it refered to the incident yesterday. So i spoke up and said, i would like to make a statement about that. It was not about her, it was her behaviour and what she said. She should have told us her experience and we would be able to help her. But she just went off and endanger the whole group and was nearly run over by our lift. Nobody expected her at the opposite side of the road. Alright that was sorted out.
Saturday night they called me 12:30 am in the morning and tried to wake me up. They couldnt wait untill 5 am. So they waited for me. We started work late, but managed to do everything. Even on Saturday she did not give any notice. So the Assistent Manager went to Coppabella and talked to her. AND she worked on Sunday. I proposed and idea, that there was a german girl in Coppabella who was not happy with her kitchen crew and here was Bronwynn not happy with hers. So maybe we are able to swap. Everybody agreed with that except the Coppabella Management. And after my experience the week later i do understand his. So we worked along. I went to the pub Saturday night and enjoyed my drinks. I always buy the first one but i usually dont remember the last one ^ , ~
So Sunday was beauty day.
Back to work on Monday, i kept away from Bronwyn. Just in case. So one of our chefs had a go at me, because of the swap. And i told her the story how Bronwyn behaved and what happend, and it was not my decision but the head chef. If he told me everybody agreed than that would be the story. I just proposed nothing more or less. So that was cleared up.
Tuesday was over as well. While Marikas crew enjoyed drinking i was sleeping and prepared myself for the other crew.
Rachel, belongs to Jeremys crew, usually did the cribb room. But she felt fluy so she asked me if i could do it. I said alright, but i need help. Especially because i havent had a clue. But i did not realize that she knew the fridge was broken and it would be hard work to maintain the cribb. So i was fooled. But that day pissed me off. If it would not be for one of my chefs i would not be able to have it topped. We had a kitchen meeting that day. I announced a couple of my ideas like writing down which meat or salat it is etc..
The next day Thursday i was stucked in the cribb room again. This time with more preparation, i had back up stuff, like bread etc already in the cribb room. Same goes for clean equipment. That day i freaked out. I went to my kitchen hand for more than one reason. I said, the hygiene standard in that crew were and probably still are disgusting. I couldnt eat there. They did not wipe the areas clean or used gloves ( very good if you are sick)  or santanize their hands. But touched all the food, the dishes etc. IGITT!!!! GERM ALARM!!!
I said to him, that i wont be in tomorrow when that does not change by tomorrow. He did not feel concerned but threatened. What does that say about him. So he said you quit or you dont, but you cannot threaten me. Alright, why dont you put me on 14/7, Bronwyn is gone? No, she is not. Alright. I did not know that. She told everybody she is gone. He said, he will see when we move in the new kitchen. I answered. You promise??I was refering to the look. I can't promise anything. Yes, i meant the look. So i will see what i can do to improve the standards. Thank you Michaela, you gave me something to work with. The conservation was over.
So i did my stuff in the cribb room, restocked, cleaned up properly. I was wondering how he wanted to imrpove that. So i asked him. His answer: with proper training,my next question: when?! When i got time for that. Alright..... Foodsafety, Food-handling and Hygiene is apparently not that important that you make time for it.AND why the hell did i have to give the kitchen head an idea how bad the hygiene standards of that crew is?? I was already considering to quit my job. I would have in 2 weeks time, when Marikas crew would go for their week off.
SO it would be worse in no time. EVERYBODY got his payslip except me, neither was the money in my account. I went off. Already a bad day was going worse. You are kidding me. So i said, if i do not know where my money is by tonight i won't be in tomorrow. They believed me. I tried to get a hold on our
 "very good" manager. I took my 5 attempts to get a hold on him. I went to the office twice, he was always just gone out a second ago. I called twice his mobile and and the office. Finally i got a hold on him. Yes, he knows my "problem". He is looking into it. He knows that i worked night shifts. But evidently he does not care. So he called me up 30 mins later to check on my account no. he could not read for himself if that number was a four or a one. (Mate, seriously, I write numbers the european way, it would be either a 1 or a 7 BUT NEVER a 4. There is a 4 in my account number to compare with). I went to sleep, was nightie time for little mic. He woke me up 3:30 pm. I found your money. The account number was wrong. Alright we transfer it asap. BUT, of course there is a but, you have to write to the payroll office your account number. Because it is a change.
The rest of the story and it is getting worse will be posted later.
I going sailing again=p LOVE MY LIFE