Nine years after a deadly explosion killed her son, Joanne returned to see justice done
![‘He Went To Work & Never Came Home..'](https://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/8297/351097/5cf81425c39b3/He-Went-To-Work-Never-Came-Home.jpg)
The devastation in the room was palpable. “People were shouting and screaming, crying. It was the worst day of my life,” Joanne Ufer remembers.
Five days earlier, the Queensland mum had received a terrifying phone call. Her son Joshua, 25, was one of 29 miners trapped underground at the Pike River Mine on New Zealand’s South Island after a horrific explosion.
Racing from her home in Australia to NZ with her daughter Kymberley, now 26, the pair were desperate for any snippet of news that might show Joshua was safe.
“He’d worked in the mines in Australia for about four years and only recently moved to New Zealand,” Joanne, 51, tells Woman’s Day in an exclusive interview. “He’d had a tough run, but life was starting to go well. He had a lovely new partner, Rachelle, and they’d just told me they were expecting a baby.”
SECOND BLAST
But any flicker of hope was soon cruelly snuffed out. After a second explosion, family members were told there was no way any of the miners had survived. Joanne’s son had just gone to work… but he was never coming home.
“I remember feeling like I had left my body somehow, like I wasn’t me anymore,” Joanne sighs. “Before that I had still hoped Josh would be OK, but as the reality hit that my boy was gone... well, it’s something I’ll never forget.”
This story is from the June 10, 2019 edition of Woman's Day Australia.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the June 10, 2019 edition of Woman's Day Australia.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
![ANNA SAMSON 'MURDER'S ALWAYS INTRIGUED ME'](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8297/1826438/GWCeXOKCr1725877503596/ANNA-SAMSON-MURDERS-ALWAYS-INTRIGUED-ME.jpg)
ANNA SAMSON 'MURDER'S ALWAYS INTRIGUED ME'
We hit the set of the sunny spin-off to Death In Paradise and meet the cast!
![5 minutes With...ALEXANDER McCALL SMITH](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8297/1826438/TYKzAHOpG1725877313463/5-MINUTES-WITHALEXANDER-MCCALL-SMITH.jpg)
5 minutes With...ALEXANDER McCALL SMITH
His No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series has a new instalment
![Rolling the DICE](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8297/1826438/2lThR-dBf1725877073634/ROLLING-THE-DICE.jpg)
Rolling the DICE
Hobart's iconic Wrest Point Hotel Casino is looking better than ever
![UNDERSTANDING PALLIATIVE CARE](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8297/1826438/gvftGx8Vh1725876790254/UNDERSTANDING-PALLIATIVE-CARE.jpg)
UNDERSTANDING PALLIATIVE CARE
Quality of life is at the forefront of this approach
![OUR TOWN'S A MOVIE STAR!](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8297/1826438/8Ft_mdcr21725876572904/OUR-TOWNS-A-MOVIE-STAR.jpg)
OUR TOWN'S A MOVIE STAR!
When Runt arrived in town, locals couldn't wait to play a part!
![ANNA HEINRICH 'I LOVE BEING A GIRL MUM!'](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8297/1826438/raJ9y5zdq1725876382979/ANNA-HEINRICH-I-LOVE-BEING-A-GIRL-MUM.jpg)
ANNA HEINRICH 'I LOVE BEING A GIRL MUM!'
The mum-of-two speaks with affection about her daughters
![KEITH TELLS NICOLE I WANT TO BE YOUR NEXT LEADING MAN!'](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8297/1826438/dXUFOhbK51725876148997/KEITH-TELLS-NICOLE-I-WANT-TO-BE-YOUR-NEXT-LEADING-MAN.jpg)
KEITH TELLS NICOLE I WANT TO BE YOUR NEXT LEADING MAN!'
He's sick of playing second fiddle to a string of hunky co-stars
![GUY TAKES A STAND 'I WANT JESS BACK!](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8297/1826438/spki7JUCG1725875162610/GUY-TAKES-A-STAND-I-WANT-JESS-BACK.jpg)
GUY TAKES A STAND 'I WANT JESS BACK!
The Voice Australia gets an ultimatum from its number-one coach Guy Sebastian
![THE BRAD & GEORGE SHOW is back!](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8297/1826438/igOOpmciW1725875023348/THE-BRAD-GEORGE-SHOW-IS-BACK.jpg)
THE BRAD & GEORGE SHOW is back!
Their lovable bromance is stealing the spotlight in Venice!
![ED SHEERAN'S SHOCK FAMILY FEUD](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8297/1826438/RBmts4O_D1725874894821/ED-SHEERANS-SHOCK-FAMILY-FEUD.jpg)
ED SHEERAN'S SHOCK FAMILY FEUD
He's often seen as one of the nicest guys in music, but Ed Sheeran's cousin has exposed their secret feud - and claimed that Ed has even made legal threats against him!