25 Aug 2025

The Social Side of Life at White Bay Power Station

For the original employees of White Bay Power Station, there was a lot to life besides beyond turbines and transformers. Behind the coal dust and cavernous boiler rooms, a different kind of energy flowed, one sparked by camaraderie, competition and the occasional long lunch. These are the stories that rarely make the history books, yet they lit up life at White Bay in quiet, unforgettable ways.

Where the Real Battles Took Place

Tucked away in the Entertainment Hall (a space that offered workers a brief reprieve from the industrial grind), a fierce table tennis rivalry once took centre stage. White Bay even had its own team, led by the deft and determined trio of Laurie De Montford, Bob Walker and Ron May from the Payroll office.

Laurie was more than just a whiz with a paddle. In the 1940s and 50s, he was also a star cricketer for Sydney’s Paddington Club, with match reports frequently making Sydney’s sports pages. Bob Walker had already made his mark on the world stage — as a professional football goalkeeper for Stirling in Scotland and Exeter in England, as well as the coach of a Maltese team – before heading Down Under in 1939, adding more international flair to the local payroll department.

Between pay runs and point scores, the crack of a paddle and a cheeky heckle carried through the Hall, with laughter bouncing off the walls like the ball itself. It was also the backdrop for Christmas parties, family dances, and annual visits from Santa a space that, for many, held the heart of White Bay.

Pictured: Laurie de Montford (1925 - 2004), Bob Walker (1913-1998) and Ron May. 

A Quiet word from the Chief Clerk

In the 1960s, a former clerk recalled a time when a different kind of teamwork was needed, one that involved the nearby White Bay Hotel. Overseeing the administration offices, the Chief Clerk at the time had a clear view of the pub from his window. Every workplace has its long-lunch legends. So, when a few familiar faces took a little too long to return from lunch he would quietly send someone down to gather the troops. The cheeky part? Their pay needed adjusting for time spent at the pub, a process that could take the rest of the afternoon.

Image Courtesy of Noel Butlin Archives, Australian National University. 

The Pay Envelope Trick

If you've ever wondered how workers at White Bay got paid, here’s one version of the tale. Wages were handed out in cash, tucked into small envelopes. Sometimes, that envelope didn’t show the total, not at first, anyway. This gave some workers a chance to squirrel away a little spending money, possibly for those long lunches at the pub, before the amount was officially recorded. The rest? Handed over at home, as expected, although who’s to say how much made it into the biscuit tin.

While these stories offer a glimpse into the lighter moments of life at White Bay, they sit alongside a tougher legacy. Many workers here were later affected by asbestos-related illness and other health impacts. It's a reminder that these friendships, games and pub visits unfolded against a backdrop of hard work and real risk — and why the stories, and the people who lived them, matter.