Shunpiking Online Vo.3 No.2 Christmas Eve at the Sydney Steel Plant By PAUL MACDOUGALL*

Nobody was drinking too much but we were drinking. After all it was Christmas Eve and the brick suppliers had just been by and left a case of forties in the general office building. The super was a sour old lot but he scoffed two bottles for us and away we went. First stop was the rail mill. Those guys had shut down last week for repairs. They did that every Christmas so we knew there'd be some laughs to be had over there. Sure enough Johnny Mac was there with his tinsel.

Johnny'd been injured or some such thing years ago, no one can even remember or even cared anymore, but he'd got himself a honeyman job. You know, something easy, not too labourious, that kind of work. He'd spent the better part of the year saving cigarette paper foils and twisting them into tinsel. It was everywhere now. Every Sid, Ray and Johnny on the plant with a tree in his shack had some of Johnny's homemade Export A tinsel dangling from it by now, that and coils of copper wire made into ornaments by the guys in the electrical shop. A drink or two and a laugh or two and we were off once again.

The snow was just starting to fall and put everyone in the mood when someone shouted across the yard that the copper recyclers were just over at number one gate. We were off like a flash. These guys were always creeping round the plant taking bits and pieces of copper pipe and wire and any old copper doodad they could scrounge up that may be worth a few cents. Those few cents added up to thousands by the end of the year, so today was payback day. Drinks for everyone. It was just getting dark enough and with the snow and all, a luster appeared on the big Christmas tree on top of the gate.

All the trees were lit up by then. The big one on the general office building appeared to my eyes like a vision from upon high. The electricians had done another fine job of setting the lights on that one as well as the huge wooden one on top of the blast furnace. How she never caught fire we'll never know. It had to be the only Christmas tree with the Star of David on it. Something for all seasons, and for all people, we guessed.

"We just saw Santa head into the general office building" someone said. “Well we're not going there,” I replied. “He's probably going to give a boss a raise. We're off to the white house.” The electricians had a luxury shack at the plant complete with a full kitchen set up and a guy in there who would rather cook, then work. You cook my goose and I'll protect yours was the rule. Those guys did it all up fancy, complete with turkey, turnips, potatoes, the whole Christmas meal. No need to miss this.

There was a pile of fellas in there when we pranced in. It's funny but this time of the year was the only time when you got to talk to some of the other folks who worked on the plant. Other times you just went to your work and did it. But for a day or two at Christmas the company turned a blind eye and let everyone enjoy themselves. As long as the furnaces didn't go completely out, everybody was happy. Everyone was wishing everyone else Merry Christmas in their native tongues. Buono Natale, Nollaig Chridheil, Wesolych Swait, Veseloho Vam Rizda, and on and on it went.

Everyone was talking and chattering to everyone.

“How she's going bye?”

“Good, how you doin?”

”Where ya going tonite?”

“Heading to midnite mass at St Nicholas.”

“Cooking your turkey at home or having the baker do it?”

“The Missus brought it to Bernie's this morning. Lot easier to have him do it in the big brick pizza oven then let me do it in the coke ovens, like last year.”

We were full when we left, like a couple of jolly old elfs, and decided to call it a day. The guys who didn't drink were all hanging around the gate waiting to take those of us home who did. It was all good fun and someone was always looking out for you, like you would for them, after all it was Christmas Eve at the steel plant, we truly were a family and everything was all right.