‘Chile miracle’ strikes chord with musician

Like an estimated one billion other people around the world, Paul Wasyliw was glued to his television set in October as 33 miners, who had been trapped in a mine in Copiapó, Chile for more than two months, were rescued.

The miners were brought 700 feet to the surface in a narrow capsule hoisted through a drill hole.

As he watched the live footage, 77-year-old Wasyliw, an amateur musician and retired Inco worker, started developing an idea for a song. He named the tune A Chile Miracle.

He said the song describes the struggles the miners faced before a small drill hole reached them and they were able to contact the outside world, the close bond they formed with each other and their eventual rescue.

“I watched (the footage of the rescue efforts) day in and day out,” Wasyliw said.

“That was very touching and very interesting, you know. They did it in record time. I guess the whole world pulled together with them.

“They had these special drills. I didn’t even know they had drills big enough to make a hole the right size for that capsule.”

On Jan. 21 at 11 a.m., Wasyliw will perform his song at the ParkSide Older Adult Centre. He also plans to perform a variety of classic country music tunes by artists such as Hank Williams and Kenny Rogers. Admission is free.

Wasyliw said he began playing the guitar, singing and writing songs at the age of 18. He mostly performs at family events, although he’s entertained for those travelling on bus tours to places like Nashville, Tennessee.

Wasyliw said he worked at Inco for 40 years as a drill fitter, a job which often took him underground.

While he never was involved in an underground accident himself, he said the Chilean miners’ story struck a chord with him.

“I can’t even imagine anybody even spending a day trapped underground,” he said. “Those miners, and all miners, are a special breed. To do that work, you’ve got to a be a special kind of person. My hat is off to all miners, because what they do is dangerous. That’s their living, you know.”