Long road ahead for the recovery of young miner

Connor Smith, just 21 years old, was caught in a rockfall along with his colleague Kurt Hourigan, 37, 500 metres underground.

Mr Smith was trapped with life threatening injuries before being freed and airlifted to the Alfred Hospital, while sadly his colleague Mr Hourigan died on the scene.

A GoFundMe was launched on Saturday, March 23 with a goal of $10,000 for Mr Smith's rehabilitation and recovery - it was at more than $36,000 on Tuesday, March 26.

There have been around 200 donations with one person donating $11,000.

The page, launched by Mitch Gilbert, stated Mr Smith was in an induced coma and undergone more than life major operations on his lower body.

"As we all know, Connor is a true fighter and the strongest, most determined person we've ever had the privilege to know," the page's description stated.

"With more surgeries to come, Connor's road to recovery is still unknown. Despite the long road ahead, his resilience and strength continues to shine through each day."

The money will also help Mr Smith's family find accommodation so they can stay with him during his recovery.

The response from the community has "made the world of difference as the Smith family navigate the unknown of each day", the page stated, with the Ballarat community keeping Mr Smith's journey in their minds and reaching out with support.

Another GoFund Me for Mr Smith was launched on March 21 and has almost $19,000.

These funds will also go directly to the Smith family to help support them through "the short and long term steps from here", as the page stated.

The Learmonth Football Netball Club has rallied for Mr Smith, expressing its "utmost support for Connor Smith and his family" via a post on social media.

They said Mr Smith was a "great man from a wonderful family who have been an invaluable service to our club for many years" and called for the community to "rally behind" Mr Smith.

Even Mr Smith's former school St Patrick's College have rallied for support.

Mr Smith attended the school from 2015 to 2020.

Reaching out to the community, the school shared the link to the GoFund Me and stated their "thoughts and prayers" were with the Old Collegian.

The incident which injured Mr Smith is being investigated by Victoria Police and WorkSafe. The mine's owner Victory Minerals said it is also conducting an investigation on the matter.