WA Couple's Decade-Long IVF Journey Ends in Joyful Gender Reveal at Super Pit

A Western Australian couple's 11-year IVF journey has culminated in a unique gender reveal celebration at one of Australia's largest gold mines. Lance and Kristy Richards, who work at Kalgoorlie's Super Pit, welcomed the surprise announcement with a blast of pink smoke.

The couple, who tied the knot in 2014, are due to welcome their first child in late January. Their journey with infertility has been a long and emotional one. "When we started IVF 11 years ago, we had high hopes and got pregnant straight away, but had a miscarriage at seven weeks, which really rattled us," Mr Richards said.

The couple described their experience as a "rollercoaster" journey, both mentally and physically. "It's hell. It was a lot of rollercoaster rides ... mentally, physically, emotionally, financially. Towards the end, we just accepted it wasn't going to happen, so we went to IVF appointments with no expectations of getting pregnant, but always the hope that maybe this time will be the one," Mr Richards said.

The couple's joy was revealed in a unique way, incorporating the daily explosives blast at the Super Pit. A puff of pink smoke signalled that they are expecting a baby girl. Mrs Richards, who is 22 weeks pregnant, said they were in "disbelief" after discovering they had conceived on a European holiday to Spain.

The couple shared their baby joy with colleagues and decided to stage a special celebration. "We were incredibly private about it at the start, but there's a bit of a stigma around the whole IVF process, so hopefully this helps others to talk about it," Mrs Richards said. "We live on the opposite side of the country to our family. We came here from Queensland for the work and so our work crew is our family."

Work colleagues presented the couple with a pink balloon immediately after the blast. "It was great to share that moment with everyone," Mr Richards said. "The IVF journey is such a hard one for anyone to go through and for us, sharing that journey with workmates and friends, to hear that cheer, that support, it's amazing." "It was overwhelming," Mrs Richards said.

The Super Pit has used explosive blasts to mark special occasions, including International Women's Day. The mine's workforce is comprised of around 35 per cent female employees, according to human resources manager Nicole Musgrave. While there are no plans for further gender reveals, Musgrave said she was pleased to approve the special request.