Category: Mining Lifestyle

A Caterpillar grader with a difference recently made its way from Caterpillar dealer WesTrac’s Port Hedland workshop to a Pilbara mine site. Unlike the typical yellow Cat equipment in use across Australia’s mining sector, this is likely to be the only purple grader operating anywhere in Australia. The eye-catching finish was applied as part of a machine rebuild by WesTrac and is designed to promote recognition of the Women in Mining in the Pilbara (WiMitP) group. WesTrac Area Manager Jason Hill said while the team had painted equipment in various colours including blue and black before, it was the first time he’d come across a request for purple. “It’s not a shade we have on hand as part of the…

FORMER cricketer Brad Hogg has swapped the cricket bat for a microphone to interview mining workers about their mental health, in a new video project for Lifeline WA and its partner the Chamber of Minerals and Energy of WA (CME). Called A Resourceful Life – Hoggy talks to everyday heroes, the project will feature Hogg having an open and honest chat to resource sector workers about their personal experiences of mental health and how they’ve overcome the challenges of working away from home. Hogg is a former T-20 and Australian test cricketer, and as a Lifeline WA ambassador, has been open about his struggles with alcoholism and depression. He said it was especially important for men to talk to other men openly…

WA mining stalwart, author and philanthropist Ron Manners has been made an Officer (AO) in the General Division of the Order of Australia. Mr Manners was included in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List on June 8 for his “distinguished service to the minerals and mining sectors, and to youth through philanthropic support for educational initiatives”. The Officer of the Order of Australia is awarded for distinguished service of a high degree to Australia or humanity at large. Mr Manners was born and raised in Kalgoorlie, to a family that has a long association with mining, and he too joined the family business. Having forged a highly decorated career in the mining industry, he felt a burning desire to contribute a…

ONE of the best ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is by washing our hands often with soap and water, or if that is not an option, by using hand sanitiser. And because right now everyone is being extra vigilant about keeping our hands squeaky-clean, hand sanitiser is in short supply. To help, Rio Tinto teams around the world are doing everything from donating it to making their own. Here are three reasons why: When it makes its own, it leaves more for others. Six of Rio’s sites in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States have already made around 7000 litres. By making its own, the company can make sure it has enough to keep its employees’…

ALCOA has used an online crowdsourcing competition to connect with some of the world’s smartest people to improve the descaling process at its Wagerup Alumina Refinery in WA. The company collaborated with Unearthed, an innovative online business which connects the resources industry to thousands of developers, data scientists and innovators around the world who pitch novel and diverse solutions to industry challenges. Called Scale Away, the competition challenged participants to come up with ways to more efficiently descale tanks, vessels and pipes. During the refining process, which involves extracting alumina from bauxite, scale builds up and causes lost production from reduced available tank volume. Its removal is costly and is time consuming. More than 90 innovators from 20 countries registered…

WHEN it comes to the impact of mining companies on the local community, Jack Campbell is one of the biggest supporters. Jack and his family have been part of the Narrabri Shire for generations, and together with his father, run the family business Namoi WasteCorp, started in the town 19 years ago. “Due to Whitehaven Coal and the mining industry in the area – the Narrabri underground longwall mine­­ – we have seen growth and found opportunities that would be unthinkable for small businesses in most small communities,” Jack said. “Namoi WasteCorp has provided waste collection and recycling services to all industries in the Narrabri shire since its inception, but now thanks to recent contracts awarded to us from mining…

THE telephone call, when it came, was from one long-time friend and colleague to another. Making the call was Sir Arvi Parbo, who went on to become one of corporate Australia’s most significant figures. Answering his call was Dr Roy Woodall, a 42-year Western Mining Corporation veteran and pioneering geologist credited with discovering some of the world’s great mineral deposits. As Dr Woodall recounted to the WA Mining Club’s recent St Barbara’s Day lunch, he and Sir Arvi had started with WMC at about the same time. Sir Arvi’s first job with WAMC was as a surveyor at the Bullfinch mine north of Southern Cross in 1956.  By the time he retired, Sir Arvi had been managing director and chairman…

A NEW Indigenous brand of bottled water has been made available to all WA mine sites. Yurrama Water has been developed by the Ashburton Aboriginal Corporation (AAC), an organisation which finds and creates culturally appropriate employment, education and training opportunities for Aboriginal people in the Pilbara. Sodexo, world leader in quality of life services, has made a commitment to progress the brand concept through the development and production stages. Yurrama Water was officially launched in February and will be available in 600ml and 1.5L bottles. In line with AAC’s mission, the sales from Yurrama Water will fund Indigenous youth employment programs in the Pilbara and provide an increase in Indigenous employment opportunities. Sodexo indigenous and community general manager Sean Armistead…

What do university mining schools need most? Over the past few years increasing attention has been directed to the people employed to teach and mentor students at university engineering schools, with university departments mostly staffed by scientists and graduates with no industry experience.     Emeritus Professor Odwyn Jones (OA) was principal of the WA School of Mines at Kalgoorlie and Dean of Mining and Mineral Technology at WAIT/ Curtin University of Technology for 15 years. He shares his thoughts with readers of Australian Mining Review. UNIVERSITIES too often place a premium on engineering applicants having a doctorate with little or no mention of the merit of having some industry experience. In doing so the teaching becomes too scientific and theoretical…

FLY In Fly Out (FIFO) worker Blake Wood and business partner George Helou are on a mission to eradicate suicide among FIFO workers. Their program, FIFOZero, aims to teach workers practical problem-solving skills in order to confront issues of mental and emotional stress they say are exacerbated through the isolation that often comes with FIFO life. Mr Wood worked in the FIFO sector for nearly nine years before he was forced to face his own demons. He struggled from panic attacks, chronic anxiety and suicidal thoughts and, after the suicide of a close colleague, he was driven to do something about it. After taking Mr Helou’s EP7 seven step program, the two developed FIFOZero, a nuanced response to the challenges…

BIRDS OF PREY   Margot Robbie, Ewan McGregor  THE eccentric Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) has broken up with her psychopathic lover, the Joker, with whom she had a relationship in 2016’ mediocrely-received Suicide Squad. And now, without the big J’s protection, the scatter-brained Harleen Quinzel faces a life confronting previous enemies ready to cash in on karma, to the extent that she can’t even eat an egg sandwich without being pursued by a variety of riff raff that she has managed to offend in the past. That’s the basic setup as director Cathy Yan jumps around haphazardly in time, from mere hours ago to several weeks before, and then even further back to ‘80s Sicily, as she tries to introduce the…