News
From all of us – thank you. You are inspirations that remind us that we are all part of something bigger.
Caring about people’s physical and mental health
“In a gentle way, you can shake the world.” ― Mahatma Gandhi, Lawyer, politician, social activist and writer
Lucy Luxton, EIC Activities HR Business Partner (R), collaborated with CareerTrackers Communications Intern Manu Hicks (L), facilitating a health and wellbeing initiative among EIC Activities team members to strive for a better health balance. The initiative offered resources to manage mental health, prompted employees to fundraise for charity events, raised awareness of acknowledgement days such as R U OK? Day and inspired employees to give back to the community.
Sedgman is a proud supporter of the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) in Western Australia, enabling the purchase of much needed inflight oxygen mask equipment. The RFDS does valuable work providing emergency medical and primary health care services to rural and remote regions across Australia including where Sedgman operates. Earlier this year Sedgman also sponsored the 2019 RFDS Wings for Life Gala in Brisbane.
During July, UGL Resources West challenged themselves to perform 3,128 push-ups in 21 days. The number 3,128 is significant as this is the devastating number of lives lost in 2017 to suicide in Australia. The goal was to raise awareness and funds for Headspace, an Australian non-profit organisation for youth mental health. At the end of the challenge, as the dust settled, the team had performed a whopping 40,600 push-ups! Unsurprisingly, due to the commitment and charitable nature of the team and their tireless efforts, an incredible A$4,705 was raised.
Twenty-two employees from Thiess’ team in Mongolia donated blood at the Mongolian Blood Transfusions Medical Centre, an annual initiative open to team members from our Ulaanbaatar office and the Oyu Tolgoi project. Together, the team donated enough blood to save the lives of 66 people.
Thiess’ Central Queensland operations are helping children reach their full potential as part of the 2019 Hear to Learn – school hearing screening program. Delivered in partnership with the Hear and Say Foundation, the 2019 program tested 868 students from 23 schools in the Bowen Basin region. Ray Zhang, Thiess Mining Engineer Graduate joined students from Theodore State Primary School in some colouring in as they waited for their hearing tests.
Building stronger communities
"If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together."— Lilla Watson, an Indigenous Australian artist, activist and academic, with the Aboriginal activists group, Queensland, 1970s
Prath Sithananthan, EIC Activities Principal – Power & Building Services recently visited Sri Lanka with Australia’s Vanni Hope charity. Vanni Hope works in remote parts of Sri Lanka, and is committed to educating youth and providing communities with clean water. As part of this trip, Prath distributed solar powered lights, provided by EIC Activities’ SolarBuddy program, to schools in remote tea plantation areas.
UGL’s Brisbane office held its first Share the Dignity fundraising event #digniTEA. Brothers, fathers and sons united with women in the office donating sanitary products to the drive. This initiative gives thousands of homeless women dignified access to basic health products. (L to R): Danielle Crossan, UGL National Talent & Capability Manager with Samantha Johnson, UGL Change Manager.
For the fourth consecutive year, five runners from Leighton Asia’s Hong Kong team volunteered to take part in the Lap Dog Challenge, running as many laps of an athletic track as possible raising funds for the Lighthouse Club – a construction industry charity. Once again, Leighton Asia brought home the ‘Best Team Fundraising’ Award, raising over A$171,000 for the Club. Competing in a field of eight teams, Leighton Asia’s team completed a total of 489 laps (195.6 km), and finished second-runner up. (L to R): Viola Ng, Health Care Officer, Natalie Yung, Safety Officer, Rai Dhan, Senior Safety Officer, Michael Jones, Safety Superintendent, SH Seto, Financial Controller, Jonathan Yan, Safety Supervisor, King Chow, Senior Engineer, Alan Chan, Senior Designer, and Yvonne Lo, Communications Manager.
Thiess’ Emergency Response teams from the Melak and Balikpapan projects in Indonesia have both placed at the 2019 Balikpapan Fire and Rescue Competition held in April within Merdeka Square. The annual event is designed to put local emergency response teams through their paces, showcasing their skills and developing comradery within and across teams who occasionally work together when responding to larger scale events.
Thiess, through its Majwe Mining Joint Venture (MMJV), donated clothing hampers intended for primary school students to Lefhoko Village, in Botswana. MMJV Project Director, Matthew Henderson said the hampers aim to empower primary school students by providing clothing to help with education progression.
During excavations at the Memorial Hospital Redevelopment in Papua New Guinea, the team discovered the rusted remains of a Japanese 7.7MM type 92 aircraft machine gun. The relic was handed over to Papua New Guinea's National Museum and Art Gallery in Port Moresby for conservation.
CPB Contractors is working with Indigenous Australian owned and operated businesses in the redevelopment of Coffs Harbour Hospital, on the mid-north coast of New South Wales. An important commitment in CPB Contractors Reconciliation Action Plan is using our purchasing power to ensure positive engagement and participation of Indigenous Australian Peoples, including certified subcontractors and suppliers, who deliver genuine social benefits to the local indigenous community.
In September 2019, CPB Contractors was recognised at the Social Traders Awards, receiving ‘Social Procurement Partnership of the Year,’ for an innovative partnership between the Metro Tunnel Project's Rail Systems Alliance (RSA) and Kinfolk Enterprise. The partnership demonstrates collaboration between social enterprise and a business member, innovation in uncovering new social procurement opportunities, and advocacy within both organisations to embrace new opportunities.
In 2019 CPB Contractors launched the company’s first Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). The RAP, a key part of CPB Contractors’ People First initiative, formalises our commitment to reconciliation and to improving economic and social outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
Camp Quality is a charity which provides services and programs specifically designed to help children and young people with the daily ups and downs of living with cancer. Portia Watson, CPB Contractors Communications Graduate volunteers at Camp Quality's Kids Camps, where children and young people get to experience time away from their parents, becoming involved in new activities such as surfing, high ropes courses and rock climbing. Portia loves making sure each kid has a ton of fun and makes new friends whilst on camp!
Leighton Asia’s Singapore team once again supported ‘Soles4Souls’ collecting over 30 pairs of new and gently-worn shoes for the charity. The shoes are a viable resource, helping individuals start and sustain small businesses providing crucial necessities for their families. Based on information from the charity, the sale of one pair of shoes can provide a Haitian family with up to five meals.
(L to R): Pacific Partnerships’ Rocky Wolters, Quality Assurance Specialist, Thomas Wetula, Project Director and Jesse Hewitson, Project Engineer donate their weekends to protect and safeguard the lives of swimmers across the New South Wales coast as volunteer Surf Life Savers. Surf Life Saving Australia is an organisation which prides itself on saving lives, and building better communities. If you have any visitors over the coming holiday period who are making their way to our beautiful beaches, please ensure you advise them to only swim on patrolled beaches, between red and yellow flags and encourage them to learn about beach safety by downloading the ‘beachsafe’ app.
40 team members from Leighton Asia’s Singapore team volunteered supporting the Society for the Physically Disabled (SPD) Family Day. Our volunteers helped facilitate logistics, games and activities, and helped ensure a safe environment for all participants. SPD is a local charity set up to aid people with disabilities through over 20 programs including, therapy, vocational training, and employment, educational and social support.
Opening doors to share and create opportunities for young people
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” – Nelson Mandela, President of South Africa (1994-99)
In mid-October, the Middlemount Community School in Central Queensland held a colour fun run sponsored by Sedgman. Involvement with the local school and community is very rewarding and all funds raised were used to develop the Parents and Citizens Association’s upcoming projects.
Jenny Agnew, Sedgman Risk & Sustainability Manager, used her volunteering leave to visit an after-school-care centre during career week. Students ‘mined’ chocolate from chocolate chip cookies, and played with the LEGO® Bucket Wheel Reclaimer. Jenny’s daughter was a great ambassador proudly modelling her mother’s High Vis workwear. Since the beginning of March 2019, every Sedgman team member can undertake volunteering for up to two days per year.
UGL welcomed local high school and university students, and recent graduates to a ‘women in infrastructure’ event at UGL’s head office in North Sydney, New South Wales. Attendees heard from our all-female expert panel about life in engineering and infrastructure. Pictured (L to R): Juliette and Katie from Monte Sant' Angelo Mercy College.
UGL Unipart held its first-ever apprentice and trainee open day onsite in Auburn, New South Wales. The open day was an opportunity for local young people and candidates, who had expressed an interest in the apprentice and trainee programs, to learn about the business, gain a greater understanding of the roles on offer and participate in a tour of the site. Visitors included students from The Clontarf Foundation and the Smart, Skilled and Hired Youth Employment Program.
Thiess supported the Australian Mines and Metals Association (AMMA) Bright Future STEM program in Kalgoorlie and Kelmscott, Western Australia. The national STEM learning program promotes female role-models in the industry, undertaking hands-on activities with students to encourage equal participation in STEM related study and professions.
Hi-vis became part of the school uniform when the Upper Hunter Mining Dialogue’s School Mine Tours Program visited Thiess’ Mt Owen Mine this year. Kitted out in reflective vests, students from King Street Primary School in Singleton, New South Wales were taken through the coal mining operation by David Crick, Maintenance Coordinator. The project aims to educate youth on the impacts and benefits of mining in the Upper Hunter as part of the Dialogue’s role to foster communication between the mining industry and the community.
CPB Contractors is partnering with Aboriginal learning organisation Diz Footprints, helping students work towards a Certificate II in Construction Pathways. The students spend one day a week on site and one day with a TAFE college while completing their High School Certificate (HSC) course. The qualification provides a pathway to the primary trades in the construction industry, except for plumbing.
CPB Contractors is an establishing partner of the ‘Out for Good’ Program helping young people who have been in prison to gain meaningful employment, giving them the opportunity to turn their lives around. The program is an excellent way for CPB Contractors to make a lasting and positive contribution to the community.
Protecting the environment and all creatures great and small
“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of a difference you want to make.” — Jane Goodall, primatologist and anthropologist
For the past year, Tracy Carter EIC Activities Systems Coordinator has volunteered weekly at the RSPCA. Tracy assists in training the front of house dogs and settles them for bed, providing essential human interaction. Skah (pictured) has since been successfully adopted.
Pictured is Emma Schmidt, UGL Proposal Coordinator, and Daryl, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) assistance dog in training. This year UGL’s Perth office participated in an Entertainment Book fundraising campaign raising money for PTSD Dogs Australia. The dog-loving team chose this charity as it aligned with the importance of mental health within the industry. PTSD Dogs Australia is a not for profit charity dedicated to rescuing, re-homing and training displaced and unwanted dogs to support and assist Australia’s first responders (fire, police, ambulance) and Australian Defence Force personnel experiencing PTSD both current and retired.
UGL’s rail team at Spotswood in Victoria, joined in on Business Clean-up Day dedicating extra time to tidying around their site – collecting 16 bags of rubbish.
Thiess’ Mongolian team held its annual tree watering event supporting a nationwide environmental and community campaign, raising awareness about environmental protection.
Thiess’ Mt Pleasant Operation in the Upper Hunter Valley, New South Wales promoted recycling of plastic cans, bottles and cartons on site helping the environment.
Thiess’ Indonesia team is committed to respecting the environment where they live and work by joining in tree planting at local residences near the Sangatta coal mine in East Kalimantan.
CPB Contractors team, with joint venture partner delivering West Gate Tunnel’s East Zone works, is committed to reusing and recycling materials whenever possible. When a local community member involved with Wildlife Victoria’s Wildlife Rescuers and BADGAR Emergency Wildlife Rescue, sought offcuts of flowering gum and sheoak trees growing on site, the team was happy to assist. Offcuts are a valuable source of food for the injured animals the rescue organisation helps care for.
Sedgman’s team in Vancouver, Canada initiated improvements to the recycling efforts of their building’s community with a waste sorting game during lunch time. Set up in the foyer of the building, participants who passed by were challenged to try and sort waste into compost, landfill, mixed paper and mixed containers within a 60-second time limit. It was an engaging way to raise awareness of the small but powerful everyday steps which can be implemented to improve waste management. Pictured (L to R): Melissa Wilkin, Sedgman Senior Business Unit Administrator and Carolyn Hillard, Sedgman Group Manager, Solutions & Innovation.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead, American cultural anthropologist.
13 December 2019
13 December 2019
13 December 2019
13 December 2019
