ISSUE 93 : 1
minetomarket
ISSUE 93 : JANUARY 2009
EHM wins Highly Commended Award
Lead smelter achieves new export record
Xstrata Skills Centre celebrates another successful year
Vacation students experience the North West
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WELCOME
Only a few weeks into 2009, Xstrata is feeling the
impact of the economic slowdown. As many of you
are aware, it is with a great deal of regret that we’ve
had to recently announce the necessary restructuring
of the Xstrata Zinc Mount Isa operations which has
unfortunately resulted in job losses and Handlebar Hill
Open Cut mine being placed into care and maintenance
from 12 February 2009.
Steve de Kruijff
Kevin Hendry
The restructuring decision has been an extremely tough
one to make. However, it is critical at this stage to secure
Xstrata Zinc’s long-term future during the tough operating
environment. It is important that we take every measured
approach to ensure we remain sustainable while bringing
minimal impact to our employees, local communities,
shareholders, and stakeholders.
The wellbeing of our employees is Xstrata’s top priority
and we would like to take this opportunity to ensure you
that we are doing everything possible to support those permanent staff
impacted by the restructuring. Xstrata North Queensland will continue to
take a measured approach to our operations and we thank each and every
one of you for your support and understanding during this difficult period.
On a positive note, Xstrata Mount Isa Mines achieved our 30% water
reduction target thanks to our operations’ ongoing water conservation
efforts. We have also welcomed the recent record rainfall in the North West
region which has seen our lakes and catchment areas’ water levels rise
significantly. Despite wide-spread flooding in the region, the heavy rainfall
has had minimal impact on our north Queensland operations.
XSTRATA STOCK PRICE
Xstrata is listed on the London
and Zurich stock exchanges.
As at 14 January 2009 the
Xstrata share price on the
London Stock Exchange (XTA.L)
was 7.79 (GBp).
FRONT COVER
Fiona Robinson, Graduate
Environmental Advisor, EHM.
CONTACT THE EDITOR
Input from all Xstrata North
Queensland operations is invited.
Any articles, innovations,
achievements, ideas or suggestions
are very welcome.
Please contact Catherine Peters,
Community Relations on
email: [email protected]
or phone: 4744 3140.
With the cyclical nature of the mining industry, Mount Isa Mines has
been through some trying times. As 2009 marks Mount Isa Mines’
85th Anniversary we reflect upon our rich history of one of the largest
mineral discoveries in the world. It is a celebration and a testament of the
support of the Mount Isa community and the successes of our people who
have brought us to where we are today. We look forward to informing you
of upcoming community events and celebrations to mark this milestone as
the year unfolds.
STEVE DE KRUIJFF
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
Xstrata Copper North Queensland
KEVIN HENDRY
EXECUTIVE GENERAL MANAGER
Xstrata Zinc Mount Isa
ISSUE 93 : 3
EHM wins Highly Commended Award
for operational excellence
Ernest Henry Mining (EHM) won a Highly Commended
Award at the 5th Annual Australian Mining Prospect
Awards held in Sydney on 22 October.
The Australian Mining Prospect Awards aim to encourage,
recognise and reward excellence in the Australian mining
industry. Nominations are sourced from industry and
finalists are chosen by a panel of judges for each of
14 categories. EHM’s award was in the Metalliferous
Mine of the Year category.
Mike Westerman – General Manager EHM, said it is an
honour to be recognised as a site that’s achieving
operational excellence.
“The judges were impressed with our underground
mining plan and our goals to extend the life of the Ernest
Henry mine once the open pit is finished,” he said.
“We have worked hard with Xstrata Copper’s North
Queensland Strategic Mine Planning team to develop
concepts that will place EHM in the best possible position
for the future”
Mike Westerman – General Manager Ernest Henry Mining,
proudly holds the Highly Commended Award EHM received at
this year’s Australian Mining Prospect Awards.
Lead smelter achieves new export record
Xstrata’s lead smelting operations have achieved a new record
for the highest volume of lead ingots exported in one year.
During the 2007/08 financial year, 187,480 tonnes of lead
ingots were shipped through the Port of Townsville, setting a
new trade record. The previous record of 160,728 tonnes was
set over the 2004/05 financial year.
In recognition of the new record, a plaque was presented to
Fred White – General Manager Smelting, Contracts and
Logistics, at the Mining the Isa Conference held in November.
Scott Ezzy, Lead Smelter Manager, said the award reflects well
on the lead smelter team.
“Without the help and assistance of all departments within
the lead smelter, this record could not have been achieved,”
said Scott.
“We’d also like to thank the Xstrata Copper logistics team for
their role in delivering the product to the Port and loading the
ships,” he said
Four tonne lead ingots await shipment at the Townsville Port.
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Lead smelter wins Britannia Challenge
Scott Ezzy and Fred White graciously
accept the Britannia Challenge trophy
for 2008.
Friendly, intra-company rivalry is as
strong as ever between Xstrata Zinc’s
Britannia Refined Metals (BRM) and the
Mount Isa Lead Smelting Operations
which has resulted in the lead smelter
being the honorary holder of the
Britannia Challenge trophy for 2008.
lead. Fred White said that at the time,
BRM were sceptical of the lead smelter’s
overzealous production target.
The Britannia Challenge is a friendly
wager that was forged in 2004 between
Neil Wardle – General Manager of
Britannia Refined Metals (BRM), and
Kevin Hendry – Executive General
Manager Xstrata Zinc Mount Isa and
Fred White – General Manager Lead
Smelting Operations.
In an ‘up-the-ante’ bid to boost the
stakes, Fred suggested that a golf putter
belonging to Neil Wardle be put up by
BRM as an incentive for the lead smelter’s
target, thus becoming the Britannia
Challenge trophy.
In 2004, while delivering a presentation
to the BRM management team, Kevin
and Fred undertook to supply BRM with
more than 170,000 tonnes per annum of
“Having heard this rhetoric before, they
were somewhat cynical of our target,”
said Fred.
“True to his word and without any
prompting, when the lead smelter
reached the 170,000 tonne target, Neil
sent the putter to the lead smelter for
Mount Isa to be the holder of the putter
for many years to come,” said Fred
Our 30% water reduction target met in December
Shane Taylor – Technical Officer (left), and Lindsay Carruthers – Fitter,
stand next to a BM02 cyclone feed pump at the zinc-lead concentrator
that is fitted with the new mechanical seal.
Over the past six months, much effort
has been invested in conducting a
number of trials that have resulted in the
zinc-lead concentrator’s big reductions in
the use of fresh water with little or no
effect on the concentrate quality.
Peter Simpson – Superintendent
Concentrator Operations, said the trials
which were initiated due to the need to
conserve water and reduce costs, have
now resulted in the concentrator’s
savings of 24 litres a second.
“Due to the success of the trials, we’re
confident there’ll be no need to go back
to using fresh water,” Peter said.
With everyone celebrating the recent
spectacular, heavy rainfalls which have
resulted in major flooding to many parts
of north Queensland (Mount Isa being
one of the harder hit areas), it would be
easy for us to now become complacent
about our water use.
Despite the record levels that have risen
in Lakes Julius and Moondarra since the
beginning of the year, it’s encouraging to
see that Xstrata Mount Isa Mines has not
taken its eye off the ball when it comes
to its water conservation strategies.
Indeed, the company achieved its 30%
water reduction target in December
thanks to the efforts of many areas
across the Mount Isa Mines site.
This is certainly the case with the
production, metallurgy and maintenance
teams over at the No.2 zinc-lead
concentrator who have been doing some
impressive work with their recycled water
trials and mechanical sealed pumps.
Through their combined efforts, they’ve
made significant inroads in reducing the
company’s fresh water usage.
With the increased use of mechanical
sealed pumps over the past year at the
zinc-lead concentrator, Tony Gregor –
Superintendent Mechanical Maintenance,
said this initiative has also contributed to
the site’s significant reductions in water
usage.
“Because the mechanical seals are
designed to reduce fresh water
consumption, in the last 12 months,
we’ve reduced our fresh water use by
about 34 megalitres a year,” Tony said.
“This saving is equivalent to the volume
of water needed to run the concentrator
for about seven days.”
With such good results, we say keep up
the good work to the teams at the
zinc-lead concentrator
ISSUE 93 : 5
Xstrata Copper committed
to recruiting our own
In 2009, Xstrata Copper’s Mount Isa
copper operations will become the first
Xstrata mine site in Australia to implement
the National Indigenous Cadetship
Program (NICP).
The National Indigenous Cadetship
Program (NICP) is an Australian
Government initiative, which aims to
improve the professional employment
prospects of Indigenous Australians.
Xstrata Copper will join the Department of
Education Employment and Workplace
Relations (DEEWR) in facilitating the NICP.
The program enables Indigenous tertiary
students to gain professional qualifications
and work experience, and move into full
time employment in their chosen field on
successful completion of their studies.
Complementing Xstrata’s strong Graduate
and Vacation Student programs, NICP is
designed to help provide Indigenous cadets
with paid real-life work experience during
their studies and to develop the core
technical and leadership roles necessary to
succeed in the industry.
The program will consist of 12 weeks of
paid employment either within Xstrata
Copper’s Mount Isa operations for mining
related disciplines, or in community
organisations to accommodate other
professional roles.
Xstrata Copper is committed to growing
local talent and training and developing our
own people wherever possible.
The program will be open to Year 12
graduates of local Mount Isa high schools
moving on to tertiary education, or to local
students who have undertaken University
preparation programs.
“By tapping into our local reservoir of
talent, we are investing back into the local
community which is beneficial to all,” said
Steve de Kruijff, Chief Operating Officer,
Xstrata Copper North Queensland.
“We are committed to providing every
cadet with guidance and mentoring to help
them experience their future career in a
supportive environment.
“We hope that the cadets will join us for
full-time employment upon completion of
their degree as employees within the
Graduate Recruitment and Development
Program, or gain full-time employment
within the community.
“Working with DEEWR will help Xstrata
Copper to identify areas for cross-training
both on the mine site and in the
community so we can continue to develop
well rounded employable professionals with
experience in a variety of workplace
environments,” he said
Xstrata Copper joins several mining
companies in the North West Queensland
region in facilitating the program.
For further details refer to the National
Indigenous Cadetship Project advertisement
on page 19
MICO trials New Starter Training Centre
Mount Isa Copper Operations (MICO)
trialled its New Starter Training program at
the new purpose-built New Starter
Training Centre in December. A group of
40 trainees, comprising vacation students,
graduates, contractors and general new
starters, were the inaugural intake to
participate in the program.
The Training Centre, based at X41, uses
site trainers and Registered Training
Organisations (RTOs). They ensure all new
MICO personnel are trained and
competent in all core surface and
underground competencies, operational
procedures and safety themes.
Josh Jansen – MICO Vacation Student, lifted
during height safety training.
John Bright with the program’s first
trainee intake.
Besides giving new starters an introduction
to, and understanding of, MICO’s key
functions, the program also delivers
numerous competencies including;
height safety
manual handling
use of hand and power tools
explosives recognition
mine planning and map reading
ground awareness
working in heat
electronic tagging
practical personal protective equipment
application, and
dewatering.
All trainees are also required to complete
copper mine inductions and the theoretical
components of manual scaling, general
driving, and isolation and lockout.
“The establishment of the training centre
demonstrates MICO’s commitment to
further embedding a positive safety and
training culture,” said Monica Thomas,
Senior Training Advisor for MICO.
When complete, the centre will feature
two classrooms, a workshop and a
specially designed height safety and
confined spaces training area.
RTOs and trainers who trialled the MICO
New Starter Training Centre praised its
facilities and look forward to assisting with
the delivery of its future training.
John Bright – New Starter Coordinator,
and Ralph Bartholomew – Facilitator, were
delighted by the program’s successful trial
and look forward to its full inception in
late January 2009.
Thank you Monica Thomas, Senior Training
Advisor MICO for your contribution
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Xstrata invests in environmental upgrades
The recent $250,000 upgrade into the
relocation and upgrade of Xstrata’s
Doppler radar is helping to improve the
quality of information provided to the
Air Quality Control centre.
New installation of antennas which
feed into the Doppler radar.
Originally built in the early 1970s, the
Doppler radar is a type of wind profiler
that uses the Doppler effect of the
returned echoes from targets to measure
their radial velocity (or speed). More
specifically, the microwave signal sent by
the radar antenna’s directional beam is
reflected toward the radar and compared
in frequency, up or down from the
original signal, allowing for the direct and
highly accurate measurement of target
velocity component in the direction of
the beam. The Doppler Effect is also used
in devices to measure the speed of cars
and even the speed of a ball in sport.
The Doppler radar provides information
on the wind directions at different
heights in the troposphere (the lowest
portion of the Earth’s atmosphere where
weather occurs). This information is then
interpreted by Xstrata Mount Isa Mines’
Air Quality Controllers (AQC) as part of
the AQC protocol and management
principals not to breach the sulphur
dioxide conditions as set out in the
Mount Isa Mines Limited Agreement
Act 1985.
Fine tuning and calibration of the
upgraded system will be an ongoing
process to improve the quality of the
information delivered
Lead Pathways Study: Using state-of-the-art technology
The Synchrotron analysis is used to
identify signatures of lead in different
forms. Signatures are unique in the same
way that finger prints are in people,
hence they can be used to match lead
materials to its source. This will allow the
signatures of potential sources of lead to
be compared with signatures of soil, dust
and water samples within the community
to identify potential pathways of lead.
Samples which were analysed included:
Jack Ng, Trang Huynh, Hugh Harris, Jiajia Zhang,
and Barry Noller worked shifts to keep the machine running 24 hours per day.
During December, Associate Professor
Barry Noller – leader of the Lead
Pathways Study, Jiajia Zhang – Lead
Pathways PhD student, and Trang Huynh –
Research Fellow (all from the University of
Queensland) and Hugh Harris –
Synchrotron specialist, travelled to Japan
to undertake Synchrotron analysis as part
of the Lead Pathways Study.
The analysis was undertaken at the
Photon Factory at the High Energy
Research Centre is Tsukuba, Japan.
The purpose of the trip was to analyse
lead samples from Mount Isa using
specialist technology to allow potential
pathways to be identified.
Synchrotron-induced X-ray absorption
spectroscopy (Synchrotron) is a
state-of-the-art technique to identify the
exact chemical form of metals in
materials. In this case, the materials being
studied were samples of mine products
and waste materials, as well as soils and
dust samples from the Xstrata Mount Isa
Mines site and the wider Mount Isa
community.
Pure lead minerals found in the
mineralogy around Mount Isa
Materials at potential sources of lead
on the mine site such as waste rock,
ores, slag and tailings
Dust samples collected from within
houses in Mount Isa
Dust fallout samples collected from
the mine site, and
Soil samples from the Leichhardt River
and the surrounding area.
Now that the analysis has been completed,
the next step is to review and interpret
the data. This will be completed over the
coming months and will be incorporated
into the Lead Pathways Study
ISSUE 93 : 7
Another STEP towards a career in mining
Zane Hughes – Indigenous Affairs Advisor Xstrata North Queensland (left), and Brad Hogg –
Centre Manager Jobfind Centres Australia (right), with the first STEP ERS intake.
Xstrata Copper last month signed
on to the Structured Training and
Employment Project Employment
Resources Services (STEP ERS) to
increase Indigenous employment at
its north Queensland operations.
STEP ERS is a joint initiative with
Jobfind Centres Australia and the
Commonwealth Department of
Education, Employment and
Workplace Relations (DEEWR).
In January, Xstrata Copper took
on its first intake of STEP ERS at its
Mount Isa operations.
The STEP ERS placements will be
new entry level positions in the
copper operations at Xstrata
Copper’s Mount Isa Mines and
Ernest Henry Mine and range from
environmental technicians and
laboratory technicians to Site
Services support.
This month Jobfind is taking the STEP ERS
through a five week intensive
pre-employment preparation program which
covers core competencies and transitional
skills. This program is specifically tailored to
Indigenous community members in the
Mount Isa region and includes Budda Jitja,
a life skills and transitional training module,
developed by Jobfind specifically for
Indigenous workers.
This will be followed by a generic induction
covering health and safety, general first aid,
and a site orientation run by Krause Health
and Safety (RTO).
“The STEP ERS program is about preparing
people for real jobs and the participants in
the first stream of this program will be
intensively assisted to ‘Get Ready 2 Work’
with Xstrata Copper,” said Michael Hughes,
Executive Director, Jobfind Centres Australia.
“Upon successful completion of the STEP ERS
‘Ready 2 Work’ program, participants will
then move into real work experience and job
opportunities with Xstrata where they will be
provided with additional accredited training
in the areas they are employed.”
This training will commence in early February
and take place at the purpose-built Xstrata
Skills Centre and Xstrata’s newly refurbished
St Josephs Training Centre.
Xstrata Copper looks forward to welcoming
its STEP ERS on 9 February when they
commence their first day on the job
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Vacation students experience the North West
Every year in December, Xstrata North
Queensland invites university students
from all over Australia to participate
in a three-month Vacation Work
Program during the Christmas and
New Year break.
Vac Students celebrate Christmas Eve at the Irish Club in Mount Isa.
The program offers students the unique
opportunity to gain real-life, practical
work experience in the mining industry
in the discipline they’re studying while
also being able to earn money over
the holiday season.
Students who have successfully
participated in the vacation program are
highly regarded when Xstrata North
Queensland offers potential graduate
employment upon the successful
completion of their studies.
This year, 85 students from a range of
engineering backgrounds including
mining, metallurgy, electrical and
mechanical as well as the geosciences,
environmental science, accounting,
human resources, rock mechanics,
surveying, computer science and
occupational health and safety were
recruited for the 2008/2009 intake,
and placed at Xstrata’s various north
Queensland operations.
While most of EHM’s 12 Vac students
were lucky enough to fly home for
Christmas, Mount Isa Mines Vac students
enjoyed the festive season with a special
Christmas Eve dinner, arranged by Sue
Wicks – Human Resources Advisor for the
Vacation and Graduate Programs
Farewell Fred
Manager’s position after leaving the company for a period of
time in 1991 to gain further external mining experience before
returning to Mount Isa Mines in 1997.
During his time with the company, Fred held a series of different
positions including Shift Supervisor at the Sinter Plant and Blast
Furnace, Production Superintendent at the Blast Furnace, Blast
Furnace Superintendent, Manager of the Lead Smelter and as
the General Manager of Metallurgical Operations, covering both
the zinc-lead concentrator and lead smelter.
In February 2007, Fred was promoted to the position of General
Manager Lead Smelter. Under his management, the lead
smelter team achieved a new export trade record for the
financial year of 2007/08.
“Fred has been a great asset to the company and, with his
enthusiasm and hard work, he had a positive influence on all
aspects of the zinc-lead operations. While he’ll be missed, he
has imparted a wealth of knowledge to his colleagues who will
carry on with his work,” said Kevin Hendry, Executive General
Manager, Xstrata Zinc Mount Isa.
Kevin Hendry thanks Fred White for his service to the company.
The team at Xstrata Zinc would like to wish Fred White a happy
farewell and best wishes for all his future endeavours. Fred
finished up in his position as General Manager of Lead Smelting
Operations, Contracts and Logistics in December 2008.
Fred began his career with Mount Isa Mines in 1988. Initially an
operator in the lead smelter, he worked his way to a General
“Fred’s legacy to the business is not just the physical plant
changes he completed during his time, but the positive outlook
to everything he was involved with,” said Brendan Callaghan,
Health, Safety and Training Manager.
His farewell party coincided with the Xstrata Zinc
Christmas party, held at Buchanan Park, where many friends
and fellow workmates said their goodbyes and wished him a
fond farewell
ISSUE 93 : 9
Making our buildings safer
A new initiative with Queensland Fire and Rescue Service (QFRS)
is helping to make buildings across Xstrata’s North Queensland
operations fire-safe.
The introduction of the Interactive Electronic Fire Evacuation
(IEFE) plans for Xstrata’s main occupied buildings is designed to
assist in meeting the requirements of
the Building Fire Safety Regulation
and form part of the building
safety induction.
the specific safety issues for that building including photos of the
areas, locations of emergency equipment (including fire
extinguishers and fire panels), emergency evacuation paths and
instructional videos on fire fighting methods. The videos serve as a
refresher for employees and instruction for visitors.
The IEFE plans are part of Xstrata’s
contract renewal with the Queensland
Fire and Rescue Service for emergency
response and the operation of the
extinguisher facility in Mount Isa.
The plans provide clear instructions
for staff and visitors on a number of
fire and emergency related issues
including:
The location of the building’s fire
safety devices such as fire fighting
equipment, manual call points, exit
signs and evacuation assembly
points (EAPs)
Evacuation procedures in the event
of a fire or other emergency
Operation methods for manually operated fire alarms, and
The correct use of fire fighting equipment.
The electronic plans are accessed from an icon which sits on the
desktop of all computers in each building. When opened, they
include all relevant information required to instruct the person on
Mount Isa Mines’ Central Office was
the first building to have the plans
installed as a trial before further
roll-out across the sites. All main
occupied buildings at Xstrata’s
North Queensland sites are expected
to be completed in the next three
years over the life of the contract
with QFRS.
Site Services, the Xstrata Skills Centre, Administration Building
and the Met Plants Building will be the next buildings to have
the IEFE plans installed. Work is currently underway to have
them completed.
Plans for EHM and the Townsville copper refinery will be
undertaken this year
Let’s talk superannuation: The year that was
The 2008 calendar year started badly and
finished even worse. The comparatively
harmless sub-prime issues of middle 2007
morphed into the worst credit crisis in
history. The start of the year saw a failure
of US Investment Bank Bear Stearns, which
the US Authorities arranged to be rescued
but this was followed by the effective death
of the entire US investment bank industry.
As a result, there has been widespread
contraction of lending world wide as
banks have seen the value of their assets
decline and investors have run for the
safety of investing only in ultra-safe
government securities.
The dearth of liquidity has affected all
borrowers and many have been unable to
roll debt to fund redemptions. Banks around
the world have been forced to write down
enormous sums running into trillions, with
many being effectively nationalised. World
financial authorities and Central Banks have
been struggling to avoid a financial market
collapse, and have either injected or
guaranteed trillions of dollars into the
financial system to support home lenders
and banks.
What has motivated the Central Banks to cut
rates this rapidly is the collapse in credit
markets and this has led to a collapse in
economic activity around the world. Most
regions are now expected to be in recession
and expectations are for this to be the worst
recession since WWII, with unemployment
rising sharply in some countries. This
recession has in turn caused commodity
prices to collapse with the most noteworthy
being the oil price, which has fallen from a
high of close to $160/bbl (blue barrel liquid)
to the end year price of $38/bbl.
Equity markets have also been sold down but
any sustained recovery will depend on an
improvement in economic activity, and at this
stage 2009 is looking to be another poor
year with recession forecast for most regions.
The first half of the year is expected to be
tough going, with auto and retail sales
collapsing as the consumer in developed
markets strives to deleverage in a period of
rising unemployment.
In conclusion, economic activity is expected
to remain weak through much of 2009,
however both equity and non-government
bond markets have discounted much of the
weakness and are cheap on historical
measures. In the short term these assets
could decline further, but at some stage
will reach bargain – basement levels.
When this value will be realised is unknown,
however for patient investors there is merit
in starting to add to positions at current
depressed levels.
The JANA/Plum options have performed well
over the course of 2008 compared to other
options offered in the market place, due to:
Large allocation to unlisted property – no
allocation to listed property trusts
Good performance from our Australian
equities managers
Little exposure to credit securities, and
Exposure to a hedge fund manager that
had a negative position on regarding
higher risk equities and credit.
Information provided by John Coombe, JANA
Investment Advisers Pty Ltd, financial advisers
to xstratasuper
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XCPPNQ highlights from 2008
TOWNSVILLE
Lifeline NQ
Many performances were held during 2008.
LOL (Laugh out Loud) explored the technological advances
of communications, such as text messaging and MSN,
in humorous and serious ways.
Fifteen teenagers participated in Lifeline NQ’s Youth Drama
and Self-Development initiative under the watchful eye of
facilitators for La Luna Youth Arts.
Townsville Hospital
State of the art equipment, including a
bladder scanner, was purchased. This
piece of equipment uses ultrasound
technology to determine how much
urine is in the bladder of patients
requiring emergency care.
Wulguru State School
Lego educational resources were
installed in the classrooms along
with three interactive white boards;
all intent on capturing the imagination
of the students while making learning
interesting.
Bowen State High School
A Hydroponics Centre is ensuring students are up to date with
current techniques and foster relations with local industry.
The Hydroponics Centre is also providing students with an
opportunity to participate in ‘real world’ activities and prepare
them for the industry prospects on completing school.
Bowen Sporting Complex
The provision of a mower/slasher through funding enabled
dedicated volunteers are able to maintain the grounds for the
entire community’s benefit.
On a typical weekend, the complex
hosts up to 1,000 sportsmen and
St Joseph’s Catholic School students
women playing a cross section of sports
using the new laptops purchased
including netball, rugby union, cricket,
with Xstrata’s funding.
soccer, athletics and polo cross.
Many school sporting carnivals and
inter-school competitions were held at
the Complex.
MOUNT ISA
Queensland Arts Council
Over 3,000 people attended the Raw
Dance Company’s Raw Metal
Queensland tour which provided an
action-packed show of hip-hop
dancing, beat-boxing and percussion.
578 people attended the regional forum series titled ‘Bouncing
Back’ – playing to your strengths.
Hermit Park State School
To further enhance their environmental practices and as a
committed Reef Guardian School, a living reef was set up in
an aquarium in early November allowing students to observe
and study the wonders of the reef and the animals that call
it home.
Hermit Park State School were actively involved in sustainable
environmental practices for many years, boasting a rainforest,
water collection tanks, worm farms, herb and vegetable
garden, free range chickens and a barramundi tank in their
own school yard. In 2006, the school was the winner of the
Comalco Green and Healthy Young Legends Award after
students launched a media campaign that halted Safe Food
Queensland’s plan to ban the sale of back yard eggs.
NWQICSS (North West Qld Indigenous Catholic Social
Services) traineeships
Two long-term unemployed indigenous people were
provided with the opportunity to undertake traineeships.
One successfully completed a Certificate II Hospitality and is
now assisting to run a similar course at Mornington Island, and
another who is studying towards a Certificate course in Child
Services and who applies her knowledge by working part-time
with children at the Brilla Brilla centre (another Xstrata
Community Partner) when not studying at TAFE.
Townsville and District Rugby Union
The Friday Night Juniors program continued. The benefits to
the youngsters involved are numerous with the competition
promoting good values, sportsmanship, teamwork but most
importantly having fun.
Riverbed Action Group
Major renovations were undertaken to enable an existing
building located near the Leichhardt River to be used as an
activities and drop-in centre for homeless clients of Mount
Isa’s Riverbed Action Group and Arthur Peterson Centre.
Arcadian Surf Life Saving
XCPPNQ funding supported equipment purchases including
fibreglass nipper boards and CPR training mannequins.
A Surf Safety Awareness Program was delivered in 2008.
Townsville Coastguards
In May 2008, the Townsville Flotilla of the Australian Volunteer
Coastguards launched one of the most modern Inshore
Rescue Vessels in Australia, named the Aurora Xstrata.
BOWEN
Queens Beach State School
Five electronic Smart Boards were installed in classrooms to
enhance the school’s technology program.
T he centre is now up and running and a Murri Men’s Group
band and men’s art group have already commenced meeting
and practising in the activities shed.
JCU and MICRRH Remote Health Research Fellowship
Several new projects were funded in 2008 including:
The impact of traumatic hand injury on people from rural and
remote locations. Fifteen in-depth interviews have been
conducted on how traumatic hand injuries impact upon
occupational performance, and barriers identified that affect
an individual’s ability to undertake rehabilitation programs.
Lisa Wright has recently completed her Fellowship
investigating how rural men express depression. This project
ultimately aims to improve how health professionals identify
and help rural men experiencing depression.
ISSUE 93 : 11
Barkly Highway State School – Artists-in-residence program
All students and teachers from Barkly Highway State School
benefited from the 2008 artists-in-residence program which
presented animation-based movies called Bazil Grumble
Clay Animation.
Diabetes Centre
A Diabetes Clinic, which is held every Thursday afternoon at
the Mount Isa Base Hospital Outpatients, treated and advised
around 1,200 patients during 2008.
An Outreach Diabetes Educator was appointed to service
outreach areas including Doomadgee, Mornington Island,
Normanton, Dajarra and Cloncurry.
Spinifex State College
A Junior Future Classroom was identified and refrigerated
air-con was installed in the room.
Technology was purchased and Spinifex will launch the
classroom in Term 1, 2009.
Wildlife Carers Group
Of the wildlife cared for, rehabilitated, and released safely
into the wild, there were a total of 45 kangaroos, wallaroos
and agiles.
The Wildlife Carers group continued to conduct regular visits
to Laura Johnson Home as well as local schools.
Brilla Brilla
The number of children attending school in the last semester
of 2008 increased to an average of 17 per day. The number
has been as high as 24 on any one day.
Uniforms were distributed to some households and parents
are taking on responsibility for the washing and dressing of
children. This is helping parents to learn to support long term
school attendance for their families.
Communities for Children staff worked closely with the Healy
School Principal and assisted the school in finding an
Aboriginal Liaison worker to support the Brilla Brilla children to
fit into the school routine.
CLONCURRY
St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School
XCPP funding purchased and installed 50 new laptops at the
school to support their computer program.
Cloncurry Multi-Purpose Health Service
New furniture was purchased for the aged care section with
the funding. This included wardrobes, bookcases, recliners,
dining room suites, pressure-relieving mattresses, televisions
and DVD/video players.
Neighbourhood Centre
A total of 333 people participated in groups and activities
covering finance, health and fitness, cooking and independent
living skills.
Cloncurry Motor Sports Club
The Cloncurry Motor Sports Club designed track plans for
both the Go-Kart and Motor-X tracks, and also finalised the
design for its control tower.
The Club successfully applied to have the site’s land-use
category changed from rural to recreational and hopes to start
construction on the tracks early this year.
The groups included:
Women’s Group – 37 sessions held with 259 participants.
Monday Group – 17 sessions held with 74 participants.
Anger management, rental advocacy, budgeting and young
mothers/parenting sessions were also run during 2008.
Cloncurry PCYC
The Cloncurry PCYC established a Youth Management Team
consisting of eight children between the ages of 12 and 17.
This team is responsible for identifying community needs and
working on developing solutions for these issues
Townsville community partners celebrate
the end of another successful year
Mark Roberts, General Manager – Refinery
Port and Logistics, and Xstrata Copper
Townsville managers hosted Xstrata’s
community partners at a celebration
morning tea held in December.
It was the ideal opportunity for partners to
mark another successful year of the Xstrata
Community Partnership Program North
Queensland. The event also enabled our
15 partner organisations’ representatives to
share ideas and outcomes from their
initiatives.
Xstrata Copper’s Townsville operations look
forward to working with their XCPPNQ
partners again this year
12 : mine to market
Supply and utilities
department dig deep
Farewell Andrew
The copper smelter
team at Xstrata Mount
Isa Mines bid a fond
farewell to Andrew
Mitchellson in late
2008.
Kerry Thomas – Property Management Coordinator (left),
proudly hands $550 to Jan Hills, Facilities Manager, Laura
Johnson Home to purchase Christmas presents for residents.
After 39 years of
service, Andrew or
‘Grub’ as he’s better
known, finally hung
up his boots. As a
small token of their
appreciation, the
copper smelter team
presented Andrew
with a memento clock.
“I’d just like to thank
Mark Ezzy and the
copper smelter team
for the wonderful
memento of my service with the company, in particular within
the copper smelter maintenance department. It is truly a unique
gift and is greatly appreciated,” said Andrew.
Andrew Mitchell proudly
displays his unique gift.
The supply and utilities department at Xstrata Mount Isa Mines
helped to make this Christmas a special one for the residents of
Laura Johnson Home, an aged care facility in Mount Isa.
The team organised a fundraiser to help contribute to the
purchasing of Christmas gifts for the residents. In total, they
raised $550 which covered half of the gifts that were distributed
on Christmas Day at the home.
“The staff of the supply and utilities department were pleased
to add a little happiness to the lives of our senior citizens at this
special time of year,” said Bruce Watson – Manager Supply
and Utilities.
“I am very proud of the generosity of the supply and utilities team
as this is not the only time that they have dug deep recently,”
he said.
In the past 18 months the team has donated $5,000 to a number
of charities including Canteen, Leukaemia Foundation, Hear and
Say Centre, Cancer Council Queensland, SIDS and the Abused
Child Trust
Mark Ezzy, Copper Smelter Maintenance Manager, said that
Grub has always been held in the highest esteem within the
ranks around the copper smelter and engineering services
departments.
“Grub was a mountain of knowledge. Many a time when parts
were difficult to source, Grub would save the day. Not only did he
know where to source them but also where they were stored.
Grub even finished up writing the contracts to assist the
copper smelter team carry out overhauls and improvements
within our plant.
“From the entire copper smelter department, we thank Grub for
over 30 years of service and wish him all the best in his
retirement”
On the move
Jason Norrie
Craig Evans
Megan Knight
Darryl van der Merwe
has recently been promoted
from an Operator to
Supervisor of 16 Level in the
George Fisher Mine
maintenance department.
started at EHM recently as
Manager of Business
Development.
is the new Customer
Services Officer, Commercial
Department Townsville.
is the new Apprentice
Technical Training Instructor
(School-based apprentices),
Mount Isa Mines.
ISSUE 93 : 13
New loaders for George Fisher Mine
George Fisher Mine (GFM) recently
acquired two new loaders, worth
approximately $2 million each.
The Sandvik LH621 LHD Unit (the third
generation TORO 0011) is a 56.8 tonne,
diesel powered loader with a 21 tonne
bucket capacity. They are expected to
improve efficiency and increase
productivity in the mine.
Geoff Hender – George Fisher Mine
Manager, said the LH621 loaders will
assist in increasing mine production to
3.3 million tonnes in 2009.
“We are pleased with the improved
performance of the new loaders and
look forward to them continuing to
operate in tele-remote mode when the
mine is closed during firing times,”
said Geoff
Sandvik LH621 LHD Unit, 21 tonne capacity loader arrives at George Fisher Mine.
Pictured (from left to right) are Darren Reid – Supervisor Rebuild Workshop,
Jason Sargent – Operations Superintendent George Fisher North,
and Andy Watson – Maintenance Superintendent GFM Mobile Fleet.
EHM donates $10,000 towards aged care facility
Mike Westerman presents the
$10,000 cheque to Keith Douglas
Senior, thanked by Sue Daniels (left)
Kristin Westerman (centre) and Lesley
Lafey (right).
A big storm and a power outage might
have postponed the Cloncurry Hospital
Auxiliary’s fete by one day in late
November, but it didn’t stop the
inaugural fundraising event from being
a success.
The Auxiliary is working to raise
$6 million to build an aged care annex
at Cloncurry Hospital. It held the fete
at John Flynn Place on Saturday
29 November where they sold
home-baked treats, arts and crafts and
ran raffles, while Cloncurry’s Authentic
Taekwon-Do Club gave demonstrations
in the background. Also present were
Sue Daniels – Treasurer, Kirstin
Westerman – Secretary, and Lesley
Laffey – District Director of Nursing at
the Cloncurry Multi-Purpose Health
Service.
Mike Westerman – General Manager
Ernest Henry Mining, presented a
$10,000 cheque to Keith Douglas
Senior – President of the Cloncurry
Hospital, to kick start the fundraising
efforts.
The Cloncurry Hospital Auxiliary raised
around $18,000 from their inaugural
fundraising event
EHM hosts community information session
Close to 60 people gathered at the
Cloncurry Shire Hall for EHM’s 2008
Community Information Evening.
Close to 60 people attended Ernest
Henry Mining’s Community Information
Evening on Tuesday 16 December at the
Cloncurry Shire Hall.
One question raised at the end of the
session was in relation to the recently
announced $42.5 million Cloncurry
water pipeline.
Mike Westerman, General Manager
Ernest Henry Mining, and Myles
Johnston, General Manager Strategic
Planning Xstrata Copper North
Queensland, gave presentations
outlining how the mine has performed
during 2008 and on future plans for
the operation.
While final plans for the pipeline are still
largely unknown, Mike Westerman
reassured the audience that Ernest Henry
Mining is committed to ensuring a
long-term sustainable solution for
Cloncurry’s water supply and will work
cooperatively with Cloncurry Council
and the Queensland Government
14 : mine to market
A day in the life of a Section Man
Although it is often considered a repetitive and
demanding job, the work of a Section Man is integral to
the efficient operation of the tankhouse.
Leading Hand, Barry Jenkins, a Section Man for more than
14 years, says that it is basically a caretaker role where the
growth of copper and its quality is monitored.
“We address any problems that may arise during the crop
periods. There are three crops in each 21 day cycle,”
says Barry.
A typical day for a Section
Man begins with the
tankhouse Positive Attitude
Safety System meeting
followed by the printing of
the daily work sheets which
indicates which crops and
sections are to be short
corrected. Shorts correction
is the removal of irregular
copper growth from the
cathode. Left unchecked,
this irregular growth will end
up contacting the anode,
creating an electrical short
circuit in the cell.
The next step is to check the
stripping schedule so that
the Section Men are not
working in front of the
overhead cranes.
“We work in eight hour shifts, seven days a week,
24 hours a day. There are four Section Men on every
crew and, in order to cover the various shifts, we have
a total of 18 Section Men at the Refinery,” says Barry.
Like most roles at the Refinery, the qualities needed to be
a successful Section Man include patience, an eye for
detail and a good work ethic.
“A good sense of humour doesn’t go astray either!”
he says.
There are 37 sections in the refinery tankhouse; each
section averaging between 24 to 36 electrolytic cells.
Metering a section entails using a gauss metre to register
cathode plates that are shorting out. Shorts occur when
the cathode touches the anode (which is a misalignment)
or impurity shorts which can be slime particles that come
in contact with the cathode growing across and
contacting the anode. With wear and tear over time, the
cathode plate can become bent, causing proximity shorts.
While other types of shorts can occur, these are the three
major ones. Excessive shorting results in a lower current
efficiency and, ultimately, a lower production output.
Each section has a western and eastern end. When
metering, the Section Man always meters to the right
from where he steps up on to the section. This is to
enable him to step safely across from one cell to another.
Due to the Section Men
traffic over the cells, often
the individual cathode plates
become misaligned.
Following shorts correction,
by using a short correction
bar, the cathode plates are
re-spaced in each individual
cell. Anode and electrolytic
solution quality can impact
on the number of shorts.
At the end of a shift, shorts
are recorded in a
computerised log for
monitoring purposes by
metallurgists and others in
the tankhouse.
Due to heat in the
tankhouse, Section Men
wear lighter clothing while
undertaking shorts correction. It is essential that adequate
quantities of water are consumed during the shift to
ensure hydration is maintained.
Apart from the physical exhaustion, the role of a Section
Man can be mentally challenging.
“I enjoy the challenge that my job presents. Problems can
arise from nowhere and you have to be able to solve them
quickly using good communications with the circulators,
metallurgists and other section men. If not, issues can be
ongoing for long periods of time,” explains Barry.
“I believe that the efforts of the Section Men contribute
to the quality of cathode that is produced at the
Townsville Refinery – it’s a real team effort,” says Barry.
“It’s a tough job at times – we’re a special breed,”
said Barry
ISSUE 93 : 15
“Like most roles at the
Refinery, the qualities
needed to be a
successful Section
Man include patience,
an eye for detail and
a good work ethic.”
Catch
t
Buzz . he
..
16 : mine to market
Give to the Mount Isa
Community Helicopter
In September 2008 the Mount Isa
Community Helicopter officially joined
the Xstrata Workplace Giving Program as
the 10th recipient organisation.
The Mount Isa Community Helicopter
is a not for profit charity established in
Mount Isa in early 2007. The charter of
the organisation is to provide a full
time dedicated community rescue
helicopter service for the people of
North West Queensland.
The Mount Isa Community Helicopter
works hand in hand with the Royal Flying
Doctor Service, Queensland Police
Service, Queensland Fire and Rescue
Service and other agencies to provide
a vital boost to rural health and
emergency services.
Its motto “When minutes matter” has
been put to the test in recent months
with several call outs to rescue flood
stranded people, attend vehicle accidents
on remote roads, workplace injuries at
remote mine sites, and to assist in search
and rescue missions for missing people.
To the rescue!
In early 2007, Xstrata Mount Isa Mines
provided $60,000 to help fund the
initial three-month trial of the
community helicopter.
Most importantly, the Mount Isa
Community Helicopter relies solely on
community and corporate funding to
keep its operations running.
That’s where you can assist. Show your
support and sign-up to the Xstrata
Workplace Giving Program today!
Application forms are available on the
intranet or from your Human Resources
representative. More information about
the Xstrata Workplace Giving Program is
available from Karen Wright in Payroll on
[email protected]
Last month we rallied again to answer
a public plea from the organisation’s
CEO, Alex Dorr, made through Mount
Isa’s local newspaper, The North West
Star, for accommodation for his pilot
and crew after an existing 18 month
sponsorship commitment came to
an end.
Xstrata Mount Isa Mines came to the
rescue and committed a further
$15,000 of in-kind support to house
the pilot and crew in a two bedroom
flat at Xstrata’s Parkside Apartments
in 2009.
“Xstrata’s support helped us secure our
pilot and crew for another 12 months
which in turn has ensured that we
continue to service the people of the
north west,” said Alex, “Thank you.”
Seven EHM employees reach 10 years of service
From left to right Harry Poulson, Greg Poke, Mine, Percy
Scobie, Craig Wright, Adam McCulloch, and Ted Herson.
Absent: Grahame Seaborn.
A special morning tea was held on
15 December to celebrate 10 years of
service for seven Ernest Henry Mining
employees.
Seaborn – Drill Services Technician,
all received a memento to mark their
decade of employment with Ernest
Henry Mining.
Percy Scobie – Concentrator Maintenance
Planner, Adam McCulloch – Concentrator
Technician, Harry Poulson – Drill Services
Technician, Greg Poke – Mine Production
Trainer/Assessor, Craig Wright – Mining
Technician, Ted Herson – Superintendent
of Supply and Contracts, and Grahame
Mike Westerman – EHM’s General
Manager, thanked the award recipients
for their commitment and dedication to
the business over the past 10 years.
In mid 2008, 27 other employees
received 10 Year Service Awards at EHM,
including: Ian Anderson, Peter Barry,
Alan Carmichael, Kev Cowie, Neville
Deans, Katrina Donovan, Col Griffiths,
Mick Grixti, James McLennan, Darrin
McQueen, Clint Mutten Senior, Ian
Piddocke, Alan Richardson, Paul Turloff,
John Twomey, Peter Watling, Brian
Webb, Darryl Gray, Brad McGill, Gary
Perkins, Michael Sbrizzi, John Bussini,
Ross Exley, Phil Jeffs, Gilmore Levi, Anita
Morris, and Stephen Naseby
ISSUE 93 : 17
EHM ensures a bright Christmas for Cloncurry
Peter Johnson delivers the new power box to Lynne Vernon’s house.
Cloncurry was well lit this
Christmas thanks to an
in-kind donation from EHM.
Peter Johnson – Site Electrical
Superintendent, organised the
manufacture of a multiple
outlet enclosure for Cloncurry
Shire Councillor, Lynne
Vernon, so she could decorate
her house and yard for her
annual community Christmas
celebrations.
Lynne was previously using an
enclosure that was becoming
run-down, so our electrical
team is also rebuilding the old
unit so Lynne will have two to
use next Christmas,” he said.
Ms Vernon says her yard
looked magical throughout
the festive season because
the new power box allowed
her to make her display even
more spectacular.
“In past years, I’ve only been
Each Christmas, Lynne
Lynne’s colourful Christmas lights attract many visitors each year.
able to light up the front of
decorates her house with
my house and one side of
hundreds of colourful lights
my yard, but the new power box meant I could put lights
and places decorations throughout her yard. She invites local
everywhere,” she said.
children and their families to share in the spirit of Christmas and
gives out presents and other goodies to her visitors on the five
“My power bill goes up a fair bit over Christmas, but it’s well
nights leading up to Santa’s arrival.
worth it when you see the joy my celebrations bring to the
Cloncurry community”
However, Peter says using large amounts of Christmas lights can
potentially overload ordinary household outlets.
“The enclosure we gave to Lynne consists of 12 double socket
outlets, a safety switch and overload protection.
Catch
t
Buzz . he
..
18 : mine to market
Christmas parties
ISSUE 93 : 19
My colleagues don’t know this, but...
Colton Stevenson
12L Services Supervisor,
Underground GFM
Michael Licciardo
Mining Production,
EHM
Ron Thompson (Thomo)
Mechanical Equipment
Operator, Townsville
Melissa Trim
Community Relations
Advisor, Mount Isa Mines
My colleagues don’t know this,
but I was an extra in a TV series
called The Lost World.
My colleagues don’t know this,
My colleagues don’t know this,
but I can do a mean Irish Jig!!
My colleagues don’t know this,
but I lived in Switzerland for two
years.
My favourite food is steak and
mash, vegies and gravy.
I drive a Nissan Navara ‘07.
The person I most admire is
my Dad.
In my spare time I like to renovate
my house and play golf.
My pet hate is rude people.
I can’t live without my kids.
but I prefer the country to the city.
My favourite food is anything!
I drive a Holden Colorado turbo
diesel dual cab.
My favourite food is steak
and chips.
I drive a Toyota Hilux.
The person I most admire is
my wife.
The people I most admire are
people with positive attitudes.
In my spare time I work on our new
house and block near Mareeba.
In my spare time I build model
railways and collect Egyptian
artefacts.
My pet hate is snakes.
I can’t live without our cutting
horses and border collies.
My pet hate is – I haven’t got any.
I can’t live without beer!
My favourite food is anything
other people cook for me.
I drive a Landcruiser 100 series.
The people I most admire are my
Mum and Dad for putting up with
me through my teenage years.
In my spare time I hang out with
my partner and kids, and go
camping and exploring the
North-West.
My pet hate is baby squash and
brussel sprouts.
I can’t live without my fiancé Dave,
our kids and a good bottle of red.
Xstrata Mount Isa Mines National Indigenous Cadetship Program
Call for Applications
Xstrata Mount Isa Mines is proud to
be part of the National Indigenous
Cadetship Project (NICP). NICP is an
Australian Government initiative that
aims to improve the professional
employment prospects of Indigenous
Australians. The NICP enables
Indigenous tertiary students to gain
professional qualifications and
experience and move into
employment on completion of their
studies. Xstrata Mount Isa Mines
encourages candidates to apply from
mining and non-mining specific
undergraduate degree programs.
Selection Criteria
Must
be of Aboriginal or Torres Strait
Islander descent
A
ccepted into a minimum 3 year
Queensland based University
Undergraduate Degree Program
(preparation/bridging programs not
accepted)
Resident of Mount Isa
P repared to undertake 13 weeks work
placement per year at Mount Isa Mines or
within our surrounding community
Benefits
HECS Assistance (for successfully completed
units)
Living Allowance while studying
Textbooks Allowance
IT Assistance
13 Weeks paid work placement
Supported travel cost to work placements
For more information contact:
Zane Hughes, Indigenous Affairs Advisor
Xstrata North Queensland
[email protected]
Ph: 07 4744 3211
Fax: 07 4744 3792
Applications close 30 January 2009.
People of Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander descent are encouraged
to apply.
www.xstrata.com
20 : mine to market
Winners of the Xstrata Publication
Survey competition
Congratulations to our five winners of the
Xstrata Publications Survey from the
November edition of Mine to Market.
publications so that they continue to
meet our employees and key
stakeholders’ needs.
Feedback from this survey will enable us
to review our current processes and will
further improve the quality of our key
A summary of results will be included in
the March issue of Mine to Market
The house
that XT built
Xstrata Technology’s (XT) Santiago
office signed up for a team weekend,
assisting a local group who supply
basic housing to people in need.
The community service work was the
brain child of Ximena Carasco of XT
Chile. Ximena enlisted others from
the XT office in a weekend of team
building and community service.
The dwelling is six metres by three
metres in size and was built with no
power tools or mechanical aids – only
hand tools.
“We were drawn to the concept as it
combined a team building exercise
with worthwhile community service,”
said John Doolan, Chief Financial
Officer of Xstrata Technology, and Isa
Process Manager.
John Twomey, EHM’s Concentrator Manager (centre) presents Ian Anderson and
Peter Johnson (right) with their iPod Nanos.
“However, I don’t think any of us
realised what we were getting
ourselves in for. Sure, the physical
work took it out of us (make no
mistake, it was 30 plus degrees both
days!), but more so, it was the
humbling learning experience of
working for someone in genuine
need – a family that just needed a
hand up to keep improving their lot.
“By Sunday afternoon I think we all
agreed on the worth of the
weekend’s work, irrespective of the
‘team exercise’ – and maybe that’s
the best learning of all,” he said.
Congratulations to all involved
Before
Steve de Kruijff, Chief Operating Officer Xstrata Copper North Queensland, presents
Greg Woods (right) with an iPod Nano. Absent: Shawn Letts.
Mark Roberts, General Manager Copper Refinery, Port and Logistics, presents
Geoff Douthett (right) with an iPod Nano.
After
ISSUE 93 : 21
Have a healthy holiday
For many Australians, the festive
season is a popular time for overseas
holidays. However, it is important to
remember that travel to foreign
countries can potentially expose
you to health risks that aren’t present
in Australia.
Travel insurance is a necessity.
Therefore, it is important to find out
how to stay healthy while travelling
overseas and this isn’t just limited to
what vaccinations may be required.
For example, you need to know
what medications to take with you
to treat the common travel diarrhoea
bugs and which insect repellent
might be useful to protect yourself
against Dengue fever, Chikungunya
or even Malaria.
Although it is recommended that you
visit your doctor six to eight weeks
before intending to travel, it is never
too late to visit. Even if you visit the
doctor the day before you travel, they
can still equip you with valuable
advice and medication.
MEDICAL
The following tips are also useful to
know before you set off:
Visit www.smartraveller.com.au for
travel advice and precautions prior
to making your plans and before
departing for overseas destinations
Medicare will not pay for overseas
medical expenses such as doctor
visits or hospital stays.
Scan passports and travel
documents and email them to
yourself. That way you will have a
copy if you lose the originals.
Strict hygiene is a must, especially
in developing countries. Traveller’s
diarrhoea is the most common
travel-related illness. When it
comes to eating food, make sure
you boil it, cook it, and peel it!
Some people leave their inhibitions
on the plane when they travel
overseas. Be aware that many
other countries have high rates of
sexually transmitted diseases
including HIV. In fact, overseas
acquired contraction is on the rise
in Australia, so protect yourself by
practicing safe sex.
For more information, contact:
Your Doctor
Gemini Medical Mount Isa –
4744 2242.
Shave for a Cure 2009
It’s that time again to start thinking
about ways in which your department
can raise funds for the Leukaemia
Foundation. The 2009 World’s
Greatest Shave will be held from
12-14 March 2009 and we are looking
for volunteers from each department
to help coordinate fundraising for this
worthy cause.
For more information please contact
Danielle Slade, Community Relations –
[email protected].
Patient support services provided by the Foundation in 2007/08
Information, resources and emotional support
Over 13,500 patients were supported by the Foundation
This support was provided to patients, families and carers through nearly
100,00 contacts with our staff
Professional counselling sessions were arranged for 225 patients
Education and support programs
7,321 people attended 615 of the Foundation’s general and disease-specific
education programs
Accommodation
1,360 families were provided with nearly 50,00 nights accommodation in our
accommodation centres close to treatment centres
Transport
Trained volunteers travelled 688,978kms in 31 cars to provide
6,582 patients with transport to and from treatment
Practical assistance
1,521 patients and families were provided with practical assistance to help
them through difficult times
R
Information supplied courtesy of the Leukaemia Foundation.
Visit www.leukaemia.org.au for more information.
22 : mine to market
Employee profiles
Chris Olsen
Safety and Training Advisor,
Black Star Open Cut
Ben Robinson
Health and Safety Advisor,
EHM
Damien Kiehne
Production Operator,
Townsville Copper Refinery
Kevin Rogan
Senior Claims Advisor,
Mount Isa Mines
Birthplace: Kyneton, Victoria.
Birthplace: Townsville.
Years with Xstrata: Six months.
Birthplace: Born and bred in
Townsville.
Birthplace: Ireland.
Years with Xstrata: One year.
My role at Xstrata involves:
Helping to make Black Star injury
and incident free.
My role at Xstrata involves:
Ensuring the Health and Safety of
personnel at work and at home.
Years with Xstrata: 15 years.
Strengths: The relationships I have
with family and friends.
Strengths: Smiling in times of
chaos.
Strengths: My family and friends.
My role at Xstrata involves:
Supervising workers’
compensation self-insurance unit
and assisting the health and
safety department.
Weaknesses: Writing employee
profiles.
Weaknesses: Toasted
marshmallows.
Family: My wife Renee, my two
dogs and my cat.
Family: Wouldn’t be here
without them.
Favourite TV show/movie:
Seinfeld.
Favourite TV show/movie:
Stand By Me.
Holiday destination of my
dreams: Denmark.
Holiday destination of my
dreams: Jamaica.
Five celebrities I would like to
invite to dinner: Homer Simpson,
Jerry Seinfeld, David Beckham,
Harry Kewell and Jennifer Hawkins.
Five celebrities I would like to
invite to dinner: Ghandi, John
Eales, John Lennon, Tom Hanks,
Queen Elizabeth.
If I could change something it
would be: To stop the phone calls
you get from telemarketers.
If I could change something it
would be: My underwear (daily!)
Wish for the future: To be rich
and happy (in that order!) and to
travel and see more of the world.
Wish for the future: Remain
young at heart.
My role at Xstrata involves:
Mainly operating machinery.
Weaknesses: Caramel Tart;
actually anything sweet.
Family: Wife Michelle, newborn
daughter Brooke.
Favourite TV show/movie:
Simpsons and 40 Year Old Virgin.
Years with Xstrata: 3 years.
Strengths: Sociable and
dependable.
Weaknesses: Sometimes too
sociable.
Family: Wife and two daughters.
Holiday destination of my
dreams: America; we went there
this year in April.
Favourite TV show/movie:
Braveheart, Gladiator and
anything on Discovery channel.
Five celebrities I would like to
invite to dinner: Steve Carrell,
Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Ben
Stiller, Owen Wilson. It would be
a night of laughs.
Holiday destination of my
dreams: Egypt.
If I could change something it
would be: How much money
I would make in a year.
Wish for the future: To be
happy, healthy and do more
travelling with my family.
Five celebrities I would like to
invite to dinner: Billy Connolly,
Jessica Alba, Miranda Kerr, Eric
Cantona and Roy Keane.
If I could change something,
it would be: The current
economic climate.
Wish for the future: To have a
prosperous career and have two
famous (and rich) kids.
EHM raises close to $4,000 in ‘mo-money’
Ernest Henry Mining supported Movember this
year in a number of ways, raising a grand total
of $3,812 for the cause.
Movember is an annual charity event that
takes place every November across the world.
It raises funds and awareness for men’s health
and for prostate cancer and depression in
particular.
A group of male employees at EHM took part
in the traditional way – by growing moustaches
and gaining sponsorship for their ‘mos’.
While some took part for fun, the official team
known as the Hairy Uncle Ernies was made up
of Mat Clifford – Mine Geologist, Resource,
Ryan Turner – Mining Manager, Peter Johnson
– Site Electrical Superintendent, Dallas
Rutherford – Electrical Technician, Brett Wass
– Production Engineer Officer, and Ben
Robinson – Concentrator Safety Advisor. This
group alone raised $1,690.
A cake auction was held at the concentrator
offices on 24 November and this event raised
around $920. Employees and their partners
donated a range of home-baked cakes,
muffins and biscuits and then Ben Robinson
auctioned the goodies with the help of his
assistant ‘mo-grower’, Matt Peatey –
Metallurgical Superintendent. Matt Grant –
Senior Reliability Engineer, paid $200 for the
top-priced cake, a cheesecake baked by Sonja
Cusack – Mining Technician. He sold slices of
the cake for $10 each and donated the extra
$150 he made back to Movember.
Additionally, EHM ran a raffle at each of its
four Christmas parties, raising another $1,200
for the cause
After a month of mo-growing, these men
couldn’t wait to have a shave!
(Back left to right): Ryan Turner, Peter
Johnson, and Clay Taylor.
(Front left to right): Brett Wass, Mat
Clifford, and Richard Forsyth-Senior Mining
Engineer, Short Term Planning.
ISSUE 93 : 23
Xstrata apprentices celebrate a successful year
To mark the end of another successful year for the Xstrata Skills
Centre, an awards ceremony for the apprentices was held on
11 December.
The ceremony saw 65 apprentices successfully complete year 1
of their four-year apprenticeships, and 20 school-based
apprentices progress into the 2009 general intake. It was
combined with an open day for friends and families to come
and see first hand, a day in the life of an apprentice at the
Xstrata Skills Centre.
The successes of 2008 included 15 first year electrical
apprentices who attended Stage 1 at Mount Isa TAFE, receiving
honours in all nine modules. The mechanical apprentices were
required to complete 1st and 2nd year TAFE modules as part of
their training plans.
In 2008, the apprentices undertook some exciting projects
outside of the classroom including designing and managing a
hands-on display at the Xstrata Mount Isa Mining Expo and
assisting community organisations such as the Leukaemia
Foundation in raising vital funds by building cages for residents
to recycle their empty drinking cans. They even formed a
‘Young Guns’ team for the annual Battle of the Mines
competition in October.
Congratulations to all apprentices and a special mention to the
following people for their outstanding achievements and efforts
throughout 2008.
School Based
Apprentice of the Year – Reece Taylor
Encouragement Award – Leisa Nielsen
Fabrication
Apprentice of the Year – Paul Perks
Encouragement Award – Melinda Rankine
Mechanical Fitting
Apprentice of the Year – Paul Wilkinson
Encouragement Award – Wyatt Walsh
Diesel Fitting
Apprentice of the Year – Randell Ferguson
Encouragement Award – Josh Maxfield
Electrical
Apprentice of the Year – Casy Elrick
Encouragement Award – Robert Smith
Auto Electrical
Apprentice of the Year – Michael Coleman
2008 apprentice award winners.
Left to right: Wyatt Walsh, Paul Wilkinson, Reece Taylor,
Michael Coleman, Randell Ferguson, Robert Smith,
Joshua Maxfield, Casy Elrick, Leisa Nielsen, Paul Perks
and Melinda Rankine.
Calendar
February
3-6
EHM Shut Down
4
New starter’s induction (Mount Isa)
6Neighbours Day – Pastoralists visit
(Mount Isa)
11Mount Isa Mines Graduates’ official welcome
(Mount Isa)
21
Mount Isa Safe Community Designation Ceremony (Mount Isa)
23 Mount Isa Day
March
1
Clean up Australia Day (nationwide)
4
New starter’s induction (Mount Isa)
6 MICO Anniversary Dinner (Mount Isa)
7 New to Isa Surface Tour (Mount Isa)
10
Community Information Session
(Mount Isa)
12-14 Shave for a Cure (nationwide)
15
Curry Day (Cloncurry)
20 Xstrata Copper Mount Isa Anniversary Dinner
(Mount Isa)
24-26 Xstrata Mount Isa Mining Expo
27 Infrastructure Symposium date claimer
(Mount Isa)
28-29 Richmond Fishing Competition
April
1
3-5
10
13
20
21
New Starters Induction (Mount Isa)
Julia Creek Dirt and Dust Festival (Julia Creek)
Good Friday (Public Holiday)
Easter Monday (Public Holiday)
Student Free Day (Qld)
School Resumes (Qld)
School-based apprentice, Aaron Curry shows his parents,
Denise and Steven Curry an old Wheatstone Bridge Test Set.
24 : mine to market
Classifieds
For sale
Camper Trailer – Three Dogs 11oz
Billabong Canvas (3 mtrs/11ft) on
Eclipse heavy duty trailer (7x4).
Four windows, front and back door,
midge proof mesh, full length
verandah, internal and external
access to storage, waterproof,
very roomy. Two years old. Camping
table and chairs, cupboard, cooking
table, and various bits and pieces
are optional extras. $4000.00 ono.
Ph: 0411 203 449.
Yamaha RGZ 112p – Lead Guitar
black. Good cond. $225.
Ph: 4743 2360.
Wanted
Film Projector and Slide
Projector (to borrow only).
Phone Xstrata Mount Isa Mines
community relations on 4744 3140.
Congratulations
Congratulations to Natalie and
Jason Sciascia (Copper Smelter
Secondary Shift Supervisor) on the
birth of their baby girl, Meeka,
on 30 December 2008.
Call for
memorabilia
PHOTO COMPETITION
The Mount Isa Mines community
relations department is seeking any
contributions of Mount Isa Mines
memorabilia including magazines,
photos, newspaper clippings,
equipment or commemorative items.
These will be used to develop
historical displays for our 85th
Anniversary celebrations during
2009. All items will be catalogued
and returned.
Please contact Community Relations
on 4744 3140.
Employees from Townsville Copper
Refinery and Port Operations, Bowen
Coke Works, EHM and Mount Isa
Mines only are invited to list items for
sale. Please contact your community
relations department for the
classifieds form.
Congratulations to Gama Gamato,
who correctly guessed last month’s
Santa was Dave Thomas, Senior
Safety and Training Advisor,
Mount Isa Mines
All submissions are due to the Editor
by the 3rd business day of each month.
Mine to Market will not accept any
commercial advertising notices.
Congratulations to Kristine and
James Walls (Copper Smelter
Operations Met Plant Assistant)
on the birth of their baby girl,
Georgie, on 30 December 2008.
Are you up for the
challenge of Mines Rescue?
Mount Isa’s Mines Rescue Teams are looking for new recruits now! By joining the
Mines Rescue Team, you can obtain a nationally recognised Certificate III in Mine
Emergency Response.
If you are interested, please contact Ron Pippenbacher on ext 2333 or
Ron Pickering on ext 2525 as soon as possible so that the preliminary groundwork
of obtaining managers approvals and undertaking fitness and medical assessments
can be carried out prior to the next course starting early in 2009.
Mines Rescue welcome all applications and are particularly seeking applications
from underground employees.
Can you guess this month’s
photo competition? You will find
the answer somewhere in this
publication.
For your chance to win, email
[email protected]
before Thursday 5 February.
The winner will receive a double
movie voucher and have their
name published in the next issue
of Mine to Market