Difficult times ahead but we're still moving forward

Since my last post a few weeks ago, a lot has been happening at KCGM. I've been making good progress on my projects for the Mt. Charlotte 50th anniversary so far and I thankfully haven't had too many struggles. I've definitely been kept on my toes and being at the forefront of organising logisitics, interviews and meetings has kept me busy.

The tours and the DVD I mentioned I was a part of are still underway and are still a major working progress, however things are going well and I felt like I really accomplished something today at work (which sounds like a silly thing to mention, but being on a large mine site, safety is #1 priority and last Friday I spent about 4 hours of my day in meetings and felt like I hadn't achieved much that day!). It has been difficult to get the ball rolling in regards to my projects as certain procedures were absolutely necessary before too much work was commenced, however after today's TBRA and visit to the Eastern Goldfields Historical Society, I definitely have plenty to do in the next couple of days.

One thing I have found interesting - and is something I wouldn't normally get to experience - is how my organisation is responding to the gold price plummet. Some people might have heard of the plummet in the price of gold earlier this year which sent the gold mining industry into dismay. As a result, KCGM has been reviewing budgets, however, this has sent the local media into a frenzy. I've now experienced firsthand how easy it can be to take advantage of these kinds of situations for a story. There have been some, shall we say, not so friendly articles produced over the past couple of weeks, however it's great to see how KCGM is dealing with the negative portrayal of the gold mining industry in general lately (mentions of possible redunancies etc). In addition to community engagement and employee relations, issue management is another topic I've found incredibly interesting during my studies. As budget is currently under review, there are currently no definite yes or no answers so nothing can be confirmed to the media, but whilst there has been a big focus on the low gold price at the moment (it's slowly starting to rise again - yay!) and how significant the impact on mining in WA, it's been relatively good timing as last weekend was the annual KBULG tree-planting day in which KCGM is a major sponsor. In addition to this lovely bit of positive media, KCGM has also had great coverage nation wide thanks to an article which was published in the Sydney Morning Herald earlier this week which reflects the journalist's experience of the Super Pit Tour.

Once again, I'm still enjoying my internship and I really don't want it to end in two weeks. I love it too much!

I'll be back soon with another update and I'll let you know how my projects are coming along.

Back in the mining game

It has been a week since I started my internship at KCGM. Fortunately for me, this is my third time working for the organisation as a student. Every time I rejoin the Community Relations team at KCGM (which is a part of the Environment and Social Responsibility department), they welcome me with open arms and throw projects at me which are even more challenging than the last time.  The first time I worked there, I got to do a bit of everything, my second stint gave me the experience doing a bit of everything and more, including organising a community open day for the tourist mine, of which over 1500 people attended. This time around, I've been thrown into the deep end once more and I'm loving it.

As KCGM is a gold mine which is not only on the door step of the City of Kalgoorlie, but also has operations which are on the historical Golden Mile; catering to the needs of residents, local businesses and other stakeholders and celebrating the history of what made the city it is today, is very important. It is the 50th anniversary of continuous operations at Mt. Charlotte operations this year and I've been given responsibility to help organise the two months worth of celebration tours coming up later this year. Some of my responsibilities include: Assessing risks in Team Based Risk Assessments (TBRAs), figuring out a budget, organising logistics, tickets, ensuring the safety of others, writing tour notes, procedures and work instructions for tour participants and working out a media plan.

In addition to this, I am helping to produce and write a short film celebrating the history of Mt. Charlotte which will go straight to be sold in the Super Pit Shop on DVD. Some responsibilites include script writing, research, conducting interviews and piecing it altogether. As this comes under the same major Mt. Charlotte project, everything is coming together pretty nicely and I had the amazing opportunity to do my underground induction today in preparation for heading underground for filming and tours and I got to head about 600m underground which probably made me way too excited, all things considering.

Once again, I'm thoroughly enjoying my work placement so far and am fortunate enough to be able to do it for this the internship unit. I'm curious to see what happens over the next few weeks due to the gold price crisis which is a huge issue at the moment and one that affects KCGM greatly due to its sheer size, however I'll let you know how my projects are coming along shortly and how things start to pan out over the next few weeks in the mining industry. It's ever growing and always changing.

Taking Charge of a HSE Conference

Hi Guys!

I am in my third last week of my internship in the PR department at INPEX ( A worldwide gas and oil exploration company)

This week sees INPEX hosting a stand at the SPE/APPEA International Conference on Health, Safety and Environment in the Oil & Gas Exploration and Production sector. The conference is hosted by Chevron and is currently being held at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Being a large company there is always a lot of health safety and environment issues that need to be adressed and monitored at all times so this conference gives INPEX a chance to share with other industry professionals the measures we take to ensure a smooth running of all our projects as well as updating them on the work we are currently doing and where our major projects are at.

The morning began with us setting up our stand with brochures, an interactive touch screen television that lets participants interact and immerse themselves in the Ichthys project both the off and onshore facilities as well as merchandise and give aways for conference visitors.

The conference got underway and I was beyond nervous, I had been put in the stall with 2 other girls who knew alot more about the project than I did and my supervisor had told me that I would be having to answer questions and talk visitors through our project!

Once the conference started getting busy we were under pressure to speak to everyone who was interested in INPEX and before I knew it I was talking to delegates and exhibitors from other companies like I knew exactly what i was talking about, it really is crazy how much I had retained from my previous weeks of work experience that just came straight back to me when I most needed it.

Having the opportunity to network with high profiled delegates from different companies and countries alike gave me a fantastic insight into just how important networking is within not only the world of public relations but also the business world. Establishing connections and forging friendships with people in these kind of situations can ultimately give you the extra leg up you need when pitching an idea or trying to get a company on board with your project. 

The end of the first day approached and my supervisor let me know just how impressed she was with me, she thought that i was a natural on the stand !

Being apart of a conference like this aswell as the preperation involved really gives me a greater appreciation for the bigger picture of Public Relations. I have two more days at the conference and I cant wait!

Until next time.

Hayley Sarre

14849129