Unlocking Potential - Fortescue Metals Group Ltd

06 

From Cloudbreak to 

Canberra, Careen’s path 

highlights opportunity 

Full story page 23 

INSIDE Fortescue and Qantas 

off to a flying start 

Fortescue Future Forum - 

Our future is bright 

Unlocking Potential 

Family BBQ 

photos

A message from the CEO 

Welcome family and friends 

to our latest issue of The 

Breakthrough. In the last issue 

we looked at some fantastic 

milestones already achieved 

by our Fortescue Family this 

year and I’m pleased to tell 

you that in the past few weeks 

we’ve continued to shine. We 

all remain strongly focused 

on progressing to ‘Being 155’ 

and we’re proving again and 

again that we are capable of 

tremendous teamwork and 

achievements. 

Fortescue is renowned for breaking 

records. That theme resonates 

again throughout this issue of 

Breakthrough. Setting the bar 

extremely high are our Port and Rail 

teams. First, we celebrated when 

Port achieved a new inload record 

of 1,450,405 tonnes in the first week 

of May, a result that was achieved 

with the support of our hard working 

Operations teams at Cloudbreak and 

Christmas Creek. This was a great 

team effort from the entire supply 

chain – well done! 

Following the inload record, our 

Rail team achieved a perfect result 

of zero non-compliance reports 

in their recent annual audit by the 

Office of Rail Safety. I believe that 

it is our open minded approach to 

innovation and thinking outside the 

square that enables us to achieve 

these amazing results. 

2 

A great example of the fact that 

innovation is alive and well within 

Fortescue is an award won by our 

Water team, led by Doug Brown, 

for the Operations/Management 

Category of the 2012 Project 

Innovations Awards (PIA) at the 

Asia Pacific Regional Awards, for 

their Cloudbreak Managed Aquifer 

Recharge Scheme. Congratulations 

to everyone involved in this 

exciting project. It demonstrates 

our commitment to sustaining our 

environment as well as achieving our 

production targets. 

Achieving all of our targets safely 

is a key aim. This past year has 

seen a significant increase in our 

commitment to safety; we have 

incorporated safety into all of our 

pre-start meetings and we highlight 

the risks of our industry through 

the Major Hazards Program and 

ongoing Job Hazard Analysis. This 

commitment paid off when we 

recorded a 63% improvement in 

our Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate 

and a 35% improvement in our 

Total Recordable Injury Frequency 

Rate over the past financial year. I 

encourage you to continue to work 

as a team, stay alert and strive for an 

ongoing improvement in our safety 

performance. 

At the core of our business success is 

our strong, vibrant culture. I attended 

the Future Forum in Port Hedland in 

late April where, following the first 

Future Forum in Perth in December 

2011, we continued the process of 

capturing and developing the most 

important aspects of our culture. 

More than 100 representatives from 

the Port and Rail teams gathered 

to talk about our culture, about 

preparing to be 155 ready and how 

“We to maintain are and the strengthen change our 

tight knit family values as Fortescue 

we seek” - BARACK OBAMA 

continues to grow in both volume 

and complexity. 

I’m thrilled to report that our culture 

is absolutely outstanding. Our 

people in Port Hedland told me they 

are proud to wear the Fortescue 

colours and the overwhelming 

messages from the workshops 

were of family, naturally flowing 

teamwork, community spirit, 

innovation and empowerment. One 

of the highlights for me was hearing 

one of our people say that working 

for Fortescue combines “a sense 

of light-heartedness with a steely 

determination”. I encourage each of 

you to approach every day with this 

excellent attitude. 

Thank you all for your ongoing 

hard work. We remain committed 

to achieving our 155mtpa targets 

on time and on budget and most 

importantly, safely. 

Enjoy this Breakthrough, which is full 

of stories about our people and our 

successes.

LEFT TO RIGHT: Nev Power, Martine Martin, Guy 

Tuxworth, Gina Gill and Steve Fewster from Fortescue 

with Ian Gay and Hugh Davin from Qantas. 

Fortescue 

and Qantas 

off to a flying 

start 

Fortescue’s agreement with 

Qantas to provide air services to 

all of our sites commenced with 

the first direct flight to Solomon 

on Monday 23 April. 

Cloudbreak passengers were 

next with the first Qantas flight 

landing at the Fortescue Dave 

Forrest Aerodrome on Monday 

30 April. 

The exciting new service brings 

many benefits for all of our travellers, 

including the opportunity for all 

of our employees and contractors 

to earn Qantas Frequent Flyer 

points, online check in and through 

checking of baggage when you 

travel from interstate. 

Port Hedland travellers will move to 

Qantas next, on Friday 1 July. 

Fortescue’s Scheduling 

Superintendent, Louise Wai, was at 

Perth airport during the transition 

weeks and is thrilled with the 

smooth beginning. “Everyone has 

adapted really well to the new checkin 

arrangements and we’ve received 

positive feedback from the Fortescue 

Family about the change,” she said. 

“We look forward to an extremely 

successful partnership with Qantas in 

the years to come.” 

The commencement of Qantas 

charter flights to Solomon and 

Cloudbreak is the culmination of 

months of hard work and planning 

by teams across our business. Special 

thanks to volunteers from the 

Communications, Human Resources 

and Flights teams who arrived at 

the Perth airport at 4am every day 

during the first two weeks of service 

to provide support to our travellers. 

Great work team! 

3 

A Qantas Link plane at 

Cloudbreak.

Our future is bright 

Port Hedland’s Future 

Forum was held at the 

Walkabout Hotel on Friday, 

27 April. The two sessions 

proved both popular and 

successful, leaving no doubt 

that our culture is lively 

and strong; our Fortescue 

Family is ready to Be155. 

4 

Workshops at the sessions brought 

consistent messages from all 

participants – words like family, 

mateship, leadership, empowerment, 

innovation, enthusiasm. Phrases like 

‘the vibe’, ‘natural teamwork’, and 

‘community spirit’ also appeared on 

the flipcharts. 

Our Port and Rail teams are proud to 

wear the Fortescue colours around 

town and they enjoy being shown 

respect in the workplace for their 

skills and ability. Many participants 

praised Fortescue’s ‘think outside the 

box’ approach and the support they 

receive for innovative ideas. 

Future Forum is coming soon to your 

site, but in the meantime we hope 

you enjoy these images and updates 

from across the T155 expansion 

project.

Christmas Creek 

4 stackers 

reclaimers 

7000 

contributors 

1train loader 

2 train 

unloaders 

$8.4 bn 

spend 

2 ship 

loaders 

3ROM pads 

OPFs 

stockyards 

2 airstrips 

At a glance 

300km 

of rail 

of roads 

of pipelines 

45km 

of conveyors 

98 turnouts 

Production to increase by 180% 

155mtpa by June 2013 

5

Second and third train unloader 

bridges under construction. 

Port Expansion 

(Project Director - Peter Thomas) 

$2.4 bn 1200 

original budget 

31 Mar 

2012 

60 

6 

people 15contractors 

30 Sept 

2012 

90 

31 Dec 

2012 

120 

*120mtpa priority allocation, 35mtpa accessing D Class capacity 

June 

2013 

155 

mtpa mtpa mtpa mtpa*

Rail Expansion 

(Project Director - Peter Thomas) 

$2.2 

30 Sept 

2012 

Mainline 

Upgraded 

90 

mtpa 

1500 

bn 

> 


Fortescue, WPCS and Macmahon staff inspect the handover of the 

first section of the 129-kilometre Solomon Rail Spur formation. 

30 Nov 

2012 

Rail to 

Solomon 

120 

mtpa 

*120mtpa priority allocation, 35mtpa accessing D Class capacity 

7 

31 Jan 

2013 

Expansion 

complete 

155 

mtpa*

OVERSIZE 

Train load out bin and 

associated infrastrucuture 

making its way to Solomon 

from Port Hedland 

8

Christmas Creek Phase 2 

(Project Director - Mark Skelton) 

$1.1 

bn 

1500 > 


Mar 2012 Sept 2012 Dec 2012 March 2013 

Pre-strip 

mining 

commences 

10 

First ore to 

stockpile 

CCP2 

CCP2 

100% 

23mtpa - CC1 

27mtpa - CC2 

5mtpa - BCI 

Jigging 

plant 

Christmas Creek’s 

second ore processing 

facility is taking shape.

Earthworks at the Solomon Hub 

are moving at a cracking pace. 

Train load out 

construction. 

Solomon Hub 

(Project Director - Blake Cannavo / 

Anthony Kirke) 

$2.7 

3500 

Bn > 


Mar 2012 Oct 2012 Jan 2013 Jun 2013 

Pre-strip 

mining 

commences, 

TSF 

Firetail 

first ore on 

stockpile 

60mtpa 

by June 13 

Kings first 

ore on 

stockpile 

119 

Solomon 

nameplate 

capacity 

achieved

Welcome 

back, Heath 

Heath Sanderson, his wife Sasha 

and their kids Kelvan and Angus 

are getting ready to settle into 

life in Newman, where Heath 

is the new Superintendent 

Community/VTEC. 

Heath returns to Fortescue 

after a two year secondment 

between 2009 and 2011 with 

the Australian Children’s Trust 

as the Men’s Shed Manager in 

Fitzroy Crossing. During that 

time Heath worked closely 

with Fortescue and Downer EDI 

Mining, training 25 Indigenous 

operators for the Christmas 

Creek Operations. 

The Superintendent 

Community/VTEC role will 

see Heath liaising with 

the community and local 

governments, establishing 

Community Development and 

VTEC programs and helping 

to ensure Fortescue is a 

responsible corporate citizen 

that is welcomed by the town of 

Newman. 

He’s looking forward to 

returning to the Fortescue 

family. “I enjoy a challenge and 

love being part of programs 

that change people’s lives and 

make regional towns better 

places to live,” he said. 

12 

Rail ops fully 

compliant! 

The recent audit 

of Fortescue’s 

Rail operations 

returned an 

incredible result 

of zero noncompliance 

for 

Bob Pemberton, 

Rail Accreditation Manager and his 

team. Congratulations to you all. 

Here, Bob outlines what zero noncompliance 

means for the Rail team: 

1. Confidence that every member 

of the Fortescue Family at Rail 

(employee and contractor) will safely 

go home to their family at the end of 

their shift. 

2. That the safety culture at Rail is 

strong and getting stronger. 

That we have good leaders and 

supervisors on the job who 

demonstrate good behaviours 

everyday and lead by example. 

3. That we are continuously 

improving as an organisation. 

4. That a target of zero noncompliance 

is achievable if 

everybody works together as a team.

South Hedland Swans flying 

high with Fortescue 

Swans number 1 in 2012! 

LEFT TO RIGHT: Fortescue Operations Supervisor Port, Ross Barlow; Swans President, Ian Ingham; Swans League Coach, Troy 

Ugle and Fortescue General Manager Port, Gerhard Veldsman with the Fortescue South Hedland Swans 2012 League Team. 

On Saturday 5 May 

Hedland’s Fortescue Family 

celebrated the official 

launch of the Fortescue 

sponsored South Hedland 

Swans Football Club and 

the jumper presentation of 

the 2012 League team at 

Kevin Scott Oval. 

The much anticipated derby 

between Fortescue South Hedland 

Swans and Port Hedland Rovers 

provided the perfect platform for 

Fortescue’s General Manager Port, 

Gerhard Veldsman to officially launch 

the Fortescue South Hedland Swans 

and present the League players with 

their new Fortescue branded jumper 

and player pack. 

The club welcomed Fortescue staff 

and their families along with local 

families to join in the celebrations, 

hosting a pre-match AFL clinic for 

the kids lead by the Swans players 

and coaching staff. Jumping castles 

were also on site to keep the kids 

entertained before and during the 

match. 

Now part of the wider Fortescue 

family, the Swans are benefiting from 

the generous support of Fortescue 

volunteers at home games to set up, 

pack up, run the canteen and provide 

water to players during the games. 

Port team members Rachel Wilson 

(nee Magee), Andrea Lockyer, Temira 

James, Jody Holland, Jessie Ielati 

and John Vuckovich (and his lovely 

wife) ensured the Swans canteen ran 

smoothly at the big event, while Port 

Operations Supervisor, Ross Barlow 

provided assistance during the 

jumper presentation. Cloudbreak’s 

Indigenous Development 

Coordinators, Terry Jaffrey and Rob 

Solin also pitched in, making the trip 

to South Hedland to be involved and 

lend a helping hand. 

Lead by Fortescue’s Hedland 

Community Team, the Fortescue 

South Hedland Swans event was a 

great success with a strong turnout. 

The Fortescue South Hedland 

Swans will be flying high into the 

remainder of the 2012 North Pilbara 

Football League season buoyed by 

Fortescue’s support. 

13

December 2013 

$580m 

May 2012 

35 

Contracts Awarded 

14 

Fortescue and NEMM in 

Historic Contract Signing 

As part of our vision for 

social and economic 

community sustainability 

and wellbeing for 

Aboriginal people, we 

are well on our way to 

achieving our ‘Billion 

Opportunities’ target 

- to award $1 billion in 

contracts for Aboriginal 

contractors, including Joint 

Ventures, by 2013. 

Fortescue marked an historic 

milestone in this journey at 

Cloudbreak recently, with the joint 

signing of a multimillion dollar 

Contract Agreement with Nyiyaparli 

Engineering and Mine Maintenance 

Pty Ltd (NEMM). 

NEMM is a new business established 

by members of the Bung Family who 

are also members of the Nyiyaparli 

Native Title Group (NNTG). NNTG 

signed a Land Access Agreement 

(LAA) with Fortescue in 2005. 

NEMM Directors, Bruce, Sue and 

Cynthia Bung, visited Cloudbreak to 

mark the occasion with Fortescue 

Chairman Andrew Forrest and 

Cloudbreak General Manager, Kevin 

McLean. 

Bruce, who is a traditional elder 

of the Nyiyaparli country, treated 

guests to a ‘welcome to country’ 

address at the event, during which 

he spoke of his family’s commitment 

to prosperity for the next generation 

of Nyiyaparli people, and the wider 

Aboriginal community. 

“We have Fortescue to thank for this 

golden opportunity. Just like the old 

saying goes – ‘from little things, big 

things grow’, and we’re excited about 

what the future holds,” said Bruce. 

“We want to wake up the local 

Aboriginal community and our 

message is clear – you have to get 

out there and make it happen”. 

Sue explained the early beginnings 

of NEMM on their front porch in 

Newman. 

“It all started one day out there on 

the porch, just sitting there thinking 

about how we were sick of the 

welfare system and our family not 

getting anywhere,” said Sue. 

“We didn’t know much about 

business, but we thought, why not 

– let’s have a go. We wanted to put 

something back into the Aboriginal 

community to lift them and show 

them that it can be done”, Cynthia 

added. 

“This is just the beginning and there 

will be obstacles along the way, 

but we know that Fortescue will be 

there to support us, no matter what 

happens”. 

Fortescue Chairman Andrew Forrest 

said the agreement represented 

a special milestone for Aboriginal 

people everywhere. 

“I’m so proud of the Bung family 

for their commitment and 

determination to realising their 

business ambitions. This really is 

just such a positive and inspiring 

example of a family moving away 

from the welfare cycle, and into a 

sustainable, self determining way of 

living,” he said.

Message Stick new provider 

of Teleconferencing 

The most recent contract in 

our Billion Opportunities 

program was signed in mid 

April with the Aboriginal 

owned and operated 

telecommunication 

provider Message Stick, 

who will provide Fortescue’s 

teleconferencing service on 

all sites. 

So far $580 million has been awarded 

via 35 contracts and sub-contracts 

with Aboriginal owned businesses 

that range from small familybased 

to large community-based 

organisations. The three year service 

agreement was established following 

a trial period, when Fortescue’s CIO 

Vito Forte was satisfied the service 

was beneficial to Fortescue. 

“We’re really pleased to award this 

telecommunications contract to 

an Aboriginal owned and operated 

company. They’ve shown they are a 

solid choice throughout the recent 

trial period. 

“This teleconferencing option 

supports our rapidly expanding 

operations ability to collaborate with 

their partners. The Message Stick 

options means that you can dial 

into a conference call with external 

parties from any location, providing 

you have been provided with an 

account from IT,” said Vito. 


and Message Stick CEO Michael 

McLeod met in Sydney to sign the 

formal agreement. 

South Hedland VTEC graduates 

to join the Cloudbreak team 

A VTEC graduation was held at 

the Pilbara Institute Pundulmurra 

Campus in South Hedland on 

Monday, 2 April for a class of 12 

trainees who had recently completed 

VTEC’s six week pre-employment 

training program. 

To become fully qualified Mobile 

Plant Operators with a Certificate II 

in Surface Extraction, the graduates 

will undertake two weeks of further 

training in Perth with Aus-Com 

Training Services, before mobilising 

to Cloudbreak where they will join 

the Operations team. 

Director Operations Jamie 

Frankcombe welcomed the 

graduates to the Fortescue family 

and encouraged them to embrace 

the new skills they’ve learned and 

the great opportunities the skills will 

bring to them. 

Also present at the graduation 

were members of Fortescue’s 

Aboriginal Employment Review 

Steering Committee, an initiative 

designed to enable pathways to 

employment for Aboriginal people. 

Message Stick CEO Michael McLeod with 


“Signing a contract with Andrew 

Forrest was a rare treat as he is such a 

staunch supporter of the movement 

towards Indigenous economic 

independence,” said Michael McLeod. 

Fortescue staff can contact the 

IT Service Desk to request a 

teleconference account number 

then use this from any telephone 

or mobile device to connect with 

external parties. 

Committee Chairman Kevin McLean 

congratulated the graduates 

and also as General Manager 

Cloudbreak, welcomed the group, 

who are mostly local to Hedland and 

traditional owners of the area, to the 

Cloudbreak team. 

Fortescue’s VTEC team would like 

to thank the Pilbara Institute for 

their partnership and support 

in delivering the six week preemployment 

training program. 

The VTEC graduates with members of the Fortescue team 

15

PROFILE: 

Mark Tazewell 

Infrastructure Manager, 

Infrastructure Services 

My background is in Facilities 

Management. An electrician 

by trade, I spent many years 

in the Goldfields before 

running my own business 

in Perth for 10 years. After 

selling the business in 1998 I 

pursued a career in Facilities 

Management that seemed to 

fit with my skill set and gave 

me a sense of work that I 

enjoyed. 

This proved to be a good move and 

returned me to the Goldfields and 

Gascoyne for a number of years with 

Contract and Management Services, 

where I enjoyed working with 

remote communities and travelling 

through outback WA. 

I returned to Perth in late 2001 

and spent three years on Rottnest 

Island as Operations Coordinator for 

Transfield Services. A return to the 

Pilbara in 2004 working for Pilbara 

Iron as a contractor connected me to 

the resource industry. 

I arrived at Fortescue in February 

2007. I was initially based at the 

16 

Racecourse in Newman, which was 

the hub of activity for Fortescue 

whilst exploration continued and 

construction of Cloudbreak was 

under way. I came on a three month 

secondment from Pilbara Iron to 

manage the Racecourse and get 

a development program up and 

running. 

The Racecourse facilitated a host of 

services in and out of site prior to 

the aerodrome and T45 construction 

works being completed. If it was 

going to Cloudbreak it came through 

Newman. In those early days of 2007, 

we trucked drinking water, mail, 

construction and operating materials 

and facilitated all personnel going 

to site, all while establishing a small 

camp at the Racecourse to support 

the development of the Pilot Plant 

project for Resource Strategy. 

I was only on board six weeks when 

Cyclone George impacted the 

operation and our Newman based 

team proved to be instrumental 

in relaying information to the 

management team in Perth. We 

played a major part in tracking 

people through the cyclone and 

getting them out. I was asked to 

fly with Dave Forrest to survey the 

project along the rail corridor to 

Hedland the morning after the 

cyclone had gone through, and 

report back to Andrew and the 

management team. 

We hadn’t slept for a couple of days 

but I will always remember how the 

adrenalin kicked in when we reached 

the heavily impacted area of Camp 1 

on the rail corridor and saw the raw 

damage that the cyclone had left in 

its wake. 

George left its indelible impact on 

all those who shared the experience. 

From that adversity, though, strong 

relationships were forged and as 

life got back to normal my initial 

contract was coming to an end. A 

three month extension was offered 

and I accepted, as Fortescue was 

beginning to feel like home for me. 

After that second three months, I was 

offered and accepted a permanent 

position with Fortescue. Not long 

after that I met my wife Yoland, we 

married and welcomed our son 

Ethan in late 2008. We live on half an 

acre in the hills village of Darlington 

with a couple of cats, the elusive 

bandicoots, several kookaburras and 

about another year of renovations to 

complete. 

In mid 2009 I transferred to the Perth 

office to be part of the development 

of the Facilities Management team 

(now Infrastructure Services) and 

from a small group we developed 

into a major business unit within 

Fortescue, managing an increasing 

scope of services and contracts. 

My role sees me with interests in 

many areas within the business, but 

as we head toward 155mtpa my 

focus is on the key areas of Diesel 

Fuel, Potable and Waste water, minor 

works and Special Projects. From 

2012 on we will look closely at the 

development of waste management 

and recycling. 

I feel very fortunate over the past 

five years to have been a part of 

the Fortescue story, the people, 

the cut and thrust of how we roll 

and the excitement of what lies 

ahead. Fortescue isn’t for everyone, 

it’s fast, ever evolving and always 

changing, but it delivers a challenge 

and an environment that keeps us 

wondering “how will we do it?”... and 

then the satisfaction and pride when 

we reach our goals. 

Cherish the experience to be a part 

of Fortescue if you can. I turn 50 this 

year, and have never seen this type 

of opportunity or project before in 

my career, and wonder if it will ever 

be repeated. It really is Australian 

history in the making, and how 

often do we as individuals get to 

make history? As we grow, new faces 

emerge and old ones slip away, but 

the stories will live on and the pages 

of the Fortescue story will be here for 

our children and beyond.

Our Northern 

Spirit 

A Cyclone George memorial 

sculpture has been installed 

at Christmas Creek village. 

A big thank you goes to the 

Infrastructure Services team who 

keep our villages looking like an 

oasis of green in the red dirt. 

In 2010 Fortescue awarded the 

inaugural ‘Northern Spirits’ Bursaries, 

in honour of five special members of 

the Fortescue Family who lost their 

lives while employed by Fortescue or 

our contracting partners. 

Nominations for this year’s Bursaries 

will open in May, so keep an eye 

out for communications about the 

program. 

Introducing our 

extended Fortescue 

Family 

Our Shanghai office now boasts eight 

team members working in roles covering 

marketing, procurement and the 

magnetite project. 

Isaac Jin, Amanda Xia, Jdai, Jennifer Zhou, 

Pauline Sullivan (visiting from the Perth 

office), Sea Mei, Ivy Wang, Wendy Ma, 

Timmy Guo. 

17

Sunshine and 

fun times by 

the river 

More than 800 members of our 

Fortescue family enjoyed the recent 

Family BBQs which were held at 

the Matilda Bay foreshore. We were 

blessed with beautiful weather, great 

food and excellent company for both 

events. Thanks to everyone who 

came, we hope you all had a great 

time. 

18

Anthony Taggart and Liam De Souza from Environment holding up a bulker blanket, with the 

original bulker bags in the background. 

At Cloudbreak, it’s in the bag 

On a daily basis Downer 

Blasting use between 50 

and 100 1.2 tonne bulker 

bags, filled with ammonia 

nitrate to conduct blasting. 

Traditionally the bulker bags 

were emptied and taken to 

landfill to be disposed of. 

The Cloudbreak Environment team 

saw an opportunity to recycle the 

bags and turn them into high quality 

blankets. With the help of Paul Dunn 

from Environmental Enterprises WA, 

the two teams joined forces to bring 

the idea to life. 

The bulker bags are stored and 

periodically freighted to Perth, where 

Paul collects the stock of used bags 

and ships them free of charge to an 

Indonesian company. In Indonesia 

100% of each bag’s body plastic is 

recycled and turned into high quality 

Lucky Lizard! 

A Perth commercial laundry worker got 

quite a shock last month when a shipment of 

laundry from Karntama Village was opened 

and this little stowaway was exposed. After 

a quick break in the big smoke the Spiny 

Tailed Monitor lizard found his way home. 

Environmental Superintendent Ian Williams 

released him back into the bush. “He wasn’t 

too keen to leave his box at first but once he 

did he took off quickly,” he said. 

20 

picnic rugs and bedding blankets. 

This process is at no cost to 

Cloudbreak, with thanks to Paul 

Dunn who manages the majority 

of the recycling program. After a 

45-60 day turnaround, half of the 

finished product is sent back to Perth 

for Fortescue, and the remaining 

half of the finished product is kept 

by the Indonesian manufacturer as 

payment for their services. 

“Paul deserves a lot of credit for this 

innovation and its success, without 

his help it would not have been 

possible,” said Anthony Taggart, 

Environmental Technician. 

The finished product will either be 

sold by Fortescue, with the proceeds 

going to a charity, or donated 

directly to a charity for distribution. 

Congratulations to all those involved 

with this outstanding venture. 

100 Innovations 

and counting at 

Cloudbreak... 

Cloudbreak is celebrating 100 

of its best and most successful 

innovations for 2012 by 

publishing a series of magazines 

showcasing their ideas. 

And the first edition of 

Innovations at Cloudbreak 2012 is 

out now! 

Although the aim is to publish 100 

innovations, there are so many 

outstanding ideas created by 

employees and contractors this 

number may well be surpassed. 

As well as allowing our 

innovators to be recognised 

and acknowledged for their 

work, the magazine provides 

an opportunity for everyone 

in Fortescue to share the 

innovations. It’s a great way to 

understand how problems are 

being solved with a bit of creative 

thinking. 

Go to the Innovations at 

Cloudbreak news item page 

on the Intranet to view a copy, 

or if you would like a hard 

copy, contact the Business 

Improvement Department on 

9176 6345.

Section 44 training is “a 

game changer” understanding of their roles and 

In April 2011 Fortescue 

determined that all 

supervisory personnel would 

be appointed in line with 

Section 43/44 of the Mines 

Safety and Inspection Act. 

Through its HSES team Cloudbreak 

has provided support for this training 

to other Fortescue sites as a means of 

ensuring consistency for this training 

across our business. 

The course provides an insight 

into the responsibilities and 

accountabilities of roles for both 

Fortescue staff and contractors and 

more than 1,050 personnel have 

been trained so far. Participants 

have found the training both 

comprehensive and enjoyable, 

providing them with a great 

responsibilities. 

Hierarchy road rules 

On 7 November 2012, Cloudbreak’s 

road rules are changing from WA 

road rules to hierarchy rules in 

Cloudbreak’s active mining area. 

The change is being made 

to provide a safer operating 

environment due to the narrow 

line of vision operators have from 

their machinery. 

Hierarchy road rules comprise: 

• A dump truck will always have 

right of way unless there is an 

emergency vehicle with lights 

and sirens activated 

• When two or more dump trucks 

are at an intersection, give way to 

the left-hand side at all times 

Other feedback and actions have 

demonstrated that a culture change 

has commenced in supervisory 

management, as personnel begin to 

understand and come to grips with 

their roles and responsibilities. This 

can only auger well for the future of 

Fortescue. 

A very pleasing aspect of the training 

has been the incredible take-up 

by our contractor partners on the 

various sites and their ongoing 

requests for the program to roll out 

through their own companies. 

For more information about 

the course please contact the 

Safety team at Cloudbreak 

safetyadmincloudbreak@fmgl.com.au. 

• Ancillary surface mining 

equipment (SME) must give way to 

haul trucks at all times 

• Light vehicle gives way to SME at 

all times 

• The only time WA road rules apply 

is when two light vehicles are at 

an intersection, otherwise the 

hierarchy rule will apply. 

A comprehensive training and 

communications package has 

been developed for all drivers/ 

operators working in Cloudbreak’s 

active mining area, with training to 

commence in July 2012 

Cloudbreak Mining Manager Richard 

Kerrison is overseeing the transition. 

“We are doing this with the aim 

of introducing a different system 

of work to reduce and eventually 

eliminate near miss interactions 

between heavy and light vehicles,” 

said Richard. 

“One of our greatest sportswomen, 

Vicki Wilson, once said if you 

always do what you’ve always 

done, you will always get what you 

always got. 

“And this is true, we need to do 

something different to manage our 

traffic interaction within the active 

mine. 

“It is a completely new system of 

work for us. We acknowledge this 

is a big change, which is why we’ve 

started to build awareness and 

understanding early.” 

21 

Some rave reviews for 

Section 44 training: 

It was one of the most 

informative sessions I have 

been on regarding mine 

regulations. Great job! The 

team should get a lot from 

the training. - Ron 

This was one of the most 

useful courses attended 

at FMG since 4 years and 

a bit. The reason is simply 

the empowerment received 

at the end of the course 

and I believe that this 

course should not only be 

directed to Supervisors or 

“Appointed Persons” but all 

employees! - Juan 

This course is a game 

changer. - Wayne

ABOVE: Fortescue Chairman Andrew Forrest greets Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang. 

BELOW: Andrew chats to The Honourable Julie Bishop MP, Former Chinese Vice Premier Zeng 

Peiyan and Secretary General for Boao Forum Zhou Wenzhong. 

Boao Forum for Asia 

Founded in 2001 with the first 

meeting held in 2002, the 

Boao Forum brings together 

government, business and 

academic leaders from all 

over the world. 

Held in Hainan Province, China, 

the Forum facilitates discussion on 

a wide range of topics centered 

around society, economic 

integration, a sustainable 

environmental future and the 

achievement of developmental 

goals. 

At this year’s Boao Forum in April 

our CEO Nev Power took part 

in a panel discussion where he 

answered questions on topics such 

as long term tendencies in supply 

and demand, the role of capital 

and forging stable, sustainable 

partnerships. Fortescue’s chairman 

Andrew Forrest also addressed 

the delegation, highlighting the 

22 

importance of philanthropic 

leadership. Click here to hear 

Andrew’s speech. 

Fortescue has been a keen 

participant at Boao since 2008 and 

a Diamond sponsor of the event 

since 2009. Our long term, resilient 

relationships with our Chinese 

business partners is a key factor in the 

ongoing success of our business and 

we look forward to participating in 

the Boao forum in the years to come.

The Press Club gets a taste of 

Fortescue’s spirit 

Fortescue’s Chairman 

Andrew Forrest took part 

in a prestigious Australian 

tradition on May 2 when he 

addressed the National Press 

Club in Canberra. Since 1963 

the club has been addressed 

by political leaders, Heads 

of State, religious leaders, 

innovators and visiting 

international figures. 

Andrew’s speech addressed the 

issue of Indigenous disparity. He 

highlighted the need for strong 

leadership and the growing 

demand for “government to move 

to employment as the keystone of 

Indigenous policy”. 

Andrew was accompanied by 

several members of the Fortescue 

Family. Senior VTEC Support Worker 

Petula Watson thoroughly enjoyed 

Andrew’s speech and the Press Club 

experience. “Andrew was faced with 

a lot of difficult questions and I 

thought he responded professionally 

and with expertise,” she said. “Walter 

Elliott once said that perseverance is 

not a long race, it is many short races 

one after the other, and I think Andrew’s 

vision represents this very well.” 

One member of the audience at the 

Press Club, Cloudbreak operator 

Careen Lee, graduated from a VTEC 

training course in July 2008. Since 

then her career has flourished 

and she is now on secondment to 

the Integrated Planning Project. 

Careen took some time to share her 

Fortescue journey. 

“I’m a qualified hairdresser and 

before I started my VTEC training I 

was working for a local business in 

South Hedland. The VTEC course 

involved eight days of training in 

Perth and after that I had on-site 

Careen in 

Canberra. 

training to be passed out and able to 

drive the truck by myself. 

Currently I’m working at Cloudbreak 

on secondment to the Integrated 

Planning Project as part of a team 

looking at improving the existing 

management operating system. Our 

project could lead to an increase of 

more than three million tonnes per 

annum from the OPF. 

I totally agree with Mr Forrest and I’m 

proud to say that I work for him – I 

have been given a great opportunity 

at Fortescue. The VTEC system has 

allowed many Aboriginal people, 

including myself, the chance to 

succeed in whatever it is that we 

want to be successful in. I took this 

job as it was a goal I always had to be 

a ‘miner’. The VTEC training allowed 

me to obtain all the skills necessary 

to start my career as a heavy 

machinery operator. 

I like working for Fortescue as the 

roster suits my family. My daughter 

is school aged and she is used to the 

roster now – she knows mum goes 

away for one week but then mum 

comes home to be with her for a 

week. 

I want people of a non-Indigenous 

race to know that this training is not 

a hand out as they may see it. Look 

at it like this – it’s just highlighting 

a path that we never thought we 

could travel on for we never believed 

we were equal enough to be able 

to take that path. Mr Forrest has 

given all Aboriginal Australians the 

opportunity to succeed in today’s 

society through his initiative, the 

VTEC program.” 

A copy of Andrew’s speech is 

available in the media releases 

section on the Fortescue website: 

www.fmgl.com.au 

23 

Petula at 

Parliament 

House. 

Robert Harris, Andrew and 

Rodney Parker at The National 

Press Club.

Helix Train Unloader 

During an airport layover 

last year, Andrew Forrest and 

Peter Meurs thought that 

Fortescue may develop the 

idea of helix train unloading. 

Currently, our trains are unloaded 

two cars at a time. The Helix Train 

Unloader would allow the train to 

unload without stopping, rotating it 

through 360 degrees, redefining the 

process as we know it. 

To start bringing the idea to life, 

Peter Meurs engaged the Rail Model 

Club (Northern Districts Model 

Engineering Society) and pitched 

the plan to some of its members. 

Several club members built a 1/30 

scale model that was presented 

to Fortescue in October 2011 to 

illustrate concepts. Since then, there 

have been two engineers from the 

Club working with us on a part-time 

24 

basis to further develop the concept, 

and there is a 1/12 scale model 

envisaged for the next development 

phase. The team is using 3D 

drafting modelling to illustrate 

concepts developed. Following a 

recent breakthrough, the patent 

for the Helix Train Unloader is now 

registered worldwide. 

Fully constructed, the Helix Train 

Unloader will be some 380 metres 

long. At any one time, there will 

be 25 wagons inside the unloader, 

and may be pushed or pulled slowly 

through by locomotive. 

Group Manager, Engineering Mark 

Botes is driving the project and 

concedes it’s not an easy task that 

lies ahead. “This project is technically 

challenging and definitely involves a 

paradigm shift,” he said. 

Have you got 

an idea that 

could change 

our world? 

We want to hear 

about it! 

Contact your site’s Business 

Improvement Team so we can 

investigate the possibility of making 

your dream a reality. No idea is too 

big or too small. 

Cloudbreak: Abdel Serna 

E: aserna@fmgl.com.au 

T: 9176 6164 

Hedland: Nicole Duns 

E: nduns@fmgl.com.au 

T: 9158 5710 

Christmas Creek: Andrew Buratti 

E: aburatti@fmgl.com.au 

T: 9176 6272 

All other sites: Peter O’Dea 

E: podea@fmgl.com.au 

T: 9230 1705

The future at Fortescue – a single point 

of truth 

ArcGIS 

There’s a quiet revolution taking 

place on Level 3. The GIS team have 

been putting together an incredible 

database that will change the way 

we do business forever. 

If we said geospatial data 

management system, it’d be hard 

to visualise, so GIS Data Supervisor 

Alex Weston has the background and 

explains the reason for the recent 

change. “Five years ago geologists 

had individual copies of information 

on their laptops. This was extremely 

difficult to keep track of and it was 

difficult to ensure the business had up 

to date information. This is the single 

point of truth, or SPOT,” he told us. 

‘This’ is ArcGIS - a software suite 

of tools for the efficient data 

management and reliable map 

production. A simple ‘drag and 

drop’ and ArcGIS users can add 

roads, drainage, heritage sites, 

tenement conditions, soil mapping, 

environmental data involving 

flora and fauna, heritage survey 

reports, and many other items of 

interest into their workspace and 

feel confident of the source - the 

SPOT. It can also provide links to 

government websites which detail 

drilling requirements and heritage 

information. 

The minute you print out a map 

these days, it’s out of date. The new 

system provides detailed information 

affecting all aspects of our business 

on screen or on a map and is a real 

step forward for the Fortescue family 

who rely on this information. 

Fortescue Earth 

In addition to ArcGIS, the GIS team 

have been building Fortescue 

Earth. Think Google Earth, for the 

Pilbara. It features our own high 

resolution, up to date aerial imagery 

in a flyable environment that 

enables users to take a virtual tour 

of all our tenements, mine sites and 

villages. Fortescue Earth will act as 

a 3D canvas to display and share 

information sourced from ArcGIS 

and other data repositories. Adam 

Roestenburg is driving the project 

and is excited about the possibilities 

of the software. “Fortescue Earth 

will help employees who depend 

on location based information to 

make confident and timely decisions, 

through the use of an easy to use 

and intuitive 3D interface,” he said. 

Watch the demonstration 

Click here for an online 

demonstration of ArcGIS and 

Fortescue Earth. This video is also 

on YouTube: http://youtu.be/ 

XBzr884COzk 

25

A Red Dirt ‘Vacation’ – Ashleigh Freeman’s 

Fortescue story 

including attending various HR 

meetings and participating in 

business development discussions in 

order to become an active, engaged 

member of the HR team. 

“The Fortescue Vacation 

Student Program provided 

opportunities for current 

university students to 

complete paid, full time 

work at Perth, Port Hedland, 

Cloudbreak, Christmas Creek 

and Solomon to supplement 

their studies. 

Students worked in various 

departments, with most completing 

projects to assist the business. These 

projects varied from employee 

engagement, to absenteeism on site 

and cycle times for ore production. 

I completed vacation work in the 

Human Resources Department 

at Cloudbreak over the 2011-12 

summer period. During my time 

on site, I completed a project 

on absenteeism at Cloudbreak, 

as well as receiving a number 

of development opportunities 

26 

The vacation student program 

was valuable to me because it 

allowed me to transfer theoretical 

knowledge from my university 

course into practical, real world work 

that actually affected the business. 

It provided me an opportunity to 

actively participate in a work team 

while gaining opportunities to see 

the wider business. 

I rode in a dump truck, explored the 

ore processing facility and presented 

to both crews and supervisors on 

my work. Other vacation students 

were given the opportunity to work 

with contractors, to do night shift, 

to visit different sites (such as Port 

and Christmas Creek) and some very 

lucky ones even got to press the 

button on a blast! 

Great friendships were formed 

throughout vacation work, facilitated 

mainly by our standing appointment 

to meet at ‘our’ table each night 

after dinner to discuss our days over 

a cold drink. We banded together 

and faced extreme heat, cyclones, 

killer bugs, snakes and mice, as well 

as the expanse of red dirt that gets 

EVERYWHERE. 

I have secured a Trainee Advisor 

role with Fortescue in the Human 

Resources department. Other 

vacation students have secured 

roles in various areas of the business, 

such as Pit Technicians, Graduates, 

Administrators and Officers – 

allowing them to continue on their 

Fortescue journey. Those who 

returned to university to complete 

further studies can now apply their 

real world experience to their studies 

and hopefully return in future years. 

I’m extremely lucky to have had 

the Fortescue experience through 

my vacation work, and to continue 

working at Cloudbreak. It was an ideal 

way to spend the summer and get my 

foot in the proverbial mining door.”

Worley Parsons 

graduates visit 

Fortescue T155 

expansion 

project 

Worley Parsons’ Graduate 

Development Organisation (GDO) in 

conjunction with Fortescue Metals 

Group and the T155 FMG Port 

Expansion Project organised a site 

visit to the Port Expansion Project 

in Port Hedland for 28 graduate 

engineers in February. 

Demand for the site visit was so 

strong that the planned single day 

visit was increased to two day trips 

over two weekends in February. 

The site visit provided the graduates 

with an opportunity to become 

involved with a highly-significant 

project for the Worley Parsons 

Australia West team and gain an 

understanding of what is required for 

the delivery of a large scale project in 

the Pilbara region. 

Elliot Stone, Mechanical Engineer 

Graduate in the Perth office, took 

part in three recent career fairs with a 

team from Fortescue. 

“I wanted to be involved in the 

group that oversaw the handling of 

the career fairs as I was interested 

in promoting Fortescue and my 

own Fortescue family experience to 

university students. It is important 

to myself and Fortescue that the 

intake of young professionals being 

recruited are of a high standard. This 

will ensure the vision of becoming 

the New Force in Iron Ore is fully 

realised and fulfilled into the future. 

I also saw this as an opportunity to 

advise and help students in their 

development to graduates. I began 

my Fortescue journey six months ago 

Graduates were given a personal 

tour of the site by T155 Project 

Director, Graham Punler and Deputy 

Construction Manager Wayne Selleck 

– who explained the details of the 

unique challenges the project faced 

and what was being implemented to 

overcome those challenges. 

The visit represented the first 

major site visit for many graduates 

and provided an opportunity to 

experience the scale of construction 

and equipment and the working 

conditions of the Pilbara. It also 

gave them a taste of site travel and 

the issues associated with fatigue 

management. 

It’s a Fair start to a Fortescue career 

as a Mechanical Engineer Graduate 

with the Engineering team in Perth 

and I have thoroughly enjoyed my 

time so far,” he said. 

Fortescue attended three career fairs; 

Face to Face Engineering Expo on 24 

March at Claremont Showgrounds, 

Curtin Careers Fair on 29 March at 

Curtin Stadium, and the Big Meet on 

30 March at the Perth Convention & 

Exhibition Centre. 

In addition to Elliot and Elvira 

Strombeck from Organisational 

Development, 13 graduates 

volunteered to tell their Fortescue 

stories during the three fairs. A 

special thanks to Renee Gilbert, 

Joyleen Lim, Benjamin Walker, 

Juliana Carrucan, Michael Short, Ivan 

Di Salvio, Jamie Colquhoun, Asad 

For third year Process Engineer Kamil 

Szajnkienig it was a really enjoyable 

experience and an excellent 

opportunity to learn what is required 

for a large scale iron ore project as 

well as developing an appreciation 

for the scale of the operation. 

“It was great seeing the equipment 

and operation as a whole first hand, 

compared to reading about it in a 

report.” 

The GDO would like to thank the 

T155 FMG Project team for providing 

us with this opportunity and we look 

forward to establishing a long term 

relationship with the project team. 

Majrouh, Amanda Liu, Brodie Heath, 

Richard O’Brien, Molly Buchanan and 

Michael Prior. 

27

Tom Price 

kids on the 

road to safety 

The sound of a police siren 

and the sight of flashing 

blue and red lights in the 

rear-view mirror can make 

your stomach do a flip, but 

that’s exactly what Tom 

Price children are hoping to 

see more of this year as the 

Tom Price police/Fortescue 

Junior Road Smart Award is 

introduced to town. 

Tom Price police have begun a 

campaign of stopping kids who are 

doing the right things on the road, 

with some great rewards in store for 

those lucky enough to have their 

names drawn out of the barrel each 

month. 

Sergeant Dan Anderson explains: 

“I’ve instructed our staff to be on the 

lookout for kids who are obeying the 

rules when it comes to road safety: 

wearing helmets when riding bikes 

or scooters, not riding on the road, 

crossing the road safely ... that sort 

of thing. We’ll be stopping to have 

a chat to them about the great job 

they’re doing and the excellent 

example they are setting for others. 

“We get their name and which 

primary school they attend, put the 

names into a barrel, and each month 

draw two names from both Central 

and North primary schools. We then 

attend a monthly school assembly 

where we award the lucky winners a 

$50 voucher, thanks to Fortescue. It’s 

all aimed at keeping kids safe, and 

ensuring they’re around forever.” 

Scott Hansen said that Fortescue was 

keen to get on board with the Junior 

Road Smart Award. 

“This is a great idea that the local 

police have come up with,” said 

28 

Scott. “Fortescue values safety in the 

workplace and the community and 

we are very happy to be partners 

with the Tom Price police and the 

schools on this initiative.” 

North Tom Price Primary Deputy 

Andrew Bilsby hailed the partnership 

between Fortescue, the local police 

and the local schools. 

“Students tend to ride their bikes, 

scooters or skateboards virtually 

Winning students from Tom 

Price’s primary schools with 

Fortescue’s Scott Hansen 

and members of the local 

Police force. 

everywhere they go in Tom Price 

due to the proximity of everything 

in a small town, and I have already 

seen an increase in the number of 

students wearing helmets since 

the first awards were presented 

at the March assembly,” he said. “I 

commend Fortescue and the police 

for instigating this program as a way 

to protect our children from harm on 

the roads.”

Celebrating success 

Fortescue is proud to 

join KMAC and Cimeco in 

congratulating Perry Ugle on 

his outstanding performance 

since he commenced 

employment at Solomon. 

Perry is regarded as a top 

quality Operator and is highly 

regarded by all at KMAC. 

KMAC and Cimeco acknowledged 

their appreciation of Perry’s efforts 

by presenting him with the inaugural 

George Ranger Award at their prestart 

meeting on Wednesday, 28 

March 2012. 

George Ranger was a Yindjibarndi 

elder who passed away in late 

2011. The award in his name will be 

presented annually to an employee 

who exhibits the traits for which 

George was well known – a great 

attitude, a strong work ethic, safety 

awareness and the ability to exert a 

positive influence on his team. 

The Ranger family is a 50% owner in 

KMAC, a civils company providing 

services at Solomon. 

Perry was gracious in accepting the 

award and stated that this would 

not have been possible if not for the 

support of his supervisors and fellow 

employees. 

Fortescue would like to encourage 

all contractors to celebrate success 

among their employees. 

A note from Gary 

Reid, Cimeco Project 

Manager, Solomon 

Project: 

“Cimeco Pty Ltd is proud to have 

a working relationship with our 

indigenous partner KMAC on the 

Solomon Project. 

KMAC have been an integral part of 

our success onsite since teaming up 

with us and the relationship grows 

stronger each day. 

This is mainly formed from the 

excellent work ethic of the KMAC team 

and their willingness to get involved. 

They have come forward in leaps 

and bounds and this is attributed to 

employees like Perry Ugle who has 

done a sensational job since joining 

the project. 

Congratulations to Perry and keep up 

the good work. “ 

29

Have you got 

a good news 

story, has your 

team achieved 

a significant 

milestone or 

do you have 

an example of 

the Fortescue 

values in our 

workplace? 

Send your story 

to Fortescue 

Communications: 

E: communications@ 

fmgl.com.au 


Flying to site? You 

need to register now 

In order to make the most of our exciting new 

partnership with Qantas, everyone in the 

Fortescue family needs to register with the Fly 

FMG program. 

Fortescue is thrilled to offer all of our employees and contractors 

the opportunity to earn Qantas Frequent Flyer points. By signing 

up you’ll also be in the running to win great prizes! 

1. Log onto flyfmg.fmgl.com.au 

2. Complete the registration form prior to 15th June 

2012 to be in the draw to win the prizes on offer 

3. Enjoy the Qantas service, including itineraries to your 

preferred email address and online check in 

You could win one of six great prizes: 

• Return Qantas Economy flights for two to Hong Kong 

• 5 prizes of 100,000 Qantas Frequent Flyer Points – enough for 

two Classic Award return economy flights from Perth to Sydney, 

or a 16gb Apple iPad. 

Check out qantas.com/store to see what else you could spend your 

points on! Terms and Conditions of Qantas Frequent Flyer apply. 

For more information: 

Email your queries to: flyfmg@fmgl.com.au

Are YOur kidS 

At Fortescue, we like to think of ourselves 

as one big, happy family. This extends to 

the children and grandchildren of our 

valued employees. That’s why we started 

the Fortescue Mini Miners – a program 

designed specifi cally for the youngest 

members of our growing family. 

pAcked Full OF FuN 

FOrTeScue 

COmpeTiTiONS . priZeS . giveAwAYS . FAmilY FuN dAYS 

Fortescue Mini Miners is full of fun 

stuff for kids to enjoy throughout the 

year. There are two categories 0-7 and 

8-12 years. Along with a welcome 

pack, they’ll receive special birthday 

Free EveNTS . ANd lOTS, lOTS mOre 

and Christmas gifts, information on 

school holiday activities, entry into 

competitions (with terrifi c prizes), 

movie passes, concert tickets and more. 

whO cAN JOiN? 

Any child or grandchild of a person 

employed with Fortescue is eligible 

to join the program. 

Children can no longer participate 

in the program once their parent or 

grandparent leaves Fortescue. 

Complete the below form and send to 

miniminers@fmgl.com.au or post to Mini Miners, 

Level 2, 87 Adelaide Terrace, East Perth WA 6000 

Employee Name 

Worksite 

Phone Number 

Child’s Name 

DOB 

Address 

Child’s Name 

DOB 

Address 

? 


FORTR0022D-A4 Mini Miners Identity.indd 1 5/8/12 4:55 PM 

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Unlocking Potential - Fortescue Metals Group Ltd

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