Mine to Market November-December 2012 - Mount Isa Mines

No. 126 • November-December 2012
Mount Isa’s Air Quality
Control Centre
Record crowds at 2012 Xstrata
Lake Moondarra Fishing Classic
GFM crushing facility
in full swing

No. 126 • November/December 2012
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Environment
Monitoring air quality in Mount Isa . . . . . . . . 1
Operations
GFM crushing facility in full swing . . . . . . . . 4
ZOPs introduce revolutionary
survey scanner to site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Main decline reaches final depth . . . . . . . . . 7
Underground shaft and headframe
construction continues at EHM . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Lady Loretta Breakthroughs . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Community
Record crowds at 2012 Xstrata Lake
Moondarra Fishing Classic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Renovating a landmark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2012: A year of fun in the ‘Curry. . . . . . . . . 10
Keeping our community informed . . . . . . . 15
Cloncurry celebrates the
opening of a new community hub . . . . . . . 19
Zinc X-Men win battle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Health
Win an iPad Mini with Shape Up Online . . 14
Stay safe this Silly Season . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Up Close
Paul Telford . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Our People
2012 Awards Wrap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Johannes Grobler’s Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Christmas cheer at EHM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
MICO Continuous Improvement
Second quarter winners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Martin Zgrajewski’s Story. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Xstrata Zinc Character Awards . . . . . . . . . . 25
Tamara Ostarjas’s Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Employees putting the ‘mo’ in Movember 27
Safety
Beaconsfield battler visits Mount Isa . . . . . 12
Copper benches passing on
health benefits at Ernest Henry Mine . . . . . 15
SafeSpines at GFM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Focus on hydration during Safe Work
Australia Week . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Notices
Announcements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Environmental credentials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
For Sale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Calendar of events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
From the COOs
As we wrap up another busy year at
Xstrata and get ready for Christmas,
spare a thought for the 1,000 plus new
employees who have relocated to our
north Queensland operations this year, many
with families.
It has long been part of the spirit of Christmas
at our operations that people look after each
other, particularly if they have no family in town
for the holidays. It can be tough when you are
working shifts and a long way from your original
home. We encourage you to touch base with your
new team members and continue to make them
feel welcome during the festive season.
The Christmas parties we had during
November and December were just one way we
say thank you to our people and their families for
their hard work, commitment and support.
It was great to hear so many conversations
at the parties between friends making plans.
Whether it was packing up the kids for a 4WD
camping adventure, day trips to nearby gorges
and caves, mountain biking, fishing, dirt bike
riding, water skiing, road trips across the border
into the Northern Territory, or even exploring the
fossil trails, there are lots of ideas for how to best
explore this beautiful region.
Steve de Kruijff
Chief Operating Officer
Xstrata Copper
North Queensland
As a company, we’ve put a lot into the
community this year. We’ve provided more than
$400,000 in sponsorships and donations to
schools, associations and various sporting and
community events like the world-famous Xstrata
Mount Isa Rotary Rodeo, the Lake Moondarra
Fishing Classic, the Mailman Express, and the
NAIDOC week celebrations. The last big event for
us for the year will be the Mount Isa City Council
Carols by Candlelight.
It is all part of a community social involvement
program that has given back more than $25 million
since 2004.
Christmas is a great time for all of us to get
involved in the community and to give. So we
encourage you to make the most of the great
north west Queensland region over the summer
and help your neighbours, particularly our
new people.
Of course for those who are flying out to visit
friends, family or other destinations, we hope the
choices available with Virgin Australia and Qantas
servicing Mount Isa make it easier for you.
We wish you and your families a safe and happy
Christmas and look forward to a great 2013.
Brian Hearne
Chief Operating Officer
Xstrata Zinc Australia
On the cover
Kelly Brooke, Senior
Metallurgist Mount Isa
Copper Operations
Xstrata stock price
Xstrata is listed on the London
and Zurich stock exchanges.
£10.24
As at 30 November
2012. Xstrata share price
on the London Stock
Exchange (XTA.L)
Contact the editor
Input from all Xstrata North
Queensland operations
is invited. Any articles,
innovations, achievements,
ideas or suggestions are
very welcome. Please
contact Lara Lavers, Xstrata
Community Relations on
email: llavers@xstrata.com.au
or phone: (07) 4744 2955.
The Xstrata
Reporting Line
The Xstrata Reporting Line
is an independently run,
confidential facility providing
employees and stakeholders
with a means for reporting
breaches of Xstrata’s Business
Principles, policies or
prevailing legislation.
To access this line please
visit www.xstrataethics.com
or freecall: 1800 121 889

Monitoring air quality
in Mount Isa
Mount Isa has one of the
most intensive air quality
monitoring systems of any
city in Australia.
Established in 1975, our Air Quality
Control (AQC) system uses real-time air
quality data to monitor emissions and
observe emerging weather patterns. AQC
aims to ensure our smelting operations are
reduced or shut down in advance of any
predicted adverse impacts to air quality in
the Mount Isa community or if emissions
approach regulatory limits.
Over the coming years we are
continuing to expand our air quality
monitoring network to further improve
coverage of Mount Isa and the
surrounding district.
Inside AQC
AQC employees are trained in
meteorology to understand and predict
weather specific to the Mount Isa region.
Our people have extensive experience
to understand the interaction of weather
patterns with our operations and across
our community.
AQC operates seven days a week with
an on-call roster to respond to any night
time incidents. It is responsible for:
• Analysing weather forecasts
• Monitoring our comprehensive network
of air quality monitors
• Predicting ground conditions
(air quality)
Monitoring type Current By 2016
Real-time SO 2 monitoring stations 10 12
Passive monitoring stations 5 6
High-volume dust samplers 9 14
Continuous dust monitors* 2 6
Dust depositional gauges* 10 10
* We also have a number of monitors and gauges we can deploy at specific sites across
our operations to monitor our performance and target improvements.
• Providing advice on smelter operations
• Ensuring environmental obligations
are met
• Minimising air quality impacts to
local community
AQC collaborates with smelter
managers and the acid plant via an internal
alert system that advises of any potential
requirements to reduce or stop production.
Throughout the year, Mount Isa receives
the majority of wind from the east and
south-east. This means the wind blows
emissions away from town to the west.
During summer and spring, a higher
incidence of westerly winds (blowing
emissions to the east) can mean a busier
period for AQC, resulting in increased
plant down time. Our AQC operators
work hard to ensure our operations have
minimal impact on the community during
this period. As a result of the unfavourable
weather conditions and the acid plant
being offline, actions taken by the AQC
staff resulted in our smelting operations
being fully shut down for 169 hours
during November.
Have questions or concerns?
Contact our Community Feedback
Hotline on 1800 982 982.
mine to market
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Photo courtesy of Jack Low
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2 mine to market

Record crowds at 2012
Xstrata Lake Moondarra
Fishing Classic
The 2012 Xstrata Lake Moondarra Fishing Classic was a huge
success with a massive 655 competitors nominating and 304 fish
weighed in during the three day event.
Community
Event organisers and volunteers were
run off their feet as thousands of
attendees enjoyed the jam packed
fishing and entertainment schedule.
Bill Rigby, also known as Barra Bill,
deservedly won the Heaviest Barramundi
title with a 13.94 kilogram whopper being
weighed in on Friday 26 October. In total,
eight large barramundi were brought in;
however, the $50,000 Mount Isa Water
Board tagged barra once again eluded
capture, leaving a $1,000 bounty on her
head if caught in the next twelve months.
Xstrata was victorious both on and
off the water with the Xstrata Dragon
Slayers from the Skills Centre once again
triumphant in the Chamber of Commerce’s
Dragon Boat Regatta. The Xstrata Copper
team also smashed their opponents in the
Buffs Beach Volleyball competition.
Our Xstrata stall was a hit with our
brightly coloured bucket hats offering
some much needed protection from the
hot sun, and our beach balls providing
hours of fun to families at the event.
George Fortune, Xstrata Lake
Moondarra Fishing Classic Event
Manager says it was great to see
the competition and camp sites
filled with smiling children and
happy families.
“With anglers nominating from as
far away as Geelong, Hervey Bay and
Longreach it’s obvious that word has
gotten out that the classic is Queensland’s
richest freshwater fishing competition,”
says George.
“The Mount Isa Fish Stocking Group is
very excited about putting proceeds from
the event towards purchasing fingerlings
to stock the lake.”
Kimberley Busteed, special guest from
Channel 7’s Creek to Coast, says she can’t
wait to return with her friends and family
next year.
“Lake Moondarra is absolutely
stunning. I had no idea Mount Isa
boasted such a scenic body of
water. The festival has been such
a wonderful introduction to not
only the lake but also to Isa and
its friendly locals,” Kimberly says.
Pictured:
1. The Xstrata Dragon Slayers get ready to take on
the competition in the Mount Isa Chamber of
Commerce’s Dragon Boat Regatta
2. Greg Stevens, CEO Mount Isa Water Board,
Mark Roberts, General Manager Site Services,
Logistics and Engineering Xstrata Mount Isa
Mines, George Fortune, Xstrata Lake Moondarra
Fishing Classic Event Manager, Scott Hillier,
Creek to Coast presenter and Russell Miller,
Superintendent Mount Isa Police released the
tagged barra ‘Roberta’ into Lake Moondarra
3. The Five Star Fireworks display were a highlight
of the weekend
4. Olivia Fricke proudly shows off her catch
5. George Fortune (centre), Xstrata Lake Moondarra
Fishing Classic Event Manager, discusses the
finer points of fishing with Jenny Sloan (left),
Rehabilitation and Return to Work Coordinator
Xstrata Copper, and Glen Griffin, President
Mount Isa Power Boat and Water Ski Club
6. Our beach balls provided hours of fun
7. Our marquees at the 2012 Xstrata Lake
Moondarra Fishing Classic
8. Bryant Schwengler, General Manager Open Cut
Mining Xstrata Zinc and Kimberley Busteed,
Creek to Coast presenter, award the Heaviest
Barra prize to Bill Rigby
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3

Crushing facility
in full swing
Commissioning of Xstrata Zinc’s new state-of-the-art
$35.5 million crushing facility has been completed at George
Fisher Mine, with the plant now fully operational.
Around 40 per cent of
zinc-lead ore crushing
conducted in Mount Isa will
now be relocated to the
new multi-million dollar facility.
Brian Hearne, Chief Operating
Officer Xstrata Zinc Australia, said after
almost 18 months in construction,
the facility is now eliminating double
handling of ore from George Fisher
Mine and supporting Xstrata Zinc’s
growth plans in Mount Isa.
“Moving zinc-lead crushing out
of town ultimately means we have a
purpose built facility at George Fisher
that will lower operating costs, reduce
our consumption of diesel fuel and
reduce emissions from our operations,”
Brian says.
“It is a critical piece of supporting
infrastructure to our expansion project
at George Fisher. We’ll be producing
30 per cent more ore here when the
expansion is complete and all of it
will be crushed here on site at this
new facility.”
Prior to the construction of the
crushing facility, excess tonnage from
George Fisher which was not able to be
crushed in town was put through three
mobile crushers manned by Xstrata
employees and contractors.
“These mobile crushing facilities
were resource intensive, maintenance
heavy and were high unit cost
operations,” he says.
“The new facility adopts the
most advanced techniques in dust
suppression while also lowering the
cost of crushing by 30 per cent.”
The crushing facility is designed to
reduce primary crushed ore of about
200 millimetres to a product of around
16 millimetres.
The crushed ore will be fed directly
to the Heavy Media Plant (HMP) in
Mount Isa prior to processing in the
nearby Zinc-Lead concentrator.
During peak construction of the
new crushing facility, an additional
workforce of around 100 people was
engaged, with about 50 per cent
sourced locally.
Around 10 full-time operational
positions have been created as a result
of the new crushing facility.
The majority of equipment used for
construction of the new crushing facility
was designed and built in Australia.
“It is a critical piece of
supporting infrastructure
to our expansion project
at George Fisher. We’ll be
producing 30 per cent more
ore here when the expansion
is complete and all of it will
be crushed here on site with
this new facility.”
4 mine to market

Renovating
a landmark
Community
In October, Steve de Kruijff, Chief Operating Officer Xstrata
Copper North Queensland and John Middlin, former Deputy
Chief Executive Officer and Director MIM Holdings Limited
(1979–1996) officially opened the John Middlin Meeting Centre.
The renovations undertaken at the
old St Joseph’s Church building
by Xstrata Mount Isa Mines have
returned the historic landmark to
its former glory, converting it into a
state-of-the-art, fully functional auditorium.
The church was originally opened in
1957, replacing an old iron building which
had been used as the Saint Joseph’s
church and school since the 1930s.
Steve says it was important for the
renovations to respect the integrity and
feel of the building due to its long history
with the people of Mount Isa.
“In its heyday the stately church was
considered one of Mount Isa’s finest
buildings, hosting many weddings,
christenings and Sunday Masses,”
Steve says.
In 1985, the church and school were
sold to MIM Holdings, and in 1988 was
converted by MIM into the John Middlin
Mining Display and Visitor’s Centre, a
project that was named after the Deputy
Chief Executive Officer and Director of
the MIM board at the time, John Middlin.
“The tourist centre closed in 1992 and
many of the specimens from the centre
were taken to Outback at Isa.
“The new John Middlin Meeting
Centre will be used as a meeting hall
and auditorium for internal purposes and
will complement our St Joseph’s Training
Centre,” Steve says.
During his time with MIM, John
Middlin played a major role in increasing
the capacity of Mount Isa Mines’ copper
processing facilities and expanding lead
production in the early 1980s.
“He helped to shape the long-term
strategy for development of the company
into this generation,” Steve says.
Around 70 people attended to watch
John open the newly refurbished building
for a second time; the first was in 1988
when the building was converted into
the John Middlin Mining Display and
Visitors Centre.
Pictured above:
John Middlin addresses the crowd gathered at
the opening of the newly renovated John Middlin
Meeting Centre
Kalkadoon Elder Clive Sam performs a Smoking
Ceremony
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5

ZOPs introduce revolutionary
survey scanner to site
The Zinc Open Pits (ZOPs) Technical Services department has introduced a revolutionary GPS
mobile scanning device, reducing what was previously a month-long job to just a few hours.
The ZOPs survey crew is responsible
for surveying the footprints of
both the Black Star Open Cut and
Handlebar Hill Open Cut pits and
creating survey models that drive our
critical mining decisions. A key part of their
work includes identifying the best areas for
safe and efficient excavation.
Paul Hunter, Mine Surveyor ZOPs, says
the mobile scanner is a dream come true.
“Previously, the team would physically
walk over the stockpiles and around the
pit with a GPS rover unit to collect this
data, taking up to a month to collect the
information,” Paul says.
The MDL Dynascan is a portable
mobile mapping and geographic data
collection device. It scans surrounding
terrain to achieve real time positioning
using two GPS receivers. Capable of
reading 36,000 points of data in one
minute, the mobile scanner uses multiple
points up to 500 metres away to provide
an accurate ‘slice’ of the pit environment
at 200 millimetres spacing.
The data collected is then used to
create 3D models, proving a sharp and
accurate visual representation of pit
production, stockpiles and engineering
works on site.
The device’s light and portable design
has allowed us to fit it to one of our light
vehicles using a purpose-built mount
designed in-house. By having the scanner
on a vehicle, we can survey areas where
there is limited or difficult access and on
top of stockpiles with the convenience
and added safety benefits of not having
to leave the car.
Paul Hunter, Mine Surveyor, about sets
out with the MDL Dynascan
“By introducing the mobile
scanner, we have eliminated a
tedious and extremely labour
intensive task, allowing for much
safer, productive and efficient
operation.”
6 mine to market

Main decline
reaches final depth
A Jumbo Operator drills the face of
the underground decline at EHM
Last month, the Ernest Henry Mining (EHM) underground
team achieved a significant milestone, completing the
development of the main underground decline.
After making the first cut for the main decline on
20 February 2008, the team overcame numerous challenges
during the development, including managing heat, ventilation
and water issues to achieve this impressive result. Now complete,
the decline is approximately 5 kilometres long and reaches a
depth almost 1 kilometre below the surface.
Adam Beswick, EHM Underground Manager, says the
outcome is a credit to the efforts of all personnel involved
in the project.
“The team has done a fantastic job to get this far and it
means we are on track to reach other project milestones in
the near future,” Adam says.
“We are now mining towards the crusher chamber, and we
hope to commence construction of the crusher by the end of
the first quarter next year.
“We are also working our way toward the bottom of the
shaft, where we will begin construction of the loading station
in 2013.”
Underground shaft
and headframe
construction
continues at EHM
Works continue at Ernest Henry Mining (EHM)
to progress the shaft sink and headframe
construction, two major components of
EMH’s underground development project.
Once complete, the shaft will be 936 metres deep and
transport six million tonnes of ore to the surface every year.
Jo Louw, Manager Project Construction, says the project
is coming along in line with schedule.
“We are now in the third phase and will complete the
remainder of the headframe construction concurrently with
the shaft sinking by the end of December 2012,” Jo says.
As work on the headframe continues directly above, shaft
sinking activities have been underway beneath the surface.
The main sink activities kicked off in May 2012 and a dedicated
crew of 70 have worked around the clock to sink the shaft more
than 200 metres below the surface to date.
The shaft sink is expected to be complete by the end
of 2013. It will then take another two months to install the
shaft sink steel work and loading equipment.
Designed primarily for ore haulage, the shaft will
also provide man riding for emergency egress from
the underground.
The headframe winder beam is installed at EHM
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7

2012 Awards
Wrap
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For us, winning awards isn’t about
hoarding silverware or securing
bragging rights. It’s a chance to
shine the spotlight on our
operational innovations and outstanding
employees, attract the best talent
as an employer of choice, enhance
our continuous improvement culture
and reinforce our credibility as an
industry leader.
2012 was a very successful year for
us, with Xstrata’s various Mount Isa and
Cloncurry-based operations and personnel
taking out a number of prestigious
industry awards.
Congratulations to all of our
winners. We thank you for the valuable
contributions you make to our business.
Xstrata Copper – Winner, Queensland Miner
of the Year
Mount Isa Copper Operations – Winner,
National Army Reserve Employer of the Year
Xstrata Mount Isa Mines – Winner,
Queensland Regional Achievement Business
and Employment Award
Xstrata Mount Isa Mines – Winner, Australian
Mining Prospect Award for Excellence in Mine
OH&S (Manual Task Risk Assessment)
Lucya Yunus, Senior Metallurgist Copper
Smelter – Winner, Young Achiever of the Year
Michele Todd, Operations Supervisor BSOC
– Winner, Queensland Resource Council
Resource Awards for Women Operator Award
Caitlyn Gardner, School Based Trainee
– Winner, Queensland Resource Council
Resource Awards for Women Junior Award
Jake Smith, Storeperson Isa Distribution
Centre – Winner, NAIDOC Apprentice or
Trainee of the Year AND Kinetic Trainee of
the Year
We’d also like to make special mention
of our award finalists, whose dedication to
excellence and innovation were applauded
on the national stage throughout 2012.
AUSTRALIAN MINING PROSPECT AWARDS
Xstrata Zinc – Finalist, Innovative Mining
Solution (BSOC Voids Management Procedure)
Xstrata Mount Isa Mines – Finalist,
Community Interaction
Pengfu Tan, Metallurgy Manager Copper
Smelter – Finalist, Mine Manager of the Year
AUSTRALIAN PACE ZENITH AWARDS
Xstrata Zinc Black Star Open Cut
(BSOC) – Finalist, Mining Minerals and
Exploration Award
Pengfu Tan, Metallurgy Manager Copper
Smelter – Finalist, Lifetime Achievement Award
QUEENSLAND TRAINING AWARDS
Xstrata Mount Isa Mines – Finalist, Employer
of the Year
Sam Skinner, School Based Trainee – Finalist,
Vocational Student of the Year
QUEENSLAND RESOURCE COUNCIL
RESOURCE AWARDS FOR WOMEN
Bryony Andrew, Manager MICO Development
– Highly Commended, Overall Award
Kate McCutcheon, Mining Engineer EHM –
Runner-up, Gender Diversity Champion Award
Pictured above:
1. Lara Lavers, Community Relations Advisor
accepts the 2012 Queensland Regional
Achievement Award for Business and Employment
on behalf of Xstrata Mount Isa Mines at a gala
presentation dinner in Caloundra
2. Michele Todd, Operations Supervisor BSOC
accepts the Operator Award at the 2012 QRC
Resource Awards for Women in Brisbane
3. Dr Pengfu Tan, Metallurgy Manager Copper
Smelter and Lifetime Achievement Award finalist at
the 2012 PACE Zenith Awards in Melbourne
4. Lucya Yunus, Senior Metallurgist Copper Smelter
accepts the Young Achiever of the Year award at the
2012 PACE Zenith Awards in Melbourne
5. Jo Pafumi, General Manager Corporate Affairs,
Community Relations and Human Resources Xstrata
Zinc Australia (left) and Bryant Schwengler, General
Manager Open Cut Mining Xstrata Zinc (second
from right) with the BSOC Voids Management team
at the 2012 PACE Zenith awards
6. Jake Smith, Storeperson IDC Xstrata Mount Isa
Mines accepts the Apprentice Trainee of the Year
award at the 2012 NAIDOC Awards in Mount Isa
8 mine to market

Paul Telford
General Manager
Copper Smelter and
Major Projects
Where did you grow up?
I was born in Proserpine, and grew
up as the eldest of seven children
in an area known as Strathdickie, halfway
between Proserpine and Airlie Beach, where
my parents owned and operated a cane
farm. I finished my schooling in Proserpine,
then completed a four-year apprenticeship
at the local sugar mill as an Instrument Fitter.
Once I received my trade, I enrolled in
a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering course
at James Cook University in Townsville.
I finished my degree at 25, and with just
enough cash in the bank to pay the bond
on a rental house, I set off to Launceston,
Tasmania, to start my engineering career
with Rio Tinto at their Comalco Bell Bay
Aluminium smelter.
Why mining? Was it something you’d
always been interested in?
As a child I did dream of working on the
family farm; however, once I finished
Year 12 I was convinced I should get
some additional skills first which is why I
completed my apprenticeship.
Everything in mining is on a massive
scale, we get to build and play with huge
pieces of equipment, which as an engineer,
is fascinating. Also, as a child growing up in
a small town, I was never really interested
in city life. Mining was attractive because
it provided the opportunity to work on
massive projects, with the added benefit
of living in smaller, laid-back country
communities. Now, with a family of my own
Mount Isa is an ideal community to live in.
How long have you been in the industry?
I’ve worked in metallurgical operations for
22 years, 17 of which I’ve spent in Mount
Isa. My exposure to the actual mining side
of our activities – that is, pulling ore out of
the ground – is limited, as I’ve spent my
career focussing on turning that ore into the
concentrate or metal that can be sold. Our
Mount Isa operations provide a valuable
opportunity to gain exposure to numerous
metallurgical operations. There are not
many operations in the world that offer the
number of different metallurgical processes
that we have here.
So, why Xstrata?
I started work with Mount Isa Mines on
October 2 1995, and stayed on after Xstrata
acquired Mount Isa Mines in 2003. Looking
back, I have enjoyed the opportunities
and overcoming the challenges we’ve
been faced with during my time here. The
business has evolved significantly over the
past ten years, but I think these changes
have all been positive for everybody, and
this makes it a pleasure to come to work.
What does your role entail?
My current role has me focused on three
key areas; firstly ensuring that the copper
smelter continues to add value to Xstrata
Copper’s north Queensland operations.
Secondly, I oversee the execution of three
major refurbishment projects for our Mount
Isa operations, including the R62 winder
control system and the Mount Isa Copper
Operations crude ore bin and concentrator
flotation banks. Finally I assist our risk
champions across the Xstrata Copper North
Queensland business in improving our risk
management processes.
What is the highlight of your career?
I like that I’ve had the chance to work in
so many of our surface operations, from
learning about receipting and dispatching
items in our stores, to the different
processes in our metallurgical plants. It’s also
satisfying getting to know our people.
We have a number of employees who
have been with the business upwards of
thirty, forty, even fifty years and it’s always
interesting hearing about their different
experiences, and getting to celebrate their
careers with them at our anniversary dinners.
When you’re not working, how do you
like to spend your time?
I like to spend my downtime with my
family. We take trips to Lake Moondarra to
go fishing or skiing, have barbeques with
friends and get involved in my children’s
sporting and dancing activities. I also like
spending time in the garden at home and
I’ve been trying to establish a good vegie
patch so we can start eating vegetables
fresh from the garden, but to be honest, my
efforts so far haven’t always been successful.
What is the best thing about living and
working in Mount Isa?
My family love it here. We enjoy the
friendships we have developed and the
small community means you are only
10 minutes from anywhere, which makes
it much easier to get involved in lots of
activities. My children dance and play sport
regularly outside of school, which wouldn’t
be as easy if we lived in a bigger city. With
the exception of a few months of the year,
the weather here is perfect for enjoying
the outdoors.
At work, the best part of the job is the
people I get to work with. Everybody here
is passionate about what they do and want
to make a difference, and that creates an
inspiring and positive environment to walk
into every day.
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9

Andrew Daniels, Mayor Cloncurry Shire Council, Myles Johnston,
General Manager EHM, Katrina Goldsworthy, Art Contest Judge,
Robbie Katter MP, State Member for Mount Isa and Percy Scobie,
President Cloncurry Arts Council, admire the winning piece ‘Memories’
by artist Christine Atkins at the Ernest Henry Memorial Art Contest
EHM volunteers help out at the bar at the Ernest
Henry Mining Curry Merry Muster Festival
Community
There were plenty of thrills and spills
at this year’s Ernest Henry Mining
Curry Merry Muster Festival
2012: A year of
fun in the ‘Curry
Every year, Cloncurry’s local events get bigger and better with the
help of the Ernest Henry Mining (EHM) community sponsorships
and donations program. 2012 was no exception.
10 mine to market

The EHM 'Operation' themed float in the 2012
Mardi Gras 'Board Games' street parade
Record crowd numbers attended
Cloncurry race meets in 2012
Local fashionistas line up for Fashions on the Field
at the Melbourne Cup day races in Cloncurry
Kicking off the rodeo season on
28 July, Quamby saw more than
2,000 revellers enjoying the thrills
and spills of the “greatest little
bush rodeo” in north west Queensland.
With lolly men, greasy pigs, mutton
busting as well as all the arena action,
there was plenty of excitement and laughs
to be had all weekend.
Between 3 and 5 August, the Curry
Merry Muster Festival drew a record crowd
of more than 5,000 over the three days.
Friday night saw the annual Mardi Gras
parade before action in the ring kicked
off with the amateur events. On Saturday
night, the crowd returned with revellers
keen to witness the professional rodeo
action and groove to Mick Lindsay on the
main stage.
Carlie Remfrey, Treasurer Curry Merry
Muster Festival Committee says changes
made to the layout of the grounds and
organisation of this year’s festival helped
make it the best rodeo yet.
“We had all the action broadcast on
the big screen for the first time this year
and the changes to the layout of the
chutes meant everything ran much more
smoothly,” Carlie says.
We also sponsored the annual Ernest
Henry Memorial Art Show. This exhibition
gives local artists the chance to showcase
their original works and compete against
other artists from across the country. There
were 119 entries in this year’s contest, with
the EHM Open Art division taken out by
representational artist Christine Atkins for
her piece titled ‘Memories’.
While rain washed out Cloncurry’s
first two race meets of the year, locals
were bursting to attend the Spring
carnival race days in September, October
and November. October saw the most
successful Cloncurry Cup Day yet, with
over 600 people attending. In November,
Cloncurry celebrated ‘the race that stops
a nation’ trackside, making the most of
our turn to host the north west regional
Melbourne Cup race day.
From bucking bulls to beautiful works
of art, EHM is proud to support the events
at the heart of our rich and culturally
diverse community.
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11

Safety
Beaconsfield battler
visits Mount Isa
Being referred to as heroes is not
something our Xstrata Mount Isa
Mines’ mines rescue squad is used
to hearing but that is exactly how
Brant Webb described them during a visit
to Mount Isa last month.
Brant, one of two survivors from the
2006 Beaconsfield mining disaster, was
trapped underground for 14 days before
being rescued and reunited with his family.
“It is not until you go through a near
death experience and get saved that you
realise how important mines rescue teams
are,” Brant says.
“I like to come to different work places
and talk to mines rescue teams because
they are my heroes. They rescued me and
reunited me with my family.”
Darren Bracey, Emergency and
Protective Services Superintendent Xstrata
Mount Isa Mines, says it was an excellent
opportunity to have Brant Webb come and
visit the mines rescue team.
“Our mines rescue team works hard to
keep up with techniques and procedures.
Having Brant Webb visit us brings it home.
We are not only critical to our business and
all the men and women who work here,
but their family and friends who expect
them home every night,” Darren says.
“Brant’s visit helps emphasise how
integral mines rescue is in our emergency
management system.”
Brant and wife, Rachel, also received
a tour of our site during their visit and
dropped into one of Xstrata’s safety
training days to provide an insight into the
importance of safety to the participants.
“Communication is one of the keys in
any underground mine site,” Brant told
the participants.
“If you see a safety issue you need
to report it. We all need to take
safety seriously; it just might save
your life or your mate’s life.”
Pictured from top:
Brant Webb and wife Rachel (right) with the Xstrata
Mount Isa Mines mines rescue squad
2012 Xstrata Mount Isa Mines Mines Rescue Squadman
of the Year Justin Nielson
2012 Xstrata Mount Isa Mines Mines Rescue Captain of
the Year Arthur McHugh
12 mine to market

Johannes
Grobler’s
Story
Sixteen years ago, as a South African
based high-school maths and science
teacher, Johannes ‘JJ’ Grobler, Technical
Services Manager, George Fisher Mine
(GFM), never imagined he would end up
playing a vital role at one of the largest
integrated zinc producers in the world.
“When I was a teacher, I was
approached by a South African explosives
company who were interested in me due
to my background in chemistry. Although
I was never employed with the company
due to the potential closure of the plant,
a friend of mine convinced me to give
underground mining a go. After one
underground trip I was hooked.
Since then, I have worked in South
African gold and diamond mines and just
before moving to Australia I was employed
as Technical Director at mining consultancy
Africon Engineering Consulting, currently
known as AURECON.
Six years ago, I made the decision
to leave South Africa and move to the
other side of the world as I felt Australia
offered a safer environment for my family.
In December 2006, I arrived in Mount Isa
with my wife and two boys and we were
instantly greeted by the sunbaked, vast red
landscape and the overwhelming northwest
Queensland summer heat.
On 18 December, 2006 I started
at George Fisher as a Senior Mining
Engineer at GFM South and from there I
became Planning Superintendant before
taking on the position of Feasibility
Team Leader. In this position I had the
opportunity to contribute to the future
of the mine by doing the mine design
for the George Fisher Mine Expansion
Project Feasibility Study. I am very proud
of this study and can’t wait to experience
increased production at lower costs
when the infrastructure is commissioned
and operational.
In March 2011, I was promoted to
Technical Services Manager. What I love
about this job is you can add value to the
company with improved processes and
we have experienced significant progress
this year with improvements in safety,
planning systems, tonnes delivery and
grades achieved.
The constant challenges and the
dynamic of the current environment make
it a very exciting time to be working at
George Fisher and I feel fortunate that I
have the opportunity to work in such an
exhilarating setting.
Since arriving, I have been lucky enough
to experience much of what this beautiful
country has to offer and have added one
new member to my family. Visiting Uluru in
June was a definite highlight for me, even
if my fear of heights prevented me from
making it all the way to the top!
Looking forward, I am excited about
playing a part in the continued growth of
GFM. When I started at George Fisher
the mine was producing 2.6 million
tonnes per year. This year we will reach
3.5 million tonnes and next year we
will ramp up to 4.3 million tonnes. I am
really looking forward to reaching these
milestones and being part of the mine’s
continued success.”
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13

Win an iPad Mini with
In January 2012, we launched Shape Up Online,
an interactive health and wellness portal available
exclusively to our north Queensland employees
and their families. Since then, more than 500
employees and their families have been taking
control of their health with the help of Shape Up
Online’s simple advice and ‘better living’ programs.
If you haven’t signed up yet, it’s not too late to start
reaping the Shape Up Online lifestyle benefits.
Join Shape Up Online before 31 December
and go into the draw to win an iPad Mini*. The
competition will be drawn on 30 January 2013, so
be quick!**
To join Shape Up Online:
1. Go to www.shapeuponline.com.au
2. Click new user and fill out your details
3. To complete registration you will need to obtain
the verification code available from all NQ
intranets homepages.
For more information about Shape Up Online
contact Myra Law on 4744 3013.
*Prize does not include ongoing network connection fees.
**Competition is only available to Xstrata’s north
Queensland employees and their families.
www.shapeuponline.com.au
14 mine to market

Julia Mansfield, Health Coordinator EHM
studies samples using one of the Antimicrobial
Copper work benches
Keeping our
community
informed
Community
Copper benches passing
on health benefits at
Ernest Henry Mine
Copper is renowned for its antimicrobial properties,
which are known to reduce the touch-transfer of
disease-causing organisms.
Locals gathered at the Cloncurry
Community Precinct on November 14 for
the Ernest Henry Mining (EHM) Community
Information Session.
To celebrate our first session in the
new precinct, guests were invited to share
afternoon tea with our senior management
team before Myles Johnston, General
Manager EHM, presented an update on our
operational performance.
The presentation featured progress
updates on our shaft, underground mine
and Mount Margaret Mining operations, as
well as information on our latest sustainable
development activities focussing on EHM’s
community involvement program.
Thank you to everyone who attended the
Community Information Session and to those
who provided valuable feedback.
When cleaned regularly, antimicrobial copper surfaces kill 99.9 per
cent of bacteria within two hours of exposure. This can have
a big impact on reducing the prevalence of disease-causing
bacteria in healthcare facilities.
For this reason copper has been used in the construction and modification
of two benches in our Ernest Henry Mine’s health clinic.
One of the new benches is being used in the medical clinic’s drug testing area
and the other is in the medical preparation area. These are the first products with
antimicrobial properties being used within our north Queensland operations.
Julia Mansfield, Health Coordinator Ernest Henry Mining, says the first copper
bench was installed in September and a copper overlay surface was installed to
the main clinic bench top in October of this year.
“We are hoping that other areas of the operation will also be able to use
this type of copper touch surfaces to take advantage of their antimicrobial
properties,” Julia says.
“Other areas that come to mind are the village kitchen preparation surfaces
and door handles.
“The health and safety of our workers and visitors is always our number one
concern, and hopefully these new benches will contribute to this in a positive
way at a local level.”
In the US alone, it is estimated that infections acquired in hospitals affect
two million individuals a year, resulting in nearly 100,000 deaths annually.
Unlike coatings or other material treatments, the antibacterial effectiveness
of copper metals won’t wear away and Antimicrobial Copper is the only solid
surface material registered by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
to continuously kill bacteria.
Pictured from top:
Percy Scobie, Superintendent Concentrator
Infrastructure EHM, chats with Andrew Daniels,
Mayor Cloncurry Shire Council, James Murdoch and
Greg Bellinger, Bluescope, and David Woolford,
E&A Contractors
Myles Johnston, General Manager EHM give guests
an update on our operations
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15

16 mine to market

Lady Loretta
Breakthroughs
Since mining first ore in September, our Lady Loretta project
has continued its development full steam ahead.
As we went to print, the decline
into the underground mine
was over 1.3 kilometres long.
This equates to a vertical depth
of approximately 169 metres, and two
different ore access levels. Ultimately,
Lady Loretta’s underground operation
will reach a depth of 500 metres and is
planned to feature 18 levels.
Development at Lady Loretta is
reconciling closely with the block model.
In other words, we are finding ore where
we expected to find it. This is testament
to the preliminary and ongoing planning
work from our geologists, geotechnical
engineers and other technical services
team members. They have been greatly
assisted by four previous feasibility studies
undertaken at Lady Loretta and more than
70,000 metres of exploratory drilling.
Over the past two months, Lady
Loretta reached two key milestones,
achieving ‘breakthrough’ at Ventilation
Shafts 1 and 2. This means the mine
decline which is being developed has
now met up with these vertical ventilation
shafts 140 metres and 136 metres beneath
the earth’s surface. This is a key step in the
process of developing Lady Loretta, as the
ventilation shafts form part of the mine’s
primary ventilation circuit.
Breakthrough into Shaft 2 occurred
first in mid October, and the team are
now in the process of installing temporary
ventilation fans to provide fresh air
underground. This shaft will also provide
an emergency escape ladder-way and
additional power, air and water services.
Meanwhile, dewatering and
refurbishment of Shaft 1 is being finalised.
Temporary exhaust fans will be in place
underground while works continue on the
permanent surface primary fans.
Above ground, the Lady Loretta Village
continues to grow. With the addition of
66 new rooms, the onsite village is now
equipped to house 248 people, catering
for employees, long and short-term
contractors and the occasional visitor.
Kevin Brant, Geotechnical Engineer inspects
the point of breakthrough into Ventilation
Shaft 2
The Lady Loretta decline meets Ventilation
Shaft 1
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17

Christmas cheer
at EHM
Harrison Law, Ben Kirkwood, Simon Gunn and Harry Sofatzis
Bruce Charles and Jenaya Storey
Charlie Gilmore, Travis Whebell and Rohan Reisener
Tim Fairclough, Jake Misfond and Marc Fisher from O’Donnell Griffin
Our Ernest Henry Mining (EHM) team got into the holiday spirit during their
workforce Christmas parties in November. With a seafood buffet, raffles and
a visit from Santa, there was plenty of festive cheer with the team celebrating
a year of major growth at EHM.
18 mine to market

Community
Cloncurry celebrates the
opening of a new community hub
Cloncurry has capped off the August opening of the $8.1 million Cloncurry Community
Precinct with the return of the town’s iconic Dazzle Ball.
The ball returned as part of the
opening celebrations for what has
become the community hub of
Cloncurry. Bringing back some of
the ball’s most loved old traditions, like
the infamous group photo in the Shire
Hall, ensured the event was a hit with all
300 tickets sold out.
The Cloncurry Community Precinct
provides a modern space and functional
facilities for our community. Ernest Henry
Mining (EHM) contributed $2.75 million
to the project, which includes the EHM
function rooms, the Bob McDonald Library,
the Dr David Harvey Sutton Art Gallery, a
catering area, and the refurbishment of the
historic Cloncurry Shire Hall and Council
Chambers, making it our biggest social
infrastructure partnership to date.
Myles Johnston, General Manager
EHM, says investing in and supporting
our local community is an important part
of the way we do business.
“Our contribution towards the
Precinct reaffirms our commitment to
supporting growth and development of
the town benefitting current and future
generations,” Myles says.
Andrew Daniels, Mayor of Cloncurry,
says the project was an important
milestone in Cloncurry’s development.
“Opening this Precinct marks a start
of new prosperity for our community.
With this premier facility we can not only
provide top class venues, recreational
and learning facilities for our community
but attract new business to our town,”
Cr Daniels says.
Pictured from top
Andrew Daniels, Mayor Cloncurry Shire Council,
Robbie Katter MP, State Member for Mount Isa,
the Hon. Anthony Albanese MP, Minister for
Infrastructure and Transport and Myles Johnston,
General Manager EHM, prepare to pull down the
commemorative ribbon and officially open the
Cloncurry Community Precinct
Tricia Llayt loans Ann Whitfield one of the first
books from the Library
Around 100 people celebrated the opening of the
new Cloncurry Community Precinct
The first community members walk through the
gates of the newly opened Precinct
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19

MICO Continuous Improvement
SECOND QUARTER WINNERS
Mike Westerman, General Manager MICO, congratulates
Allan Hazle on his winning Continuous Improvement initiative
Mike Westerman, General Manager MICO, presents Alan Rieck
with a $500 voucher
Illustrating that there is always room for
improvement, Copper Concentrator
employees Allan Hazle, Maintenance
Project Coordinator, and Alan Rieck,
Technical Officer Mechanical Maintenance,
have taken out the Quarter Two Mount Isa
Copper Operations (MICO) Continuous
Improvement Awards.
Allan Hazle’s ‘Filtrate Return Pump
Optimisation’ initiative is a great example
of how a relatively simple idea can
significantly improve safety and production
and reduce costs associated with
our operations.
“I saw an issue with the current set-up
of the Filtrate Return Pumps in that we
were using two pumps to service a function
that should have been done with one,”
Allan says.
“You can imagine the issues running
both the duty and standby pumps caused
when it came to maintenance, running
costs, and the reliability of the Hyperbaric
Filter Plant,” he says.
By reviewing the current system and
reducing the operational pumps from two
to one Allan has improved safety within our
workforce by decreasing the likelihood that
the Filtrate tank will overflow.
A substantial financial saving has also
been achieved, with the elimination of
both pumps running simultaneously
producing savings of approximately
$120,000 a year.
Mark Peterson, Superintendent
Mechanical Maintenance Copper
Concentrator, recognises the positive
impact Allan’s idea has had on the Copper
Concentrator’s operations.
“Allan’s idea is an excellent example of
maximising the efficiency of our existing
assets,” Mark says.
“It is also proof that genuine cost
savings can be had without sacrificing plant
performance or spending a lot of money.”
Alan Rieck’s ‘Develop Column Tail Valve
Tool’ was also a winner in the Quarter Two
Awards with the initiative enhancing safety
and increasing task efficiency.
After undertaking the tedious job of
changing a column tail valve, Alan began
to look at ways to improve and simplify
the task.
“The original method of changing the
valves was slow and difficult due to the
valve’s location. The use of chain blocks
complicated the task further and workers
were exposed to a manual handling injury
if the installation was done incorrectly,”
Alan says.
“The new tool allows the valves to be
mounted to a forklift jib attachment and
rotated in order to line up to the place
of installation.
“By eliminating the need to use chain
blocks, manual handling and pinch point
injuries are reduced. The installation tool
also decreases the time it takes to change
the valves.
“We are now looking at other areas
we could use the tool with little or no
modification,” Alan says.
Mark Peterson commends the ingenuity
of Alan’s idea.
“Al’s installation tool has demonstrated
that sound engineering controls can come
from the very personnel who are faced with
these kinds of tasks every day”
“It also proves that everyone has a
contribution they can make to improve
safety, production and cost efficiency, or,
in this case, all three.”
20 mine to market

Martin Zgrajewski’s
Story
I first joined Xstrata
Zinc and the Lady
Loretta team because
I was interested in
the opportunity to
be involved with a
new mine right from
the development
phase; to be there
from the start and
to have ownership
across the board.
I have now been
the Underground
Mine Manager at
Lady Loretta since
October 2011, and
I’m really enjoying
the challenge.
I have a great group of people in the
mining team, and together, we are
developing an operation that I am proud
to be a part of.
I am responsible for all mining
related activities at Lady Loretta, so
my team consists of mining engineers,
geotechnical engineers, geologists,
surveyors, underground operational crews,
and electrical, maintenance and service
personnel. We also work with contractors
engaged specifically to assist us in the
development of the mine decline and
ventilation shafts and the construction
and installation of our paste plant. The
relationships that have developed between
the Xstrata Zinc crews and contractor
personnel are strong and have allowed
us all to work together as one big mining
team, focussed on achieving our goals.
This achievement is something to be
proud of.
We are developing a decline-access
underground operation to mine high
grade zinc-lead-silver ore at a depth of up
to 500 metres. Every effort has gone into
making the design of our mine as simple
and functional as possible. Quite simply,
I’m excited about what I see when I drive
down the decline; the physical structure
of the mine we have developed, and the
high grade minerals we are pulling out
every day.
I would have to say, the thing that
I am most proud of at Lady Loretta is
that we have developed a mine that is
producing ore more than 12 months ahead
of our original schedule. We are not yet
at full production, and are continuing to
develop the lower levels of the resource
whilst gathering development ore from
the upper levels, but we’re also on track
to beginning commercial scale mining
by mid-2013. After nearly 20 years in
the mining industry, I can say that, for
me, the differences at Xstrata are the
people, the level of autonomy given at an
operational level and the access we have
to senior management.
The people I deal with on a daily basis
are fantastic. There are some individuals
who are just truly out of the box. They have
such a fresh way of looking at things. The
great thing about Xstrata is the way the
company embraces new ideas and gives us
the autonomy to make things happen.
I have really appreciated the level of
access I have had to senior executives,
both within our Australian operations and
from our headquarters in Spain. Having
the chance to meet and engage with
these people on a semi-regular basis
really helps facilitate the achievement
of objectives at our mine site in remote
western Queensland.
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21

Safety
SafeSpines at GFM
This year, Xstrata Zinc’s George Fisher Mine operators have been taking part in an
innovative health, wellness and injury prevention initiative, SafeSpine, developed
by Onsite Health Solutions. SafeSpine is an industry leading musculoskeletal health
education program proven to reduce soft tissue injuries in ‘industrial athletes’.
Soft tissue injuries are statistically
overrepresented in heavy
industry. In fact, data gathered
by Safe Work Australia shows
that injuries to joints, muscles, ligaments
and soft tissues account for 43 per cent of
all serious workers compensation claims
in Australia. Between 2010 and 2011,
there were 2,585 workers’ compensation
claims lodged across the Australian mining
industry, with seven claims made each day
from employees requiring one or more
weeks off work due to injury. This equates
to almost 15 serious injury claims per 1,000
Australian mining employees, 33 per cent
of which were a result of musculoskeletal
stress or soft tissue damage while lifting or
handling objects.
Julie Boyer, Manager Sustainable
Development Xstrata Zinc North
Queensland says ensuring the health
and wellbeing of our people helps us
to operate as safely and productively
as possible.
“Education is the first step towards
improving our employees’ health
outcomes,” Julie says.
“We recognised that an injury
prevention initiative with a behaviour
change emphasis would improve the
health risk profile of our employees
and assist us to proactively prevent soft
tissue injuries.”
The dynamic and interactive workshops
teach a number of key principles useful
both at work and at home. The program
also introduced SafeStart; a pre-shift
musculoskeletal warm-up and conditioning
routine designed to prepare the body and
mind for daily work activities.
Encompassing joint mobilisation,
stretching and toning exercises, the
introduction of SafeStart is already seeing
a decline in the aches, pains and niggles
often felt by our people in physically
demanding roles.
“It’s also resulted in a lot of fun,
laughter and positive energy, enhancing
crew moral and ensuring switched on
minds ready for a day’s work,” says Julie.
Damien Stringer, Boilermaker Rebuild
Workshop George Fisher Mine says the
SafeSpine program and SafeStart daily
warm-ups have been a hit with the crews,
and the program is having a flow-on
positive effect for many of his colleagues
outside of work.
“SafeStart gets the heart rate up and
the body moving at the beginning of a
shift, so you’re physically prepared and
mentally alert to start the working day,”
Damien says.
“Some of the guys are even starting to
get out and exercise on their days off as
a result of what we’ve learned during the
program about how having strong postural
muscles and supple joints can significantly
reduce your chances of injury, and also
ward off those persistent, niggling aches
you can get as a result of the physical work
we do.”
Supported by a Scientific Advisory
Council, Onsite Health Solutions is a
national provider of workplace health
and injury prevention services for
heavy industry.
22 mine to market

Focus on hydration
during Safe Work
Australia Week
Safety
Between 22 and 26 October 2012, our operations joined many
other mine sites across Australia to promote the importance of
health and safety during Safe Work Australia Week.
Jason Ahearn, Safety Coordinator EHM
explains that with the hot conditions
we’ve been experiencing over the
past few weeks, EHM’s safety and
health team decided to focus on
healthy hydration.
“The summer heat has hit
Queensland’s north west hard, so this
year, Safe Work Australia Week served
as a timely reminder for our people to
increase their fluid intake and take the
necessary precautions to minimise heat
stress and related illnesses,” Jason says.
The targeted campaign headquarters
were set up at the EHM Village. Free
‘squincher’ ice blocks were on offer at
the display, and medical and safety
personnel were on hand to provide
advice and demonstrate the use of
the recently-introduced HydraTrend
hydration testing method.
“We’ve already introduced daily
hydration testing for our underground
workforce and many of our surface workers
were keen to learn more about the simple
and efficient test,” says Jason.
More than 1,200 ‘Scratch and Win’
safety cards were distributed across site
throughout the week, with four lucky
winners receiving $50 shopping vouchers.
Safe Work Australia Week is backed by
the independent statutory agency Safe
Work Australia whose primary responsibility
is to improve workplace health and safety
and workers’ compensation arrangements
across Australia.
Pictured: Maria Little, Safety Officer, and
Geoff Munro, Mechanical Technician,
distributing ‘Scratch and Win’ safety
cards at the EHM Concentrator
work shop
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23

1
2 3
4
5
24 mine to market

Zinc X-Men
win battle
Xstrata Zinc
Character
Awards
Community
Xstrata Zinc’s X-Men proved their on-field nouse
once again, taking out the 2012 Battle of the Mines
for the second year in a row.
The fiercely contested rugby league carnival is hosted each
year by the Rotary Club of Cloncurry to raise funds for
charity. This year, proceeds went to the North Queensland
Helicopter Rescue Service.
Five north west Queensland teams travelled to Cloncurry
to compete including the Ernest Henry Dingoes, MICO Devils,
Cannington Cougars, Cudeco Eagles and reigning champs the
Xstrata Zinc X-Men.
The first game of the day saw a hard fought match of defence
between the MICO Devils and the Cudeco Eagles with neither
team allowing the other to cross for a try. This changed in the
second game with the X-Men flexing their muscles, winning
10 points to six against the Ernest Henry Dingoes.
Bets were on between ‘friendly’ Xstrata Copper rivals, the
MICO Devils and Ernest Henry Dingoes, with Myles Johnston,
General Manager Ernest Henry Mining, getting the better of
his predecessor Mike Westerman, General Manager MICO
(and former General Manager Ernest Henry Mining). The MICO
General Manager paid a high price for the MICO Devils crushing
defeat, with the terms of his losing bet forcing Mike to wear an
Ernest Henry Dingoes supporters shirt at the MICO morning
meeting the following Monday.
This September, Mark Day, Concentrator Maintainer
Zinc-Lead Concentrator, was presented with an
Xstrata Zinc Character Award for an initiative
which has significantly improved operational
performance and resulted in cost savings of about
$80,000 per year.
Mark’s idea of installing a fire retardant wedge
in the BM04 feed conveyor’s brackets now prevents
rocks from wedging in between the conveyor belt idler
and brackets.
The solution has shown a good wear life and has
been identified as significantly reducing costs related to
conveyor downtime and cleaning labour.
Mal Barr, Manager Engineering Zinc-Lead
Concentrator commends Mark on his cost
saving initiative.
“This solution is a tremendous illustration of Mark’s
commitment to excellence and the improvement of our
business,” Mal says.
“In addition to its application in the Zinc Lead
Concentrator, the improvement has the potential to
be implemented across other maintenance areas of
our business. This will assist us to further minimise
production down time and equipment damage.
“Please join me in congratulating Mark on this
well deserved honour.”
Spectators and supporters were treated to an
action packed day of rugby league with the best
performing team, Xstrata Zinc’s X-Men, winning
three of their four games and taking top place on
the ladder.
The remaining spot in the grand final against the X-Men was
decided in the final game of the day when the Ernest Henry
Dingoes took on the Cudeco Eagles in a battle for second place.
After prevailing 16 points to eight in their semi-final clash, the
Eagles couldn’t carry the momentum into the grand final with the
X-men winning 22 points to eight to claim the title.
Pictured left:
1. Xstrata Zinc X-men vs Cudeco Eagles
2. MICO Devils vs Zinc X-men
3. MICO Devils vs Ernest Henry Dingoes
4. Cudeco Eagles vs Ernest Henry Dingoes
5. Cannington Cougars vs Ernest Henry Dingoes
Mark Day (centre) receives his Character Award from Adam
Henshall (left), Supervisor Maintenance, Zinc Lead Concentrator
and Mal Barr, Manager Engineering Zinc-Lead Concentrator
mine to market
25

Tamara Ostarjas’s Story
“The nature of my role requires balancing multiple tasks at any
given time, the biggest challenge is to remain organised and
focussed and to maintain a good work, life and study balance.
Originally from Brisbane, I
completed my first year of
primary school in Papua New
Guinea before returning to
Australia and settling in Dandenong for a
few years. After that our family embarked
on a trip around Australia for 12 months
and I was home schooled. We then moved
to Cairns where I remained until I relocated
to Mount Isa with my husband and children
in 2007.
I have worked for Xstrata for five years,
briefly as a document controller and
administration assistant with Xstrata Zinc,
before moving to Xstrata Copper as a
member of the three-year, Copper Smelter
Rebrick Project. My responsibilities ranged
from pulling together technical documents
and developing work packs to liaising with
Copper Smelter maintenance personnel to
organise and coordinate contractors.
This role was challenging and provided
a steep learning curve which included
an education in interpreting technical
drawings, developing documentation
for varying plant and gaining an
understanding of copper smelter
mechanical equipment.
On completion of the project I joined
the Emissions Project for a period of six
months as Project Controls Assistant
to assist with cost control, budget
development, contractor liaisons and
ensuring alignment in Xstrata Project
Management Standards and Procedures.
I then continued on to my current role
as the Electrical Maintenance Planner for
the Copper Smelter in November 2010
and am currently in the final stage of
completing a postgraduate certificate in
maintenance management through Central
Queensland University.
The thing I like the most about working
at Xstrata is the positive and supportive
environment that allows our people to
grow to their potential. Xstrata provides
assistance to those who choose to upskill
and progress within the company.
The business has a strong culture that
encourages us to support our peers
whilst working toward a common goal.
I also like how active Xstrata is in the
local community, providing support to
community events and local business.
I would say the highlight of my career
has been working at the Copper Smelter.
During the Rebrick Project, the learning
curve was steep, the attitude of the team
positive and the mentoring I received
was exceptional.
26 mine to market

During November, like thousands of
others around the world, Xstrata
men, and even entire crews and
departments, proudly sprouted
mo’s of all shapes and sizes in an effort to
raise funds and awareness for men’s health.
Quinton Bruwer, Hyrdo Geologist
Xstrata Mount Isa Mines, had very personal
reasons for supporting Movember.
“A few years ago I lost my aunt to
cancer, and this year my father-in-law
passed away from prostate cancer,”
Quinton says.
“Cancer touches almost everyone at
some point.
“I wanted to be part of changing the
face of men’s health by simply helping to
raise awareness and raising some vitally
needed funds,” he says.
Robbie Huxley, Mine Technologies
George Fisher Mine also got involved.
“This was my seventh year as an
officially registered participant of
Movember,” Robbie says.
“It is certainly my favourite charity and
one I am very passionate about. It’s a fun
and very visible way of raising awareness
of men’s health issues, and my mates and I
have a blast fundraising for a worthy cause.
“I also love that I get away with
growing an outrageous mo’ for a month,”
Robbie says.
Zinc Open Pits (ZOPs) operations got
right into the spirit of Movember with
two teams lining up to out-fundraising
the other; ‘Finding Mo’s’ (Technical
Services Department) and ‘Flaming Mo’s’
(Maintenance, Capital Projects, Production
and Safety departments).
ZOPs held some great fundraising
activities including silent auctions, raffles
(including a private charter for two to
Innisfail for a full day reef fishing trip),
‘Hotdog Fridays’ and iceblock sales.
MICO also answered the call, pulling
together two teams; ‘Mo-ordination’
(MICO Coordination) and ‘Mine
Development Cookie Dusters’ (MICO
Development).
The ‘GFMX Mo Challenge’ (George
Fisher Mine Expansion Project) kicked off
fundraising activities at George Fisher with
two early morning pancake breakfasts.
Meanwhile, the Copper Smelter held a
dollar coin barbeque in support of their
team ’Sons of the Smelter’.
At the time of printing with the
combined efforts of Mount Isa Mines and
Ernest Henry Mine, our employees raised
almost $10,500 for Movember, and looked
set to break the $12,000 barrier by the end
of the month.
Pictured above from top left:
Glenn Molachino, Graduate IT and Business
Systems shows off his mo’
Moira Fraser, Project Administrator George
Fisher Mine Expansion gets behind her ‘Mo
Bros’ at a pancake fundraising breakfast
Ben Young, Manager Technical Services ZOPs of
team ‘Finding Mo’s’
Quinton Bruwer, Hydro Geologist Xstrata Mount
Isa Mines sports an impressive handlebar mo’
Joe Parker, Graduate Geologist Black Star Open
Cut of team ‘Finding Mo’s’
(From left) Luke Tapp, Finance Superintendent,
Owen Carter, Site Services Supervisor and
Gary Favier, Project Finance and Construction
Estimator, from Ernest Henry Mining’s team, the
‘Mo Hoper’s’ check how their fundraising efforts
are tracking
Gareth Parkinson, Graduate Rock Mechanic
MICO Coordination of team ‘Mo-ordination’
Robbie Huxley, Mine Technologies George
Fisher Mine of team ‘Mo-Men’, has been taking
part in Movember for seven years
Ray Small, Production Superintendent Black
Star Open Cut of team ‘Flaming Mo’s’ takes his
mo’ growing very seriously
mine to market
27

Stay safe this
Silly Season
Health
It’s that time of year again
for catching up with friends
and family, for festivities and
a well earned break. With
the silly season upon us, often
it’s all fun and games ’til
someone gets hurt!
When you’re on the road, think of your loved
ones, or the precious cargo you have on
board; follow the road rules and allow
plenty of time to reach your destination.
Fatigue is also a major cause of road incidents.
Combat it by taking a break every two hours, or more
often in difficult terrain.
Let’s face it, celebrating with alcohol is a part of
the Australian way of life, but as most Aussies know
(or have learnt from personal experience), too much
of a good thing is NEVER a good thing! Look after
your health (and your dignity!) this Christmas.
Top Tips for Keeping the
Family Safe This Christmas:
• Supervise your children at all times around
water. Make sure all basins, sinks and large
buckets are empty.
• Slip, slop, slap, slide on a pair of sunglasses
and seek shade.
• On the road remember, the faster you go,
the longer the stopping distance. If you’re
speeding this silly season, the fine or the repair
bill will be the least of your worries.
• Stay hydrated. That means water – beer, wine
and spirits don’t count!
• Make sure the fridge is set at or below
5 degrees Celsius to help prevent
food poisoning.
• If using Christmas lights outside, make sure
they are designed for outdoor use.
• Don’t cover transformers with presents or
decorations, as this can cause fires.
28 mine to market

Announcements
Congratulations to Sue McCay, Superintendent Education
and Training Xstrata Zinc and Paul McCay, Training Facilitator
Xstrata Copper on the birth of their daughter, Abigail Rose,
on 26 September 2012.
Congratulations to Stephen Child, Operator Zinc Filter Plant
and his partner Kathryn on the birth of their son Lyle on
20 November.
Congratulations to Tammy Laffin, Coordinator BPR Project
and her partner Peter on the birth of their son Braythen Peter
George on 21 November.
Congratulations to Luke Thornton, Trainee Diamond Driller
George Fisher Mine and his wife Kimberley on the birth of
their daughter Ella on 27 October.
Congratulations to Bryson Richard, Analytical Laboratory
Superintendent Xstrata Mount Isa Mines and his wife Belinda
on the birth of their son Joseph on 29 November.
Congratulations to Sharon Black, Shutdown Planner MICO
Infrastructure and Paul Maxwell, Jumbo Operator X41
Development on 8 September in Mount Isa.
Congratulations to Ben Taylor, Mine Services Superintendent
MICO and his partner Lauren on their marriage in Brisbane on
6 October.
Congratulations to Anna Sipple, Senior HR Advisor Copper
Smelter & Major Projects, and Matt Wendtman, Senior Risk
and Assurance Advisor Xstrata Zinc on their marriage in
Newcastle on 13 October.
Congratulations to Claire McGoldrick, Environmental Advisor
MIOP Project and her partner Kim on their engagement.
Congratulations to Erin Healy, HR Advisor Xstrata Zinc, and
Peter Grant, Reagent Technician Copper Concentrator on
their engagement.
For Sale
2002 Toyota Corolla Conquest Hatch. 5 speed manual,
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Excellent condition. $8,500 negotiable. Phone 0408 758 457.
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full leather seats. 110,000 km. Phone 0409 511 386.
Notices
Position vacant – Full Time Director, St Paul’s Lutheran Church
Childcare Centre. Phone 4743 2859 for application package.
Applications close 14 December.
Calendar of events
December
1 Red Ribbon Appeal
5 International Volunteering Day
10 School breaks up
10 International Human Rights Day
21 December Solstice
25 Christmas Day
26 Boxing Day
January
1 New Year’s Day
26 Australia Day
28 Australia Day holiday
29 School Term I commences
Environmental credentials
Mine to Market is printed on Impact paper stock.
Impact is made with a carbon neutral manufacturing
process* It is well priced, FSC COC certified and
consists of 100% post consumer waste recycled fibre.
*Mill use 86% renewable energy, meaning emissions generated by producing Impact
are incredibly low. The remaining unavoidable CO 2 emissions are compensated for by
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mine to market
29

CORPORATE HEALTH COVER
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