Coal & Allied Community Newsletter Singleton edition May

Coal & Allied community newsletter
Singleton edition
Issue 7 - May 2011
A head start for local career opportunities
Students living
in Singleton had
the chance to
explore a variety
of career pathways
existing in their
own backyards at
the 2011 Singleton
Professions
Forum held at
the Singleton
Showgrounds
earlier in May.
Pictured:
Above, the SPF was
organised by a steering
committee made up
of school leaders from
Singleton High School,
St Catherine’s Catholic
College, Singleton
Christian College and
CNA representatives.
Now in its third year, the forum
provides year 11 and 12 students
with direct access to a range of
local businesses and community
groups, to help them learn more
about the professional careers
available locally.
Year 12 Singleton High School
captain Ethan Andrews was one
of a group of 11 school leaders
who organised this year’s forum,
which received $10,000 in
funding from Coal & Allied.
“A real benefit of the forum is
it gives students the opportunity
to interact one on one with
business and community
leaders,” Ethan said.
“For many students it also
provided an opportunity for
them to discover an industry
or career pathway that they
wouldn’t have considered before.
“A school career advisor
described the forum as a bit like
‘speed dating for professions’,
which I think accurately
reflected the spirit of the day.”
The forum played host to
around 20 local businesses
from a variety of industries
including the Defence Force,
agriculture, health, photography,
engineering, education,
psychology, legal, events
management, IT, graphic design,
social work, and real estate.
Coal & Allied Community
Relations Manager Jennifer
Bowcock said many students
find it difficult to decide on a
pathway after school.
“Many students aren’t aware
of the types of jobs in demand,
the companies offering them,
or the skills and qualifications
needed to take on that job or
career,” Jennifer said.
“The forum, which we’ve
sponsored since 2009, provides
some of these answers by linking
students with local businesses
Freecall 1800 727 745 | 127 John Street Singleton | 19 Bridge Street Muswellbrook | www.coalandallied.com.au
who can deliver information
about a variety of industries
and careers, so they can make a
better informed decision about
their future.
“The forum also encourages
local people to consider local
jobs, and works towards Coal &
Allied’s commitment to building
the skills capacity within the
communities where we operate.
“I’d like to thank our student
leaders from Singleton High
School, St Catherine’s Catholic
College, and Singleton Christian
College who have done a great
job in organising this event.
“I’d also like to thank the
businesses for taking part and
supporting our local youth
and for their commitment
to ensuring we continue
developing a sustainable future
for our community.”
1
Image courtesy of Kristin Upcroft, KMU Photography

2
From the GMs
Tom Lukeman
Welcome to the second
edition of the Singleton
community newsletter for
2011 – which is my first as
General Manager of Hunter
Valley Operations. After 22
years with Rio Tinto, I’ve
relocated to the Hunter
Valley with my family from
Dampier Salt in Western
Australia. Since my arrival,
I’ve received a warm
welcome from my colleagues
and I’m looking forward to
working in partnership with
the local community.
We have been
undertaking some
important environmental
work at HVO. Aerial
seeding of overburden
dumps is starting soon to
provide cover crops that
reduce bare areas to dust
generation. Fertilising of
selected rehabilitation
will also occur. For more
information about our
environmental performance,
Environmental Management
reports are now also
available on website and in
our shopfronts.
For more information about Coal
& Allied’s operations or activities
in your local community:
Visit:
Shopfronts in Singleton
(127 John St) and Muswellbrook
(19 Bridge St)
MTW and HVO help record
local history
The Singleton Historical Society and Museum
will find it easier to produce their quarterly
newsletter, thanks to a new photocopier
purchased through a combined $5000 donation
from Hunter Valley Operations’ and Mount
Thorley Warkworth’s Site Donations Committees.
Since I began my new
role at HVO, I’ve been proud
to hear about the efforts of
our staff in donating funds
for Queensland’s flood relief
effort. HVO joined MTW in
raffling off prizes and raising
more than $2500 while our
parent company Rio Tinto
donated $2 million.
With 2011 shaping up
to be a busy year, I look
forward to sharing regular
updates with you about
our growth plans and
community activities in the
Singleton area through our
community newsletter.
Cam Halfpenny
Firstly, I would like to
welcome Tom Lukeman
to the role of General
Manager at Hunter
Valley Operations. Tom
and I look forward to
continuing to provide
updates and share news
about our operations via
the Singleton community
newsletter. Our shopfronts,
located at 127 John Street
Phone:
Community Info line -
1800 727 745
Environmental Hotline -
1800 656 892
Blasting hotlines -
HVO: 1800 888 733
MTW: 1800 099 669
Singleton and 19 Bridge
Street Musswellbrook,
are also another source
of information about our
activities – please don’t
hesitate to call in for a chat.
I was pleased to read
in our recent Sustainable
Development report for
2010 that Coal & Allied’s
safety performance
continues to improve,
and through our energy
management programme
we avoided 22,000
tonnes in greenhouse gas
emissions. The Sustainable
Development report is
available for download from
www.coalandallied.com.au
Read:
Singleton and Muswellbrook
Community Newsletters,
distributed direct to your letterbox
Email:
cnacommunityrelations@
riotinto. com
On the local environment
front, Mount Thorley
Warkworth recently
teamed- up with other
mines to improve native
fish habitat and river bank
stability in the Upper
Hunter River. You can find
out more about this in on
page 4.
Mount Thorley
Warkworth continues
to work with Hunter
Valley Operations in
jointly donating money
to local programmes and
organisations through the
site donations committees.
These committees
are proud to ‘give back’
to the local community
by providing funding
for locally focused, notfor-profit
events and
programmes. Read on for
more information about
our recent site donations
initiatives or email
cnacommunityrelations@
riotinto.com for more
information about applying
for funding.
Web:
www.coalandallied. com. au -
includes materials from shopfront
information sessions.
Freecall 1800 727 745 | 127 John Street Singleton | 19 Bridge Street Muswellbrook | www.coalandallied.com.au
1

New hospital equipment
gives pregnant women
more support
Expecting mothers in
the Upper Hunter will soon
receive enhanced care and
comfort from Singleton
Hospital’s Maternity Service
thanks to new equipment
purchased from a combined
$5000 donation by Hunter
Valley Operations’ and Mount
Thorley Warkworth’s site
donations committees.
It will be used to buy a new
examination couch for use
by maternity clients in the
Maternity Service’s Antenatal
Shared Care Clinic.
Singleton Hospital Nursing
Unit Manager/Midwifery
Unit Manager Gail Kane said
the new, height-adjustable
electronic couch will greatly
improve patients’ comfort.
“The clinic has been
operating since July 2009,”
Gail said.
“It gives local women
another option for care during
their pregnancy.
“Through the clinic,
our midwives and local GP
obstetricians collaborate
to provide support, care,
and education for women
during pregnancy.
“The clinic has been
in high demand since it
started and has proved a
welcome option.
“We are very grateful to
the respective committees
for providing funding so that
we could purchase the new
equipment and make sure
that we continue to deliver
this popular service to all our
expecting mothers.”
3
2
Emerging young artist
to show his true colours
at WUPA @ Wanaruah
An emerging young
Aboriginal artist in Singleton
has been invited to showcase
his artwork at the upcoming
Ungooroo Aboriginal
Corporation’s WUPA @
Wanaruah art exhibition
in July.
It is a major coup for 18
year old Stuart Berends who
only took up painting last year
when Cessnock Aboriginal
artist Les Elvin visited his
school to run a range of
cultural activities during
NAIDOC Week.
The Coal & Allied Aboriginal
Development Consultative
Committee has provided
$500 to help support Stuarts
artworks at the WUPA @
Wanaruah art exhibition.
“Indigenous painting
is something I’ve always
loved and I use it as a way to
express myself,” Stuart said.
“I’ve sold a few paintings
and I’ve been involved in some
community events before,
which I’ve really enjoyed.
“I’m starting to get a bit more
exposure now through the
Amway exhibition and now the
upcoming WUPA @ Wanaruah.
“I would never have
imagined that so many people
would be interested in my art
so it’s really an exciting time
for me.”
Stuart was approached
by the exhibition organisers
after they were impressed by
his artwork at an event for a
delegation of Chinese business
people earlier this year.
“I’m going to use the money
to purchase the materials
I’ll need to prepare up to 10
paintings for the exhibition,”
Stuart said.
1 | Left to right (see page 2) –
Debbie Cooke (MTW), Pat Quinn
(Historical Society President), Ann
Quinn (Historical Society), Jane
Nowlan (Historical Society), Errol
Bailey (HVO).
2 | Stuart Berends at a Coal & Allied
and Newcastle Knights community
event held last year in Singleton
where he encouraged young children
to try their hand at Indigenous
mural painting.
3 | Left to right: Nicole Highett
(Midwife), Sharon Schilling (HVO),
Vivien Franklin (MTW), Gail Kane
(Nursing Unit Manager), Anne
Baker (Midwife).
Freecall 1800 727 745 | 127 John Street Singleton | 19 Bridge Street Muswellbrook | www.coalandallied.com.au
Exploration studies
3
Coal & Allied is committed
to a long term future in
the Hunter Valley and, like
many other producers, holds
exploration licences outside
of its existing operations.
One of these, Exploration
Licence 5291 which includes
land to the east of the
Hunter Valley Operations
site, was recently renewed by
Industry & Investment NSW.
To satisfy the conditions
of this licence, Coal &
Allied plans to undertake
studies such as drilling
and environmental and
cultural heritage surveys
in coming months to
better understand the coal
resource in this area.
While Coal & Allied intends
to follow this process to
meet the conditions of the
Exploration Licence, this
work will inform our longterm
planning and does
not necessarily indicate any
mining activity will occur.
We are currently
undertaking exploration
studies on land we own
to the south of the Hunter
Valley Operations site,
including part of Mining
Lease 1634.
An aerial survey is also
planned in late June,
primarily over Coal & Allied’s
tenements at Mount Thorley
Warkworth and the south –
eastern side of Hunter Valley
Operations.
To find out more drop
into our shopfront at 127
John Street, Singleton or
freecall 1800 727 745.

4
Contributing to native fish habitat project
Mount Thorley Warkworth has joined
forces with other local mines to support
a Department of Trade & Investment,
Regional Infrastructure & Services project
to improve native fish habitat and river
bank stability in the Upper Hunter River.
More than 500 logs from Mount
Thorley Warkworth and BHP Billiton’s Mt
Arthur mine were used to build ten new
engineered “log jams” on Anglo Coal’s
Dartbrook site, near Muswellbrook.
Department of Trade & Investment,
Regional Infrastructure & Services
Conservation Manager, Kylie Russell,
said the logs were wedged into the bank
and held in place by piles driven into the
river bed.
“The log jams will assist in stabilising
eroding river banks at the site and
enhance fish habitat for native species
such as Australian bass and mullet,”
Kylie said.
“We hope the log jams will give native
fish a better fighting chance against
pest species such as carp, resulting in an
increase in populations in the river.
“These structures are designed to be
able to withstand large floods, with some
of the logs weighing over two tonnes each.”
Coal & Allied Industries Limited
Level 3 - West Tower, 410 Ann
Street, Brisbane 4000 Australia
Visit our shopfronts:
127 John Street, Singleton
19 Bridge Street, Muswellbrook
Freecall 1800 727 745
www.coalandallied.com.au
Mount Thorley Warkworth
Environmental Coordinator Rob Carter
said Coal & Allied was pleased to support
this important environmental project.
“We were able to provide a supply
of logs that were the right size for this
work and transport them to the site to be
used,” Rob said.
“While these logs would usually have
been mulched and incorporated into
topsoils for use in rehabilitation area
plantings, we’re pleased to be able to put
them to another project that also offers
good environmental outcomes.”
Kylie said funds from the NSW
Recreational Fishing Trust and the
Australian and NSW Governments
through the Hunter-Central Rivers
Catchment Management Authority
were used to complete the works, which
were managed by Department of Trade
& Investment, Regional Infrastructure
& Services and constructed by the river
works crew of the Land and Property
Management Service.
“This is the third stage of a project
that is designed to improve fish habitat
in the Upper Hunter River,” Kylie said.
“This project has resulted in nine
fish hotels and 15 engineered log jams
installed over the past two years in
neighbouring river reaches.”
Pictured:
Below left, A log jam being constructed.
Below right, A completed log jam.
Mount Thorley Warkworth
Community Consultative Committee
Cr Alison Howlett 0423 248 586
Cr Godfrey Adamthewaite 6573 4084
Bruce Russell 6574 6501
Carol Russell 6574 6501
Stewart Mitchell 6574 5152
Susan Timbury 6571 2353
Peter Cooke 6775 9155
Adrian Gallagher 6574 5100
John Krey
Coal & Allied representatives
6574 5376
Cam Halfpenny 6570 1502
Andrew Speechly 6570 0494
Robert Carter 6570 1534
Men shed the fear
about their health
Coal & Allied was proud to support the
Men’s Shed Expo coming to Maitland
and committed $5000 through its
Community Development Fund.
The investment was on top of a $5500
donation to the Singleton Men’s Shed
Project from Coal & Allied’s Hunter
Valley Operations.
Coal & Allied Principal Community
Investment Stephen Sneddon said
the company was pleased to support
a project to help improve the health
and wellbeing of males in the
Hunter Valley.
“Men’s Sheds are a great initiative that
recognises the difficulties many males
face in talking about personal and
sensitive matters like their health,”
Stephen said.
“Men’s Sheds are helping to break
down these barriers by providing a
social environment where they can
feel productive and can spend some
time on their wellbeing.
“While Men’s Sheds are available
to males of all ages, they may be
particularly valuable for those
thinking about retiring or who have
already retired.
“By volunteering their skills to work
on useful and meaningful projects,
these men will continue to play a
highly valuable role in the community
and keep active.”
Hunter Valley Operations
Community Consultative Committee
Cr Sue Moore 4938 1712
Cr Paul Nichols 6576 4029
Phillip Holz 6574 6242
Gail Hunter 0419 247 151
Jeffrey Neal 0427 019 432
Charilie Shearer 6572 1701
Ian Beal
Dr Neville Hodkinson
Coal & Allied representatives
6572 3596
Tom Lukeman 6570 0273
Paul Ernst 6570 0273
Andrew Speechly 6570 0494
Sarah Poynton 6570 0376
Jennifer Bowcock 6549 0506 Jennifer Bowcock 6549 0506
Freecall 1800 727 745 | 127 John Street Singleton | 19 Bridge Street Muswellbrook | www.coalandallied.com.au