On October 24, government representatives came together with the hardworking people that power our industry to celebrate at the NSW Mining Annual Parliamentary Dinner.

The Hon. Courtney Houssos MLC, Minister for Finance, Minister for Domestic Manufacturing and Government Procurement, and Minister for Natural Resources was the special guest of an evening that was all about celebrating our industry and all the people and businesses that help it to thrive.

NSW Minerals Council CEO Stephen Galilee said it was great to see so many Ministers, Shadow Ministers and other important Members of Parliament in attendance.

“It’s a demonstration of a broad recognition across the Parliament of the role and contribution of our industry,” he said.

A highlight of the night was the announcement of the winners of the 2024 HSEC People’s Choice Award and the 2024 Outstanding Contribution to Mining Award. Congratulations to Dreampath and Steph Loader!

PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD – DREAMPATH RECRUITMENT

Dreampath Recruitment is on a winning run in 2024, being recognised by the industry for the second time this year.

The program won the Community Excellence Award at NSW Mining’s Health, Safety, Environment and Community Awards earlier this year and can now add the People’s Choice Award to the collection.

“We’re really proud, it was a pleasant surprise to pick up the Community Excellence Award and we’re so proud of that but to then receive an email to say we’d won the People’s Choice Award, we’re really grateful and so proud of what we’ve established,” said Dreampath Business Development Manager and Newcastle Knights Old Boy Kurt Gidley.

“It’s been a lot of hard work from the whole team at Dreampath.

“We’re hoping that next year will be even bigger and better.”

Dreampath started in 2023 in Muswellbrook. It’s a partnership between Blackrock Industries and Protech Group and by the end of the year, just 18 months after opening, will have seen 51 potential Indigenous employees go through its pre-employment program.

The pre-employment program takes recruits through a Two Week Pre-Employment Mining Program that includes time in the classroom with Head Trainer Robyn learning the industry expectations and what generally happens on a mine site before they head in to put what they’ve learnt to the test in the simulator.

Kurt said the program they take students through is different, and it works.

“The business invested in a state-of-the-art ThoroughTec Mine Simulator, and recently we have developed and purchased new coal mine specific software that is going to take the simulator and training to a whole new level!

“We also use an interactive sandpit as a training tool to teach the various ways to back under a digger and if there’s a breakdown of machinery how to pass around them safely.

“It’s a great pathway for our candidates. We prepare them as best we can for their first day on site to ensure when they arrive on site, they are competent and confident.”

Dreampath wouldn’t have been able to achieve all it has without the strong support of MACH Energy Mount Pleasant Operation’s Aboriginal Community Development Fund (ACDF).

MACH Energy Mount Pleasant Operation External Relations Manager Ngaire Baker said they are extremely proud to support Dreampath and just as proud to be one of the first sites to take trainees on board when they started.

“Investing across community and business initiatives we have committed funding towards local programs and continue to oversee commitments relating to the ACDF and welcome the opportunity this provides for us to make a meaningful contribution to sustainability and well-being of Aboriginal communities in the Upper Hunter Valley.

“If it were easy everyone would do it, and Dreampath have worked hard to create what they have for people wanting to break into the industry with confidence.”

Steven Fordham, Managing Director of Blackrock on accepting the award: “We had a crazy idea and it’s paid off. We spent five years travelling Australia and looking at some amazing programs and we used what we learnt to create something that is really working. We talk about female participation; our program is at 56% female participation. We are above the average, and we are kicking goals. “None of this would be possible without our amazing clients, especially MACH Energy Mount Pleasant Operation. I want to shout out Chris Ferdinand, Michael Redman and the biggest shoutout to Ngaire Baker, one of the amazing leaders of our industry who always goes above and beyond. Thank you to Thiess who have given us multiple opportunities, and lastly Cam Halfpenny and his team at Bengalla who have been a huge support. “Throughout this process we have always said this is an industry where we are all fishing out of the same pond. But at Dreampath Recruitment we are building a dam and filling it full of our own fish.”

OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO MINING – STEPHANIE LOADER

After spending many years in the coal and critical minerals industry, not only here in Australia but also overseas, Steph Loader is more than deserving of the Outstanding Contribution to Mining Award for everything she has contributed over the years.

“I must admit I laughed when they called me! I thought, this is ridiculous, but it is such a huge honour to be recognised.”

Steph grew up in Perth and began her career as an exploration geologist in Western Australia. She didn’t stay put for long, spending 18 years working in seven countries across four continents.

“I worked for four years in Laos as part of the discovery team for the Khanong copper deposit. That is now fully mined out, so it was very exciting to be a part of a discovery that early in my career.

“Then I went over to South America for another four years doing a combination of greenfield exploration and resource evaluation and then I spent a couple of years in Canada working at a diamond mine right at the pointy end dealing with the gemstones in the diamond processing facility. That was quite technical, specialist work. 

“Then I went to London and worked in the Rio Tinto CEO’s office there supporting the executive committee and as exploration executive. After a few years there I went to India working on a diamond deposit there,” Steph reflected.

The diamond deposit in India was the Bunder diamond project. Stef worked on the development of that project including the signing of a landmark development agreement with the State of Madhya Pradesh in support of the project.

When Steph came back home to Australia, she took on the role of Managing Director of the Northparkes Copper and Gold Mine. When she took on the job the mine was owned by Rio Tino, and she transformed the business to be one of the lowest cost copper producers globally while also managing the transition of ownership to CMOC in 2013-14.

“I was looking after everything from exploration to marketing, I had never run an operation or a business before so I was appointed because of potential not because of established capability.”

That is something that Steph wants to specially make a point of with her recent award win: you don’t necessarily need experience in the job you’re applying for when you have the potential to do the job – and do the job well.

“One of the things that I would like to see happen more is instead of looking for someone with the full resume of experience, we look for people with potential and we provide them with the appropriate support to be successful.”

Steph has brought her range of skills and years of experience into several Chairperson and board roles since being back in Australia as well.

She was the Chair of the NSW Minerals Council from 2015 to 2017 after serving on the Board as Deputy Chair for two years. Steph is also a part of the Forestry Corporation of NSW Board as the Chair and Non-Executive Director, she is the Lead Independent Non-Executive Director for Sunrise Energy Metals and currently the Chairperson of Port Waratah Coal Services.

“Rather than being wholly focused on one business, I can now be across multiple businesses and I am able to contribute at a different level. I can look at that strategic long term vision which I find really rewarding. It enables you to spend your time thinking about the big issues.

“We need all these people in the industry, people who are doing what I do as well as companies leading from the front. We all play a valuable role in the development of the industry and advocacy. Just because I’m not on the front line doesn’t mean I don’t have conversations and advocate for things in various forums.”

Steph on accepting the award: “I want to thank the people who have been part of my life, particularly here in NSW. It’s quite lonely being in charge and it is always great to have people who you can trust to listen to you, who mentor you, advise you, and who trust you to be their leader.  “My career has been a number of firsts which is a reflection of when I started. There wasn’t that many women around and there wasn’t that many women willing to take on a whole bunch of different roles. I’ve worked in everything from greenfield exploration through to operations and now into governance. I would be appointed and there would always be the word ‘first’. “Someone took a chance on me and said she’s got potential. They gave me an opportunity to lead and if there is one thing to take away, that is hiring on potential is the key to diversifying the experience and types of thinkers we have in our industry.”