Masks for Ballarat Health Services

03/04/2020

Ballarat Gold Mine has donated 3000 face masks to Ballarat Base Hospital to help keep this important community service safe.

Ballarat Gold Mine’s Health & Safety Manager Leigh Searle said: “We understand that we are fortunate to be able to continue operations and our priority is the health and safety of our people, their families and their local communities. Donating the supplies that we can to Ballarat Health Services is a direct way to support our community.”

The masks donated will be utilised in the Ballarat Base Hospital Emergency Department and COVID-19 Fever Clinic to protect their front-line staff. They are currently using around 800 – 1000 per day and indicated that the supply donated by Ballarat Gold Mine will provide them with additional days of protection in this battle against COVID-19. Every day counts and they are extremely thankful for our company’s assistance. Leigh also thanked Ballarat Gold Mine (on behalf of his wife – a health worker at Ballarat Health Services) for their donation of face masks to BHS. He said, “BHS are extremely grateful and indicated that these items are in short supply. Every mask donated will protect her colleagues, our community and my family”.

The safe continuation of Ballarat Gold Mine’s operations maintains regional jobs and supports the local economy – more than 80% of our suppliers are in regional Victoria.

 

Another Eureka Moment

Ballarat Gold Mine Gold Mining

19/02/2020

A 2.75 per cent royalty on gold extracted in the state officially kicked in on January 1, 2020.  

Today, the state government voted to stay firm with the tax after Shadow Treasurer Louise Staley put forward a “disallowance motion” in the Legislative Council to put the buffers on the tax.

Ballarat Gold Mine sent a group of staff to Parliament today to present their case and to hear the decision on the controversial gold royalty. They joined fellow gold miners from across the state.

Ballarat Gold Mine’s Bill Reid said, “He was extremely disappointed with the government’s decision.’’

The mine produces about 40,000 ounces of gold per year, putting it far above the 2,500 ounce production at which the new royalty kicks in. Mr Reid added, “We do not oppose a royalty in principle, but have pushed strongly for measures to soften the impact, including allowing exploration costs to be offset.”

It is estimated the royalty will cost the Ballarat mine around $ 2million each year. The mine employs around 160 direct employees as well as a large number of contract workers and over 100 local suppliers. If impacts from the tax have a negative effect on the business, it has the potential to have a big impact on all of us.

Mr Reid said, ‘’Ballarat Gold Mine will continue to work towards a viable mining operation that will prevent the loss of well paid, highly skilled jobs in the area.”

Bright Blue Reminder

MINERS and their colleagues at Ballarat Gold Mine are encouraged to help share their load with each other and talk.

The Mount Clear site now has a bright blue haul truck as a constant reminder.

Mining Manager, Darren Watkins said “Every day in this country, approximately six men and two women take their own life with many more thinking about it. Today is about how we can help each other through some of the hard times”.

Building on their Employee Assistance Program, Ballarat Gold Mine is working on developing and maintaining a mentally healthy and supportive workplace. With assistance from Dan Hunt of Mental Health Movement, they have delivered education workshops to all employees and contractors – taking participants through the awareness, education, support, management and resilience of mental health, mental illness & suicide.

Mr Hunt said, “We have been working with the Ballarat Gold Mine over the past 18 months. The workforce has been fantastic and have fully embraced the program. Everyone onsite now has some knowledge of how to better manage their own mental health, how to better support a fellow worker, friend or loved one and they know that it is not weakness to seek support but strength. A massive thank you to Leigh Searle, Health and Safety Manager – the work he has championed us to do shows how much he and the company care about their people.” 

Jacob Redpath, Workshop Leading Hand said, “I welcome this positive initiative from the company and their willingness to step outside the box to support the needs of their workforce. The blue haul truck is a working truck in the mine and will stand out as a constant reminder to us all about the need to support each other.”

Additional Mental Health Response Training is now underway for 25% of the workforce which includes volunteers who will become Mental Health Peer Support Champions, to provide mental health support to fellow work mates.

Ballarat Gold Mine employs 161 staff and 76 contractors at their site in Woolshed Gully, Mt Clear.

Multiculturalism Support

20/10/2019

Ballarat Gold Mine supports various projects that support social and cultural vibrancy in the regional city. On 18-19, October 2019 this included sponsoring the gala dinner during the Interkultura Ballarat soccer tournament. 
 
Hosted by the Ballarat Regional Multicultural Council and the Ballarat City Football Club, the event brought together more than 150 players from 12 Victorian ethnic communities as well as spectators from across the city and surrounding areas.  The event was capped with the gala dinner, attended by 350 guests and featuring stories about sport, football and connection.
 
Ballarat Gold Mine welcomed the opportunity to support community-led efforts to build cultural understanding and celebrate cultural diversity.

 

When old meets new

June 2019

Ballarat Gold Mine typically works well below the original historic mine shafts.  Recently our activities took us just below and into the historic New Normanby Mine, where we found remnant timbers used for ground support in the early 1900’s. This was a fabulous opportunity to see the old timbers in their original site 460 metres below the surface.

These timbers were returned to the surface and can now be seen while visiting Sovereign Hill Museum on a tour of their mine site.

Robogals

June 2019

Ballarat Gold Mine hosted Robogals — a team of ten university students from Melbourne, Monash and RMIT. The aim was to encourage engineering students to look at alternative careers as part of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). BGM employs mechanical, chemical, structural, geotechnical and mining engineers. The students were shown how a working mine operates and the many opportunities for careers the mining sector offers.

The team then ran workshops for Grades 3 to 6 at Dana Street Primary School, Urquhart Park Primary School and Lumen Christi Primary School.