When the Bureau of Meteorology warns that “it doesn’t get any worse than that” you just hope that the cyclone heading your way takes a detour.
Thankfully for Port Hedland that was the case when Cyclone Zelia, a category five with winds of around 290km/h crossed the coast short of the town.
There was damage from rain and wind, but no injuries. The port was closed for three days, and that will come at a cost that is still to be calculated.
The threat of cyclones is ever present; Port Hedland residents know that but I’m glad the town escaped relatively unscathed this time.
A minor inconvenience was that our first Community Industry Forum for the year had to be rescheduled, but I enjoyed my time in town one week later than originally planned.
Again, there were some excellent presentations, including from our industry members on their social investment programs. You can access all the information on PHIC member community grants on the PHIC website. PHIC members will attend the Town of Port Hedland Grants Expo on 26 March with all the information you need to access their programs.
There has been some movement in PHIC membership. PHIC welcomes Port Hedland Iron (PHI) as a new member. PHI is a greenfields large-scale downstream iron ore processing facility proposed at the Boodarie Strategic Industrial Area near Port Hedland.
PHI is a joint venture between POSCO (Korea), Marubeni Corporation (Japan) and China Steel Corporation (Taiwan) and aims to produce green iron in Australia for use in green steel production overseas, where hydrogen eventually replaces coal and natural gas throughout the production process.
I look forward to hearing more of their plans for the project and we’ll extend an invitation for them to address the CIF as soon as possible.
Red Hawk Mining is now a part of Fortescue. While their time with us was short and sweet we wish them well in their future endeavours.
Chief Executive Officer Steven Michael said: “While Red Hawk has only been a member of PHIC for a short period of time, I think it’s been invaluable for us as a company and for me personally to be part of this organisation. It has given me a much greater insight into the issues affecting Port Hedland and has shown that there are people prepared to work hard to address the tough topics.”
Long-term member Sandfire Resources finished exporting copper from Utah Point more than 18 months ago but chose to stay a PHIC member to take advantage of the outstanding knowledge sharing and best practice information that assists them with their offshore assets.
They will now continue to turn their attention overseas and we bid them farewell from PHIC in the new financial year.
Congratulations to Roy Hill employee Krystal Findlay, winner of the outstanding trade category in the Chamber of Minerals and Energy’s Women in Resources Awards.
Krystal, who grew up in Port Hedland, is the Superintendent of Port Production at Roy Hill and led initiatives to improve efficiency and safety helping her to achieve a record 64Mt shipped in 2024.
Krystal’s story is another example of the talent that we have in the Port Hedland community.
PHIC Business and Community Manager Chantel Cullen attended the Port Hedland Chamber of Commerce’s International Women’s Day lunch this year. It featured presentations from two impressive women in resources, Jacinta Barnett, General Manager Operations Dampier Salt, and Chamber of Minerals and Energy Chief Executive Officer Rebecca Tomkinson, and how they overcame adversity in their strive for careers they love.
The Pilbara has offered huge opportunities for people who work hard to be a part of this chapter in its history.
PHIC’s collaborative environmental initiatives continue to grow and enable members to work together to guard, protect and enhance the local marine and land environment. Recently receiving the first consultant report for the Port Hedland Marine Quality Environment Monitoring Program under the collaborative PHIC banner, members have been able to observe any shifts in the marine environment and together, ensure excellent outcomes.
The first round of the Greater Port Hedland Vertebrate Pest Management Program for 2025 kicks off in April and we look forward to seeing those trends continue to show increases in native fauna and a decline in predators in the area.
This program continues to grow through expansion of treatment areas with original members and taking on new tenements and stakeholders.
It is truly an amazing example of working together in Port Hedland.