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News, Project Highlights and Events
Portland Aluminium 'Making the Link' Highlights
2008
Portland Aluminium 'Making the Link' highlights...
2008
May - PA Employees help to create a Cultural Learning Centre
Getting together to help the Koorie Cultural Studies Centre get some well needed maintenance
Corporate-community volunteering is alive and well in Portland with Portland Aluminium volunteers making a difference at the Portland Secondary College-based Koorie Cultural Studies Centre (KCSC).
Portland Secondary College, in partnership with Bundarra Primary School, are developing a KCSC to strengthen partnerships with traditional land owners and the broader indigenous community. The centre will provide a rich and rewarding educational experience for students, teachers and the community alike.
A building had been allocated to house the centre but was in need of maintenance, including sanding, painting and setting up with equipment. Baclinks Project Officer,
Ms Carol Stewart said that the project gave PA employees "...a sense of pride and history and build on their knowledge around the culture of our Indigenous history as they helped to do their bit to restore the centre".
Principal of the Portland Secondary College, Mrs Toni Burgoyne explained that the KCSC aimed to foster Indigenous cultural expression through the creation of an interactive and interpretive centre of language, song, dance and visual arts.
“Our mission is to ensure the continued development and study of global and local indigenous cultures for our students and our community”, said Ms Burgoyne.
Mr John Osborne, Portland Aluminium Operations Manager, stated helping out with maintenance at the KCSC was " a fantastic opportunity to broaden the community’s knowledge around indigenous customs and philosophies".
“At PA we have a strong relationship with the local indigenous community and we are thrilled to be a part of bringing the Cultural Centre to fruition, it is a great concept and one that will enrich many people’s lives.” he said.
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April - Portland Aluminium and BacLinks Work the Walk
PA volunteers take a well earned break at Bill's Walk
Portland Aluminium Volunteers teamed with the Friends of the Great South West Walk (GSWW) to reconstruct a boardwalk on the reknowned Bill’s Walk, approximately 1.5km north of the smelter.
The 250km long GSWW provides an excellent opportunity to explore the fascinating variety of scenery and wildlife in South West Victoria. Led by Gordon Page and facilitated by Bill Golding, the Friends of the GSWW work all year round maintaining the GSWW tracks, flora and fauna. Ten PA volunteers worked alongside Gordon and Bill to complete the labour intensive replacement of the old boardwalk, which is at present difficult to walk on due to the rotting boards, steep terrain and soft soil.
Mr Alvin Cram, Marketing Manager of the Friends of the GSWW, described the 250km long GSWW as hosting a fascinating variety of scenery, wildlife and other important historical sites. “The particular section that the Portland Aluminium volunteers worked on overlooks Dutton Creek and is thought to be the first European waterhole after Sorrento.”
He went on to say that working on this project will give PA volunteers an opportunity to get outdoors, get their hands dirty, get in touch with the local environment and learn abour its history.
Carol Stewart, BacLinks Project Officer, said “The Bill’s Walk project enabled important maintenance work to go ahead and gave a significant physical and psychological boost to the year-long hard working Friends of the GSWW, as well as broadening their sphere of influence within the community".
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March - PA volunteers help set up 'Cats'
Setting up ready for the musical 'Cats'
Around ten Portland Aluminium (PA) volunteers swapped their typical dawork day for the buzz of assisting to set up for the CATS Musical.
Music Glenelg presented CATS , a major Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, involving three local ballet schools and a cast of 120, as part of its ‘Take Note Concert Series’.
Mr Graeme Firth, Event Coordinator, Music Glenelg, was "...delighted that the Portland Community came together to enable this performance to come to Portland. The CATS musical required a tremendous amount of planning and resources and could not be possible without assistance from the community".
The project included unloading and erecting the stage within the Civic Hall, placing scenery and props into position ready for cast familiarisation, setting up seating and many other tasks necessary in the “bumping in” of a musical.
John Osborne, Portland Aluminium Operations Manager said, “Music Glenelg gains the assistance of corporate volunteers and Portland Aluminium employees get to work out side their normal duties on worthwhile community projects.”
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February - Portland Aluminium Volunteers Dig In For The Community
Portland Aluminium volunteers erecting the fence to enclose the garden beds
Portland South Primary School has gained a Community Garden thanks to Portland Aluminium employee volunteers.
The project commenced with the employee volunteers erecting a fence and gate to create a 12m square garden area with garden beds for each class, as well as others for members of the community.
The Community Garden Project will function as a community facility, benefiting both students and community members, especially those who may be unable to maintain a garden at their own home.
Portland South Portland Primary School Principal Ms Marg Millard believes the project will enhance the school’s curriculum.
“The Community Garden is being created to equip the students with practical experiences and skills for life such as healthy eating, sustainable habits and how to contribute to the community,” Ms Millard said.
Portland Aluminium Operations Manager John Osborne said that the Making the Link Program is about investing in the capacity of the local community.
“Schools are an essential community resource and our children are the future leaders of our community, so Portland Aluminium enthusiastically supports meaningful projects such as this,” Mr Osborne said.
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January - 'Making The LInk' Makes A Splash In 2008!
Portland Aluminium employee volunteers at the swim meet
Ten Portland Aluminium employees volunteered all round support at the Victorian Country Long Course Swimming Championships at the start of 2008.
The Portland Swimming Club was proud to be given the honour of hosting this event which saw up to 550 competitors and around 1200 support people. David Shiels, President of the Portland and South West District Swimming Association, believed there were many commercial benefits for the town, stating “It was great to see Portland Aluminium support the local swimming clubs and their members, who got to shine in their local facilities in front of a home crowd”.
“The Portland swimming club is highly regarded by other swimming clubs and has achieved a great deal of success over the years, including state champions and a recent ‘top 10 in age group nationally’, said John Osborne, Operations Manager, Portland Aluminium. “This project gave Portland Aluminium the opportunity to express our values and our commitment to supporting safe and healthy communities where our employees live and work”.
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