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MAY 2012HEDLAND’S COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER

The Youth Involvement Council’s (YIC) education program for disengaged youth just got a whole lot ‘deadlier’ with the opening on 23 March of their new Education Centre at the YIC premises on Lawson Street, South Hedland.

Previously a shared office space for YIC staff, the building has been totally refurbished through funding from the Royalties for Regions program and a host of supporters from the community, who provided materials and volunteered time to bring the Education Centre to life.

With the Centre complete and the recent move of youth services providers, including YIC and YMCA, to the JD Hardie Centre, YIC will be able to expand their innovative and highly successful special education program designed to re-integrate

at-risk kids into the formal education system.

BHP Billiton Iron Ore has generously supported YIC’s education program, which is a major initiative run in close collaboration with South Hedland Primary School (SHPS), Hedland Senior High School (HSHS) and the Department of Education. It targets kids aged 8-12 years old who are becoming disengaged from school or have poor attendance records.

YIC Manager, Vicki-Tree Stephens, said it is a pivotal transitional program to ensure that kids are making the most of the education opportunities that Hedland has to offer.

“The years around the transition to high school are the most important in terms of ensuring that kids stay in school,” she said.

“Since 2010, we have employed a fully-qualified teacher to work with disengaged kids in town through our ‘Ready Steady Be Deadly’ attendance program. Combined with a bus service provided by YIC to get kids to SHPS, the program has proved really effective in keeping kids excited about school.”

The new education centre will allow YIC to expand its education program, with the Deadly Dreams program, which aims to improve the literacy of disengaged youth to a point where they feel confident enough to participate in secondary school, starting in Term 2. The HSHS engagement class and behaviour centre will be a key to helping this happen.

For more information on YIC’s programs, please contact Vicki-Tree Stevens on 9140 1272.

YIC Educator Lisa McMillan now delivers the ‘Ready

Steady Be Deadly’ program from the new education centre at Lawson Street.

Hedland’s long-awaited Multi Purpose Recreation Centre is nearly complete. For the last few years the Town of Port Hedland, BHP Billiton Iron Ore and the State Government have been working together to bring to fruition a world-class recreation centre in the heart of Hedland.With completion nearly upon us, it’s time to reveal some of the fantastic features of what will undoubtedly prove to be one of Hedland’s biggest drawcards for residents and visitors into the future. The $32 million venue includes a 24-hour gym, two squash courts, a crèche, outdoor netball courts, club change rooms and a function facility for 200 people. The keystone of the facility is the international standard indoor sports court, with raised grandstands for a real stadium feel.

Manager Recreation Services and Facilities at the Town of Port Hedland, Graeme Hall, believes that the facility will be great for the Hedland community.

“This is honestly the best-finished recreation centre I’ve ever seen,” he enthused.

“The look, the quality of the finish and the design are amazing. The facility also cements this part of town as Hedland’s sporting precinct, nestled in between Kevin Scott Oval, the netball courts and tennis club.”

The Centre will offer a new, improved and wider range of leisure options, with more fitness classes, more children’s programs and more sporting activities available for the community to enjoy. Look out for information on the opening events.

WWW.HEDLINES.COM.AUHEDLAND’S COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER

The new and vibrant Hedland Youth Zone, (also known as the JD Hardie Centre), recently hosted the Slam 3-on-3 competition, a pilot youth basketball program run by the Town of Port Hedland. The program ran in February and March on Fridays from 6.30 – 9.45pm, and had an average of 50 young people rocking down to challenge each other on the hoops. Modelled loosely on the national Midnight Basketball program, The Slam offered a positive and empowering activity to Hedland’s kids between the ages of 10-16 years. Teams of three were formed and competed in 15-minute round-robin contests. Separate girls and boys competitions were held.

The Youth Involvement Council worked alongside the Town of Port Hedland providing a free feed and a ride home to participants, using their Mingle Mob buses.

Town of Port Hedland Sport and Recreation Officer, Sarah Perkins, said that basketball is an enormously popular sport in Hedland, attracting huge turnouts whenever programs are run.

“It has always been an aspiration of the Council to have a regular basketball competition in town. We hope through the success of this program that a formal association will be formed,” she said.

“The program was really successful, with many people volunteering their time as umpires and score keepers, including one of the Active Lifestyle Coordinators from the ESS FIFO camps, who heard about the program and came down to help out.”

The Town of Port Hedland hopes to run The Slam competitions in the future, so watch this space for news on other dates. If you’d like any information on the program, please contact Sarah on 9158 9651.

Playing under the bright lights of the

Hedland Youth Zone.

North West Festival is coming to Port Hedland on 18 August featuring Hill Top Hoods and lots of other great bands. The event, managed by Sunset Events for the Town of Port Hedland, is supported by BHP Billiton Iron Ore and Atlas Iron. Check out www.northwestfestival.com.au for more information.

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Principal partners in the funding of the Multi

Purpose Recreation Centre have a sneak peek of the Centre.

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21-year old Brad started volunteering at the Matt Dann Centre when he was 11. Now employed as Production Coordinator, Brad produces events, live shows and theatre productions at the Centre, and is responsible for programming all shows.

Brad, a former President of the Hedland Youth Leadership Coalition, has been involved in arts and music in Hedland long enough to know how central a vibrant arts and music culture is for a community to thrive.

“This is a really important time for Hedland as it’s evolving and growing so much; it’s a really integral time for young people to be in town,” he said.

“For Hedland to continue to attract families to town there has to be plenty on offer in the way of entertainment, and music and the arts is so

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Brad performing with ‘Still Waiting’ at the

Australasian Battle of the Bands competition

in Sydney.

Born and bred in Hedland, nominated for Australian of the Year in 2009, and winner in 2008 and 2011 of the Active Citizenship Award at the Town of Port Hedland’s Australia Day ceremonies, Brad Holder is a shining example of the type of person that a town like Hedland is able to produce.

In the midst of all the changes happening in the South Hedland Town Centre, you might be wondering what plans are in

store for the skate park. Since mid-2011, consultations have been undertaken with youth and businesses on ideas for the

future of the park. Over 400 young people had their say, with workshops held at the South Hedland skate park, in schools

and at the YIC Lawson Street Centre.

important in this. It’s great that growth in the arts is happening.

“From my time at the Matt Dann, I can say that we’re doing three or four times the number of events we were doing a few years ago, and we’re getting much more happening in the way of visiting musicians and performers.”

Brad himself plays an active part in this, having organised free bands to play at ‘Sunday Sessions in the Park’, running his own audio and lighting business outside of his role at the Matt Dann, and performing in his own band, Still Waiting. They recently competed in the Australasian Battle of the Bands in Sydney, where they were placed in the top 15 out of 800 bands from Australia, New Zealand and Asia – quite an achievement!

The verdict was unanimous. A brand new skate park should be developed next to the redeveloped South Hedland Aquatic Centre and the newly-completed amphitheatre. This will be an opportunity to provide a wide-ranging outdoor space for the town’s residents and youth.

The master plan for the skatepark has been developed, and plans will be incorporated into a broader master plan for the total community space. The current skatepark will remain, as will events run at the park by YIC and Wirraka Maya, until the detailed designs and construction is completed for the new facility.

The development of the new skate park is being funded through a partnership between the Town of Port Hedland, BHP Billiton Iron Ore, the State Government through Royalties for Regions and the Pilbara Development Commission and LandCorp.

For further information on the skatepark relocation, please contact Veronica Clarke at the Town of Port Hedland at ccdc@porthedland.wa.gov.au

Photo courtesy of Wade Trevean from

Convic Design.

HEDLAND’S COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER WWW.HEDLINES.COM.AU

With the help of BHP Billiton Iron Ore’s Community Grants Program, the Hedland BMX Club has started upgrading its facilities to continue to provide great opportunities for those keen participants in an exciting and healthy pass time.

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$%33')-*%33*,!3%6!,14The Relay for Life challenge is fast approaching and the Pilbara Committee is calling for participants in this year’s event, to be held on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 August. Relay for Life is a great opportunity for community members to come together to celebrate cancer survivors, remember loved ones lost and fight back against cancer. The event is not only an amazing day of fun for family and friends – with musicians, performers, school choirs, dance groups and play groups providing entertainment on the day – but is a crucial way people can raise funds for the Cancer Council.Denise Bevins, Chairperson for Relay for Life Pilbara, said that the event was a fun way of raising money for an organisation as important as the Cancer Council.

“Last year’s event saw 10 teams raise $67,000 for the Cancer Council. All the money raised stays in WA and helps provide support to people in regional areas,” she said.

“We had two local artists, a DJ who kept the music going for 24 hours, Zumba girls and ‘midnight madness’ games. This year’s event is going to be even bigger and better!”

Last year’s teams got creative with their fundraising activities, including a group of secondary students who ran a car wash and held a movie night at the Matt Dann Cultural Centre. The team that raised the most money from last year, ‘Howrie and the Maoris’, held a hangi and auction at the Finucane Island Club that raised over $10,000. Apart from starting or joining a Relay team, people can also get involved in Relay for Life by providing in-kind support or volunteering their time on the day or in the lead-up to the event. People who have been personally touched by cancer are especially welcome to become involved. To register a team or to find out more information on starting a team, assisting at the event or joining the Pilbara Committee, please contact Committee Chairperson, Denise Bevins on 0437 059 869 or email the Teams Coordinator on Jacque@trevellengineering.com.

We’ve all passed the BMX track on Anderson Street, but Hedland’s residents might not know much about the history of this local club. Established in the BMX heyday of the mid 80s with 50 riders, the Club is still as popular today, with a strong rider and membership base 27 years later.

Offering something for all ages, riders currently range between five and 50 years plus. The Hedland club hosts a round of the North West Championships each year where, at the last event, the first lap saw three generations on the track - Alfie Hiddlestone, a former president, his son and four-year old grandson.

Club Vice-President, Alison Purvis, spoke about the community feel of being part of a club in Hedland.

“Sporting clubs in Hedland rely on one another,” she said.

“We help out with fundraising for other clubs and volunteer at their sporting events around town. The Hedland BMX Club doesn’t have the staff to run the North West Championships alone, so other clubs return the favour and help us.”

Assisted by a generous grant through BHP Billiton Iron Ore’s Community Grants Program, the Club has ensured that it can improve facilities until its eventual relocation to a new site, currently proposed to be at McGregor Street. The grant is part of a major upgrade project which is seeing the Club replace its old, well-worn track as well as purchasing a new clubhouse.

“You need really good dirt for a great track,” Alison explained.

“The Pindan red dirt is the best, and we’ve had 46 truckloads delivered for the rebuilding of the track. We’ve also had huge community support in putting the track together – so far we have clocked up 314 volunteer hours by adults and 38 hours by the kids.

“We have also had phenomenal support from local organisations for the upgrade to our track. It is really appreciated and shows that Hedland businesses support their local clubs and are always happy to lend a hand,” Alison concluded.

If you’d like more information about the Hedland BMX Club, please contact Alison on 0400 984 706.

The newest generation of Hedland BMX Club riders.

Cutting the ribbon at last year’s event.

WWW.HEDLINES.COM.AUHEDLAND’S COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER

One such volunteer is Troy Rocavert, a Senior Engineer at BHP Billiton Iron Ore by day, and a gardener, bartender, town ambassador and all around good guy by night. An active community member, Troy juggles his commitment to the Centre with his work and busy family life.

“I’ve been involved with the Centre for about 12 months,” explains Troy.

“They provide an important service to the crews coming into town, offering a place where they can get some dry land under their feet, relax and reconnect to their families.

“Simple things like access to a phone or computer to contact our wife or kids is

something we take for granted. But for most of these guys (the crews) their landing at the Seafarers Centre is the only time they get to contact their loved ones the whole time they are at sea.

“The relief the Centre offers goes far beyond the simple services they provide; the Seafarers Centre is a refuge for locals and seafarers alike providing for their physical and spiritual needs while they are in Hedland,” he said.

The Centre is currently in the throes of refurbishment but, thanks to its dedicated staff and committed volunteers, provides its essential service to Seafarers and locals undeterred.

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You can receive Hedlines in your email inbox, in your mailbox at home or work, or peruse the newsletter online, so you’ll never miss out on stories about the great things happening in Hedland’s community!The girls in the Kindy room at Len Taplin Children’s Services love Hedlines, and sent us a photo of themselves making a collage with the last edition.If you haven’t had the chance to read Hedlines online, go to www.hedlines.com.au and register your details. If you want to share a photo showing where you read Hedlines please email it (minimum 1MB resolution), along with your details to soren@creatingcommunities.com.au

The girls show off their wonderful collage skills using Hedlines

for inspiration.

The Port Hedland Seafarers Centre has long been part of the scenery on the corner of Wilson and Wedge streets. The Centre sees around 15,000 people through its doors each year, arguably none more important that the dedicated team of volunteers who regularly give their time to help the staff keep the Centre running smoothly.

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Troy Rocavert outside the

Seafarers Centre.

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On 20 March 1912, the SS Koombana departed Port Hedland bound for Broome, laden with stores, trade merchandise and 157 passengers. The ship never arrived, believed to have been lost in a cyclone that hit the Pilbara coast two days later and, apart from some minor wreckage, the ship has never been found. This year marked the 100th anniversary of the sinking.The story of the Koombana is significant for Hedland and Australia: not only was the sinking Australia’s worst civil maritime disaster, but it has some remarkable parallels with the Titanic. For example, the Koombana was a specially-designed luxury liner as well as goods ship, fitted out with the ultra-modern accessories for the time including refrigeration, electricity and plush furnishings.

The loss was dramatic for the Pilbara, especially as the Koombana was carrying some major figures of the district at the time, and was a crucial link in delivering goods and services throughout northwest Australia.

The Port Hedland Historical Society is commemorating the 100th anniversary by presenting the Loss of the Koombana exhibition at Dalgetty House Cottage in Port Hedland. A weekend of activities was also held at the end of April to commemorate the event, including a Captain’s Table Dinner which brought together descendants of passengers lost on the voyage.

In a strange twist of fate, the recent visit by Tropical Cyclone Lua, 100 years on from the cyclone that wrecked the Koombana, also delayed the originally-planned weekend of events. As Historical Society Vice-President, Julie Hunt, explained, the new date for the commemorative weekend was spookily significant in itself.“The Port Hedland jetty was officially opened on 27 April 1909. The official opening for the Historical Society’s commemorative events for the sinking of the Koombana was held on Friday 27 April, exactly 103 years later,” she said.

As part of the celebrations, the Port Hedland Courthouse Gallery is also hosting SS Koombana: Oceans and Secrets, a collection of mementoes by West Australian jeweller and object maker Helena Bogucki.

For more information on the SS Koombana, please contact the Port Hedland Historical Society on 9173 4300.

BHP Billiton Iron Ore Community CuppaFriday 15 June and Friday 13 July, 9am – 11amCommunity Office, 1 Wedge Street, (Cnr Wedge and Richardson St) Port HedlandCommunity Cuppa is an opportunity to sit down with the BHP Billiton Iron Ore Community and Indigenous Affairs team each month and have a coffee and a chat.

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The SS Koombana moored in Port Hedland

in her heyday. Photo courtesy of the Western

Australian Museum.

Welcome to Hedland Community ExpoFriday 8 June, 5pm – 9pmNew Outdoor Stage Area, South Hedland Shopping Centre, Throssell Road, South HedlandThe Welcome to Hedland Community Expo is an annual celebration of everything local. Come along and have a look at what Hedland life has to offer.

Courthouse Gallery Exhibitions April 21 – June 10, Mon – Fri: 9am-4.30pm, Sat – Sun: 9am-2pmPort Hedland Courthouse Gallery - 16 Edgar Street, Port Hedland

Let the country come in

Let the Country Come In is a collection of accomplished and

thought-provoking paintings by artists at Greenough Regional Prison.

Following a successful exhibition at the Courthouse Gallery in 2010,

FORM has continued professional development work with the artists

in a program supported by the Department of Corrective Services.

SS Koombana: Oceans and SecretsPort Hedland series by Future Shelter

Perth-based design studio Future Shelter will apply their creative

eye to the industrial-scapes of Port Hedland to create a series

of limited edition prints in their highly detailed yet whimsical style

of graphic design. Future Shelter designers Adam and Jane Coffey

travelled to Port Hedland earlier this year to study the movement,

construction and operation of the large-scale machinery that

dominates the town’s skyline to produce a body of work detailing the structures that make up the town’s industry.

This community newsletter is proudly supported by BHP Billiton Iron Ore. Photos sourced by and for BHP Billiton Iron Ore. This newsletter is designed by Creating Communities Pty Ltd.

PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY

BHP Billiton Iron Ore’s Community Grants Program

August Funding Round 2012

BHP Billiton Iron Ore invites you to apply for funding through its

exciting Community Grants Program. Applications must be submitted

using the standard application form before 1pm on 1 August.

For more details about how to apply for Community Grants

please phone the Community Team on 9173 4670 or email

porthedlandcommunity@bhpbilliton.com.

Outdoor Movie Night at Shay Gap ParkSunday 27 MayShay Gap Park, Trainee Crescent, South Hedland For more information, please contact Soren Kemp on 9140 2374 or email soren@creatingcommunities.com.au.