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Message from Wagerup Refinery Manager -Eugenio Azevedo
When I cast my mind back to 1984, at the time Wagerup Refinery first commenced operations, I was a young man living in Brazil starting out and making a career for myself in the field of engineering.
Australia was a far away place that had appeared on school maps; little did I know that 25 years later, good fortune would make it home for my future family.
In its raw form, a refinery is a mass of pipes, tanks, pumps, steel and processes - all designed to produce alumina. The critical ingredient to making all this work is our people. Each day more than 600 employees across various shifts make up the Wagerup team. They all pull together to make our facility operate safely, productively and to continue to improve.
Some of these may be your neighbours - their children may play sport with yours or attend the local school and share the same hobbies and interests. Regardless, all are part of making the community, in which we operate, tick. With nearly 460 Alcoa employees (across all sites) residing in the Waroona and Harvey shires we recognise that we have enormous obligations to contribute positively to the region’s future.
On occasions like this it is common to regurgitate a mass of production statistics for the past 25 years. I would rather acknowledge our employees. Particularly those who contribute to PEACH (Personnel Employed by Alcoa Charity Help), call upon our Bravo! program to support their voluntary services to the community, or organise ACTION events to assist local service clubs. Their efforts as ambassadors for our company are outstanding.
In the past year alone Bravo! and ACTION contributions have been in the order of $75,000, and PEACH has injected more than $220,000 into local community service organisations in the 30 years it has been operating.
One of the pleasures on these occasions is acknowledging the many long serving employees of Wagerup. Throughout April 2009, we are recognising more than 30 of the “originals” who have provided more than 25 years service to this site. Their contribution will be recorded through the unveiling of an Honour Board at Wagerup to recognise their loyal service. This is a fitting tribute that will continue, with more names scheduled to be similarly acknowledged in the near future.
The past 25 years has not been without challenges and I would be remiss not to acknowledge these. Adoption of new technology such as the liquor burner, property purchase programs, and odour concerns have unfortunately tested our relationship with neighbours on numerous occasions. As the Wagerup Refinery Manager I remain committed to improving our operations and working positively with the community into the future.
To all who have contributed to the Wagerup and Willowdale operations during the past 25 years: my congratulations and heart felt thanks.
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