Blue Miners Fight Cancer

The Thiess team at Mt Owen Coal Mine in the Hunter Valley have decked out in blue and even painted a giant haul truck blue in a massive effort to raise awareness and much needed cash in the battle against prostate cancer.

Their bright blue efforts have not only been a visual standout in the mining industry, they’ve also netted $18,500 for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia, the biggest donation received by the organisation so far this year.

The blue story began when Xstrata Mt Owen maintenance coordinator Rob Fraser came up with the idea of painting a new Caterpillar 793F haul truck blue to promote prostate cancer awareness.

From that idea, training coordinator Felicity Moore turned the effort into a fundraising exercise through the sale of bright blue safety shirts to Mt Owen Employees and contractors.

Nationally each day, 32 men learn they have prostate cancer. Tragically 3,300 men will lose their battle against the insidious disease this year.

Felicity Moore says the blue campaign is particularly relevant in the male dominated mining industry. “It’s close to home here at Mt Owen with some of our team currently receiving treatment.”

The campaign set out to raise $10,000 and topped $13,500 with the sale of around 280 shirts. A further $5,000 donation from Xstrata Mt Owen lifted the total to $18,500.

“It wasn’t a simple thing to go out and source blue shirts,” Felicity explains.

“After numerous phone calls to suppliers and distributors, we finally found a supplier who could produce bright blue shirts with High Vis Tape on them, to ensure we still comply with our safety standards.

The Mt Owen effort raises the stakes in Thiess’ internal fundraising and awareness rivalry after a recent breast cancer campaign at Queensland’s Meandu Coal Mine for which workers decked out in bright pink.

Thiess Mt Owen workers have also been involved in fundraising for Captain Courageous, Ronald McDonald House, Camp Quality, local school projects, ovarian cancer research, Relay for Life (Cancer Council), MS research, Westpac Helicopter, Starlight Foundation and other local organisations.