Today, October 28, Mrs. Rinehart, guests and staff gather at the Roy Hill Mine site in the Pilbara for another Pink Truck Christening to again raise the important need to do much more to assist breast cancer.
This date was the official date that Mrs. Rinehart, when chair of Australia’s first Breast Cancer Foundation in the early nineties, achieved from the then Federal Government for Australia’s inaugural breast cancer day and annual dates thereafter.
After Roy Hill held its AGM, its first on the Roy Hill site last night, followed by a mine visit and board meeting today, Roy Hill and HPPL employees, senior representatives from Posco, Marubeni and China Steel, together with close friends of Mrs. Rinehart and the family of Nola, a HPPL and Roy Hill staff member who was recently lost to breast cancer, wore their pinks for a special ceremony to christen eight more of Roy Hill’s pink trucks. These pink trucks were named Nola, Koichi Yajima, Marubeni, POSCO, China Steel, Ginbata, Gillie, and Pat, to go with the initial three trucks, Hope, Ginny and Rachel, bringing the total number of pink trucks to twelve – the first pink truck fleet in mining operation in Australia.
Mrs. Rinehart addressed the guests during this special occasion, together with Sarah, an executive from the National Breast Cancer Foundation – the foundation recipient of the money raised by Roy Hill staff, and matched by HPPL and Roy Hill. Messages from SJOG Subiaco and Hollywood Private Hospital were read out regarding Mrs. Rinehart’s care pack initiative – two of the hospitals involved in distributing care packs to their patients on behalf of Mrs. Rinehart and the Georgina Hope Foundation. Many of the recipients of these very welcome care packages are battling cancer.
After christening the trucks, guests then watched and cheered, as the pink trucks were put to work. The newly christened trucks had extra passengers aboard, including senior executives of Marubeni, Posco and China Steel, Tad Watroba of both HPPL and Roy Hill, a breast cancer survivor and Nola’s family members and several Olympians.
Mrs. Rinehart’s address and messages from the hospitals follow, and photos will follow later.
SECOND WAVE OF ROY HILL PINK TRUCKS LAUNCHED IN SUPPORT OF BREAST CANCER RESEARCH AND AWARENESS
Speech by Mrs Gina Rinehart Executive Chairman, HPPL Group and Roy Hill Holdings Pty Ltd
Good afternoon everyone,
It is with great pleasure that I welcome each of you here to Roy Hill today to launch more pink trucks, on national breast cancer day. You all look superb in pink!
We celebrated the christening of the first of our pink trucks named Hope, Ginny and Rachel earlier this year and since then, we have seen nine trucks painted pink and arrive here at Roy Hill: Nola, Koichi Yajima, and our partners Marubeni, POSCO, China Steel, plus Ginbata, Gillie, Chevonne and Pat. Let’s give each other, the pink trucks and their drivers Leona, Ling, Karinda, Tomislava, Tammy, Kendra, Kate, Diane, Andrea, Susan, Adelheid and Krystie, a very warm Pilbara welcome.
Never did I imagine since setting up Australia’s then first breast cancer foundation in 1992, the Hancock Family Breast Cancer Foundation Inc, that we would be standing in front of our country’s, and maybe even the world’s, first and only fleet of pink trucks working in the mining industry!
More importantly, we should never forget, breast cancer is a frightening disease and one that effects and hurts many women across our nation. It is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among Australian women with the exception of non-melanoma skin cancer.
We should all be concerned that there are more than 60,000 Australians struggling with breast cancer today.
I’m sure you’d agree, this is 60,000 too many. Breast cancer is not only a very serious and frightening disease for those diagnosed, but it also affects their families.
Surely we need to invest in world class medical knowledge and equipment so that those who are sadly affected by breast cancer can get the best medical treatment possible?
There is no cure to the multiple forms of breast cancer so it is also very important that we invest in research, not only to learn how we might be able to treat it more effectively, but ultimately, how to prevent it, or stop it spreading.
More than 2 out of 3 cases occur in women aged between 40 years old and 69 years old. I urge all women in this age group especially and older, to undertake regular mammogram screenings on the best available equipment, so that if effected, you are able to treat it immediately. I also urge please, those who are effected, take prompt action to tackle the disease, including become experts on the internet researching new treatments and where best to go for treatments.
Breast cancer sadly spreads to those we know in our workplaces, including one of our staff members, Nola Lynch, a beloved friend to many.
Nola was initially part of our HPPL team, as our cost controller for Roy Hill, then transferred with other staff to Roy Hill in May 2012.
Nola sadly recently passed away following her struggle with breast cancer.
She is very much missed. Please join her family members for two minutes in silence, while we remember this wonderful and very special person, Nola.
In memory of Nola, we will be naming a pink truck in her honour today, the first one on the line of pink trucks before us. Her family have kindly asked to have mentioned, that Nola loved her work on our Roy Hill project.
As you can see on each truck, our foundations logo features the Australian Desert Sturt Pea.
The Australian outback wildflower, the Desert Sturt Pea, is famous for its distinctive beauty, yet extraordinary ability to withstand harsh and difficult environments.
This flower that looks especially beautiful spreading itself as a carpet in our outback, endures nearly anything mother nature throws at it – high temperatures, hours of simmering sunlight, long periods without water, storms, dust, natural disasters and many animals, reptiles and insects.
The strength and beauty of my mothers and my favourite outback flower symbolises our medical foundations, and more recently, the Georgina Hope Foundation, and more, the strength and beauty in my very dear friend Pat, and her daughter, my incredible goddaughter, Rachel, who has been battling aggressive breast cancer for nearly five years.
Like other mothers who battle cancer, Rachel loves her young children, and wants very much to be here for them. Rachel also wanted to be here at Roy Hill with us today, she’d been so looking forward to being here with you all, and driving in her truck! Very sadly, she is in hospital again, and her health doesn’t allow. Rachel loves having one of the first pink trucks named after her, and is so enthusiastic about our pink trucks initiative.
A few small steps over the decades have been made to improve breast cancer outcomes with early detection and treatment.
When I established Australia’s first breast cancer foundation in the early 1990’s, and my dear friend Pat, suffering then from breast cancer, was a treasured Patron, around 76 out of every 100 women diagnosed with this disease were still alive 5 years after their diagnosis. Today, 90 out of every 100 women are still living after their diagnosis.
The improvement in the survival rate for women affected has been attributed to increased access to regular mammograms, which help with the early detection of breast cancer, and some improvement in treatments and medicines.
The many speeches, afternoon teas, Mother’s Day lunches, New Year’s eve balls, auctions and other fundraising activities our foundations arranged, and other various breast cancer charities, have gone a small way in raising funds needed to enable a greater survival rate and better outcomes for breast cancer patients. But for those of you who know breast cancer patients, and know how this spreads to lymph glands and other organs, we know this is not nearly enough.
We at Roy Hill and Hancock Prospecting have recently raised and can present the National Breast Cancer Foundation with a cheque for $20,000. We hope other members of the mining and related industries will follow this fundraising initiative, where staff have joined with their companies in a dollar for dollar matching contributions.
May I ask the CEO of the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Sarah Hosking, together with our minority partners, Marubeni, POSCO and China Steel Corporation, and HPPL and Roy Hill executives, Tad, Barry and Jabez to quickly come forward for the cheque presentation?
Roy Hill and HPPL have one of the highest percentages of women working in the iron ore and West Australian mining industry, each of whom I welcome to be part of, and support, our pink trucks initiative.
It is my hope that everyone here and others working in our companies, as well as other mining and related companies, dig deep, and continue to donate funds to help this immense need. I hope that we go further and personally help those we may know suffering from breast cancer, and associated cancers.
Together with your help, we hope and need to be able to go a long way in ensuring that the fight against this disease significantly improves, and that women receive far better treatment, and the care and support they need.
Thank you.
May I ask the CEO of the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Sarah Hosking, if she would like to add a few words.
Two of the hospitals who have agreed to distribute to their patients our foundations gift care packs, have asked if their messages could be read out today. May I ask Katherine and Sarah to kindly come forward to read, and should you wish to add, a few words about what you do.
