Miners donate to Clubhouse
NEW Acland miners have made air conditioning a reality for mental health charity Toowoomba Clubhouse after delivering a cheque for about $14,000.
The miners smashed their original $10,000 target following a series of employee barbeques, a community raffle and the cashing-in of some unused copper from the mine site.
Toowoomba Clubhouse CEO Deborah Bailey said Clubhouse staff and members were looking forward to the much-anticipated air conditioning units.
“Our facility can get really warm during summer and while air conditioning has always been on our wish list, we rely solely on grants and donations and have never been able to afford it,” Ms Bailey said.
“We were absolutely over the moon when New Acland Mine chose to fundraise for us and knew exactly where to invest the money.”
“Aside from donating the funds, the mine’s health and wellness committee has done a lot of work getting the word out about what the Clubhouse does and how we help local people recovering from mental illness.”
New Acland’s Senior Health and Safety System Coordinator Stewart Sherrington said the fundraising effort was championed by the mine site’s Health and Safety Committee, made up mine employees and contractors.
“New Acland Mine takes mental health very seriously and our committee was really inspired after learning about what the Clubhouse does,” Stewart said.
“We reached out to local business and had a tonne of support in providing prizes for the raffle and supplies for our barbecues.”
“While our health and safety committee led the charge, the fundraising was a great team effort by community, our miners and New Acland’s contractors and suppliers.”