It may have been cold and wet this week, but it didn’t stop the second WesCEF Aboriginal Employee Network gathering for its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees.
Taking place at CSBP Kwinana, the event brought together 17 employees from across Kleenheat, CSBP and WesCEF who don’t often get to see each other, for a morning of activities centred around getting to know each other and sharing their experiences about working iat WesCEF. On the agenda was an icebreaker activity with WesCEF CEO Ian Hansen, GM HSEQ & Operational Services Julie Watson, GM Ammonia/AN Ryan Hair and GM Fertilisers Mark Scatena.
The Executive team were put through their paces with Ian and Mark taking on Julie and Ryan in a game of Pictionary with a twist. The teams had to draw pictures to represent Noongar words, such as kaala (fire) and djurapin (happy) with employees guessing the artistic doddles of the leaders.
Event organisers, WesCEF Aboriginal Employment Advisor Emma Castle and Aboriginal Development Consultant Noelene Mantellato, were delighted with the positive feedback from participants and are eager to begin planning the next event later this year.
Emma said even though it is a busy time of the year for all businesses, she was delighted to have 17 of our 40 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees come together.
“It was fantastic to see Aboriginal people in the business come together for this event and learn more about each other. It’s very a very special feeling to be a part of bringing an event like this to life,” she said.
In the first session, employees heard from Leadership & Culture Manager Eleisha Neill, Learning & Organisational Development Supervisor Luke Greenwood and Leadership Development Consultant Ruth Dettman on how best to take charge of their career.
This session was followed by WesCEF Operational Services’ Mick Indich, who has worked at WesCEF for over 10 years and has recently done some research on his ancestry, providing valuable insight to other members on how they too can learn more about their family tree.
Emma talked about the significance of events like this, saying “It brings together our employees who would not normally cross paths in their roles. It’s a chance for them to meet each other, develop friendships over time and understand that they work in a supportive workplace.
In his welcome comments to the group, Ian said “It’s great to be able to bring you all together to share some of your background and what you do – with the hope that you can form a bond, and support each other when there is a need.”
“Over time, my wish is that each of you continues to grow in your respective roles, and learn. And on your journey, you in turn I hope, will give us your thoughts on where we can do better to support you, and encourage more people of Aboriginal heritage to join the WesCEF team,” he said.