Our first underground operators share their experiences

ARGYLE DIAMONDS UPDATE | DECEMBER 2012
3 Argyle at Golden
Gecko Awards
5 Lifesaving Rule
photo competition
4
Our first underground
operators share their
experiences
6 Pinks Diamond’s
global sparkle
7 Big changes at the
Village
2
Brilliance
DECEMBER 2012
Merry Christmas and stay safe
during the holiday season.
3
Argyle scoops
Golden Gecko
Award
Welcome
Lifesaving rules
photo competition
Have you seen our lifesaving rules banners as
you walk into the DA? These show us how the
rules apply to us in our day to day work and are
the winning entries from the HSE lifesaving
rules photo competition. Congratulations to the
winners, some of your entries are shown below.
It is hard to believe that we are end of another year, and
one that has proven to be very eventful for the Diamonds
group and for Argyle. We have had a few surprises, including
the announcement by Rio Tinto of the divestment of the
diamonds group and also the rightsizing of Argyle as we
prepared the business for the future and improved our
financial position.
We have taken on many challenges including significant cost reduction efforts,
learning to cope with less support resources, performing separation work activities,
learning about new operating principles and preparing the business for our new
underground mine.
The most positive aspect about 2012 has been our operational performance. I am
very pleased and we should all be proud of the extremely positive results we have
achieved. Our key performance indicators are nearly all green (with the exception
of our safety target) and the sight of our scoreboard at the entry to the mine site
showing this was a proud moment for us all. This effort lays the foundation for next
year as we start our new underground mine. The process plant in particular has shown
a steady improvement throughout the year, achieving more than 9 million tonnes per
annum rates towards the end of the year, a real credit to the processing team.
2013 will be an exciting year as we take ownership of our new mine, complete some
of the surface rejuvenation and continue to work through the separation process.
Our underground operational readiness is well on track as we prepare to commence
operations towards the end of quarter one next year. This commencement of
operations underground has been many years in the making, and will be a proud
and symbolic moment for all those who work at Argyle, for Rio Tinto and for our
community who have waited a long time for this moment. I look forward to next
year as we go on this new journey together.
Kim Truter
Managing Director
Argyle Diamonds
Lifesaving Rule 4:
I will not tamper with and/
or make safety devices
inoperable without being
authorised to do so
Photographer:
Ibrahim Qureshi
4
ARGYLE’S
Lifesaving
Rules
Argyle has been awarded a Certificate of Merit
at the prestigious Golden Gecko Awards.
I will not tamper with and/
or make safety devices
inoperable without being
authorised to do so.
Argyle has been recognised for its ground breaking work
on the Belmont Remediation Project with a Certificate of
Merit at the Golden Gecko Awards in September this year.
The Golden Gecko Awards are run by the Western Australian
Government Department of Mines and Petroleum and are
an opportunity to be recognised for leading practice and
innovation in environmental management.
In 2012, Pendoley Environmental Pty Ltd received a Golden
Gecko Award for Environmental Excellence, and Argyle
Diamonds was awarded a Certificate of Merit.
5
Lifesaving Rule 5:
I will not operate mobile
equipment without a valid
authorisation
Photographer:
Alison Heterbry
ARGYLE’S
Lifesaving
Rules
I will not operate mobile
equipment without a valid
authorisation.
Argyle has worked tirelessly on the Belmont site after was
acquired through our joint venture partner, Ashton Mining,
in 2001. After purchasing the site Argyle identified a plume
of Tetrabromoethane that had developed under the site which
had the potential to threaten the Swan River ecosystem and
public health.
Since then, Argyle has worked with project partners including
various environmental consultants and universities to clean
up the contaminated site and in doing so established a
scientific case study that is being used internationally as
leading research into rehabilitation of contaminated sites.
Argyle’s commitment to working with the community was
also recognised at the awards.
This award recognises Argyle for leadership in environmental
excellence and is recognition of the dedication of our
environment team and support of business leaders both past
and present to fund the programme. It reflects our values
in protecting the environment along with the activities we
conduct as part of our business.
Above: Representing Argyle at the Golden Gecko’s was Peter Firth,
Rachel Kirchner, Rhys Jenkins, and Shane Johnson
7
ARGYLE’S
Lifesaving
Rules
I will not go or be under
unsecured ground
or a suspended load
at anytime.
Lifesaving rule 7:
I will not go or be under
unsecured ground or a
suspended load at anytime
Photographers:
Bevan Frisby, Timothy
Bedford, Ethen McGinty
and Dean Morgan
Brilliance
DECEMBER 2012
Our first underground
operators
This image: Bill Heneghan, Rod
Leydon, Alex Cruise, Tanya Lacey and
Gary Piggot in front of the surface tag
board at NorthParkes
Below: Checking out the underground
Crusher at NorthParkes
Mel Norman, Garry Piggot and Neville
Newton are part of our first underground
operations team. Here they share with us
their experience training at the NorthParkes
block cave mine and their excitement at
being a part of this milestone team.
What is Parkes like?
Gary: It is a lot bigger than I thought
Mel: Very clean and friendly, with really
pretty trees lining the main street.
Neville: Neat and tidy – we went looking for
rubbish and could only find two bits!
What is different about
NorthParkes mine?
Gary: There is no onsite accommodation.
A lot of the workers are directly involved in
the community as firies and ambos and the
like. It is great to see that there is a lot of
pride and respect for the local community.
Mel: Many of the workers are also local
farmers and they are supplementing their
income by working at the mine.
Neville: They are very strict on the road
rules (for the road that runs between the
township and the mine). They really want
to make sure everyone gets home safely
and driving on that road is a very big part
of that.
What does your typical day look like?
Gary: We start with a pre-start meeting
and then we buddy up with someone
in a similar role. I’ve been working my
way around the variety of underground
roles such as belt running and secondary
breaking to understand what is involved in
a Team Leader role. It is the first time we’ve
ever spent full 12 hour shifts underground.
Mel: I’ve buddied up on the loaders and
the Scada auto controllers. It was full on,
but you get the hang of it after watching
for a while. The buddies we’ve had at
NorthParkes have been really friendly
and helpful.
Neville: I have focussed on belt running
and basic service crew work such as
delivering fuel and general maintenance.
I’ve also spent a lot of time learning
underground safety procedures. One of
the biggest things is learning to drive
underground – it’s really quite hard and
takes a while to get used to.
What has been the best part about your
training programme?
Gary: Getting exposure to the machinery
and getting a feel for what we can expect
at Argyle’s underground mine. We have had
some good hands-on experience and it will
be good to start being really productive.
We feel very privileged to be a part of this
programme.
Mel is transitioning into a Bogger Operator
role, Neville into a Service Crew Operator
and Gary into a Team Leader role.
Neville: Getting amoungst the machinery
and getting proper exposure to being
underground. A lot of organisation went
into this programme to get it together.
They are part of a crew of 16 secondees
and 2 trainers who will spend three
swings in NorthParkes to gain on the
job training. On their return, they will
join the underground mine as our first
production team.
Mel: Overall it’s been a great experience.
I really want to be there and a part of it and
I can’t wait to get back and apply what I’ve
learned at Argyle.
What are you most looking forward to
about eventually working in Argyle’s
underground mine?
Mel: I’m just really looking forward to being
a loader operator!
Gary: I’m looking forward to doing
everything that NorthParkes are doing; they
have a successful block cave mine and we
want to improve on that. We can also share
knowledge, especially in regards to safety,
which will help us in developing a strong
safety culture.
Neville: Applying what we have learned
successfully and safely.
We can also share
knowledge, especially in
regards to safety, which
will help us in developing
a strong safety culture.
Progress on the Rapid Improvement Projects
4
5
Great progress has been made in the
Pizza Hut, it is looking like a completely
new space already!
The new racing themed tool cabinets that were recently unveiled at the Frontline Launch
The tool store is almost complete
The Pizza Hut’s new outdoor area
6
7
Pink diamond’s
global sparkle
What’s
happening
at the
Village?
You would have noticed some big changes happening around
the Village’s central facilities over the past couple of months,
with the car park turned into a temporary kitchen and a lot
of activity happening.
The major refurbishment to the kitchen
area is the key part of an upgrade project
that will see new life breathed into the
Village over the next few months.
Once completed, the kitchen will have a
new servery, new ovens and other cooking
equipment, a new ventilation system and
fresh stainless steel and timber finishes,
and will mean that it is a more modern and
effective area to work in. The dining room
will also be refreshed with new decor to
match the modern kitchen.
To accommodate for feeding an entire
mine site while this work has taken place,
a temporary kitchen was installed in the
car park.
Argyle Pink Diamonds have been making headlines as demand for the
precious gems continues to be strong. The annual Pink Tender recently
closed and was one of a number of special diamond events this year.
Bids for this year’s Pink Tender collection of 56
single pink diamonds, two red diamonds and an
additional 19 lots of blue diamonds closed on
October 15th.
Successful bidders for the 2012 Tender collection
were from both established and emerging markets.
According to Josephine Johnson, Manager for
Argyle Pink Diamonds,
“We were delighted to see such a strong appetite
for this unique “rainbow collection”.
Several beautiful diamonds from the collection
have a new home in India, an important emerging
market for rare pink diamonds, and the “hero” blue
diamond, Argyle Elektra™, is destined for Japan,
the most established market for pink diamonds.”
John Glajz, Argyle Pink Diamonds’ largest Asia
Pacific partner was the successful bidder of the
most valuable diamond from the collection, Argyle
Siren™, a 1.32 carat square radiant cut Fancy Vivid
Purplish Pink diamond. Commenting on his newest
acquisition, John said,
“I was thrilled to receive the news. This is a rare
diamond from a rare collection, incomparable from
the perspective of a connoisseur and I look forward
to designing an heirloom piece of jewellery to
honour its heritage.”
Many of the successful bidders were part of the
‘Out of the Vault’ exhibition at Kensington Palace
on October 9th, where more than US$65 million
of one-of-a-kind pink diamond jewellery was
showcased to celebrate royal connections in
the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee year.
The stunning Argyle Empress necklace
was featured at the Kensington
Palace ‘Out of The Vault’ exhibition
in October
Building the new loading dock, with the temporary
kitchen in the background
A feature of the Kensington Palace exhibition
was The Argyle Empress, a statement necklace
designed by luxury jeweller and Argyle partner
Chow Tai Fook. The necklace combines more
than 43 carats of rare Argyle pink diamonds with
35 rare Imperial Jade beads and has been valued
at US$5,500,000.
According to Josephine Johnson, Manager of
Argyle Pink Diamonds,
“The Argyle Empress is a celebration of two
of the earth’s rarest treasures and is a perfect
union between East and West. This heirloom
piece of jewellery is the first of its kind for the
growing Chinese market and will take its place in
history as a coveted masterpiece.”
In addition to this year’s Pink Tender, an
extraordinary sale known as “The Specials
Tender” offering diamonds from across Rio
Tinto’s mines was held. The invitation-only
event featured diamonds 10.8 carats and larger.
According to Patrick Coppens, General Manager
of Sales for Rio Tinto Diamonds,
“The 94 parcels of diamonds, which included 26
diamonds greater than 20 carats each, attracted
very strong bidding and global participation,
including Rio Tinto’s Select Diamantaires, who
were among the 29 successful companies. The
strong participation and results of this Specials
Tender, as well as the recently concluded
Argyle Pink Diamond Tender, demonstrates
the consistent demand and competition for
rare and valuable diamonds.”
Knocking down the current loading dock outside
of the kitchen block
The Argyle
Empress is
a celebration of
two of the earth’s
rarest treasures and
is a perfect union
between East
and West
Although the temporary kitchen isn’t
as convenient as a full sized kitchen,
it has meant that everyone has been
fed enough and on time and the service
has been relatively smooth. The
Spotless kitchen staff in particular are
thanked and recognised for working in
changing conditions.
The current work that is taking place also
focuses on the kitchen loading dock, the
quiet bar and the games room.
The loading dock will be completely
reshaped to provide extra storage capacity
and cool room stores and a new waste
management system.
The kitchen is on track to be finished
by 14 December and the loading dock
and other areas will be complete by
20 December. This project has run on
time and to budget and it is important
to recognise the tireless effort that has
gone into managing such successful work.
The next stages will see the dining room,
bar, gym and outdoor area receive a
refresh, and work on these areas will
begin immediately.
We would also like to thank Village
residents for their patience as this work
has been carried out and the ongoing
support that has been provided by site
personnel to make sure this project has
rolled out smoothly.
8
Hello’s and
goodbyes at Argyle
Welcome to our new starters
As featured in this edition of Brilliance, our first underground
operations team has begun training and will soon start work in
our underground mine. Much of this team is made up of existing
Argyle employees who have transitioned from surface roles to be
part of the underground team.
Please congratulate our transitioned employees and welcome
our new starters in this team:
• Christopher Exten
Electrical Trade
• Rahul Kanathala
Graduate Electrical Trade
• Ian McVeigh
Electrical Trade
• Daniel Taylor
Control Room Operator
• Bradley Tribbick
Electrical Trade
• Sarah Martin
Belt Runner
• Wayne Lester
Electrical Trade
• Hughie Ahwon
Belt Runner
• Raymond Wilson
Electrical Trade
• Samar Patel
Graduate Mechanical
Engineer
• Keaton Mahony
Electrical Trade
• Douglas Gerrard
Service Crew Operator
• Jason Dingle
Electrical Trade
• Juan San Martin
Superintendent Technical
Services
• Ben Atwell
Electrical Trade
• Dale Stakenburg
Mechanical Trade
• Brad Beresford
Mechanical Trade
• Bruce Chapman
Mechanical Trade
• Martin Curry
Shift Supervisor
• Shawn Loffler
Auto Electrician
• Michael Camping
Auto Electrician
• Martin Ario
Mechanical Engineer
• Gregory Wiesner
Mechanical Trade
• Craig Baker
Boiler Maker
• Walter McCully
Mechanical Trade
• Shannon Luttrel
Senior Mining Engineer
Also welcome to our other new starters at Argyle
Howard Rae has joined the Executive Team as General
Manager Finance. Jai Sherwell has started as Superintendent
Infrastructure Services.
The Process Plant has welcomed William Johnson, Jesse
Kratzman, David Burns, David Harmon and Mick Terry as
Operators. Karl Melvin, Aaron Tidd, Daniel Hawkins and Daniel
Horne have also joined the Process Plant in Mechanical Trade roles
and Alison Petersen was welcomed as a Laboratory Operator. Farai
Ikeleng also started in the plant as a Graduate Mechanical Engineer.
Leslie Moore and Kerwin Williams have started as Fitters in
Mobile Maintenance. Grant Devitt joined the Engineering team
in an Electrical Trade role.
The HSE team has welcomed Graduate Health and Safety Advisor
Deepika Sharma and Muththamizh Vizhi has joined the Regional
Participation Team as Graduate Community Relations Advisor.
Congratulations
Congratulations go to Naomi Hansen who has finished her
traineeship and started in a Human Resources Officer role.
Add other trainee and apprentices TBA.
Farewell
This quarter also saw a reduction in employee numbers across
Argyle as a result of business changes. Thank you to all the
people who left Argyle in the last few months due to this change
for your hard work during your time here. We wish to farewell
the following people:
• Kuldeep Bhardwaj
• John Harvey
• Glenn Thomas
• Estrelia Diaz
• Larry Knowles
• Dave Drummond
• Bul Bulkoch
• Ross Rutherford
• Shannah Smith
• Tim Grime
• Tiarne Pearce
• Sharon Dyson
• Cara Peek
• Les Solien
• Christine Forrest
• Craig Walton
• Bianca Fitzsimmons
• Ethel Cowcher
• Justin Goodwin
• Sandra Read
• Katie Leiw
• Martin Wood
• Heath Abel
• Caroline Banton
• Charlotte Balyejjusa
• Joseph Wambua
• Kathryn Simms
• Gary Bacon
• Mel Ochotsky
• Nadine Baldwin
Got a story to tell?
Got an idea for Brilliance? We want to hear it! To submit your stories for Brilliance, email internal.communication@riotinto.com
2012 Editorial deadlines:
March edition
15 March 2013
June edition
17 May 2013
September edition
16 August 2013
December edition
15 November 2013