Sustainability fund up for award

The Alcoa Harvey Waroona Sustainability Fund has been named as one of six finalists in the Community Partnership Resources Sector Award.

Now in its 11th year, the fund was set up to ensure Alcoa Australia and the Harvey and Waroona communities succeed together, with a plan to provide community projects into the future.

Alcoa started the fund with a $400,000 investment in 2008, which has been topped up annually based on production from the Wagerup Refinery. Over the past decade, Alcoa has contributed $2.3 million to more than 50 community groups and 60 projects, with a further $3.2 million held in trust for the future of the fund.

Waroona shire president Mike Walmsley said the fund had been a benefit to the community for more than 10 years and helped sectors such as aged care, which often faced difficulty attracting funding elsewhere.

“It is a great fund,” Cr Walmsley said.

“Just last week we signed off on another $310,000 of funding going into the community that we wouldn’t have otherwise had.

“These funds have been spent wisely and have gone to really good causes.”

Alcoa Australia chairman and managing director Michael Parker said he was excited the award nomination could shine a light on a partnership that had responded to grassroots community needs over the past decade.

“The fund has supported 50 individual groups in the Harvey and Waroona communities, who now boast some of the very best community facilities in regional WA,” Mr Parker said.

“All six finalists are fantastic examples of sustainability in action, and we’re extremely proud to be recognised alongside such a high calibre of industry partnerships. When we celebrated the 10th anniversary of the sustainability fund earlier this year, I heard so many inspiring stories from the hard-working community members who have brought the fund to life.

“As finalists, we’ve been given an opportunity to share their stories and to really showcase what this partnership, and the communities of Harvey and Waroona have achieved.”