NEW HVO TRUCKS START WORK TO HELP LOCAL CHARITIES

The first three of five new Hunter Valley Operation’s (HVO) partnership mining trucks started work today for the mine and for local charities. 

The trays of the trucks have been painted in the colours of Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service, Hunter Prostate Cancer Alliance and Hunter Breast Cancer Foundation. The charities will get an agreed donation for every load the trucks haul, paid annually, plus funds from other events throughout the year. 

HVO general manager Tony Morris joined Member for Upper Hunter Dave Layzell, Westpac Rescue Helicopter Upper Hunter community liaison officer Danny Eather, Hunter Breast cancer Foundation CEO Abbey McDonell, Hunter Prostate Cancer Alliance CEO Alex Sovechles and HVO staff to unveil the trucks at HVO North mine. 

Mr Morris said the Hunter-based charities were chosen because they make a positive difference to the health and welfare of HVO employees, their families and the community. The two other trucks, due to arrive on site by the end of the year, will each support a different charity.  

He said HVO wanted to extend its charity and community support in a meaningful way. Better aligning operations and community support is part of HVO’s new pillars and values of thinking sharp, digging in and caring.

“We want to build partnerships with each charity that includes sharing information about their services with our workforce and undertaking other fundraising, and support activities for them throughout the year,” Mr Morris said.

“While Hunter Breast Cancer Foundation and Hunter Prostate Cancer Alliance are new partners, we’ve had a 20 year partnership with Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service. Largely through workplace giving by our generous employees, HVO has provided $1.1 million over that time to help the service to save lives of Hunter people.”

Mr Morris said the new trucks are part of a half a billion dollar investment HVO is making in capital equipment over five years to improve efficiency and provide staff with the right tools to get the job done. He said the new trucks are more fuel efficient, have a larger capacity, are quieter and provide better amenity for operators than the older fleet. 

“We’re bringing nine new trucks online in 2022 with five more arriving next year. Six new excavators arrived this year with two more arriving in 2023. We’ll have four new motor graders by the end of the year and 11 new dozers will arrive next year. Over the five years we’re bringing in other new equipment, technology and systems as part of a $2 billion overall investment.”

He said while the machines are important to the business, the investment reflects HVO’s long term commitment to the region, jobs, and local communities.  

“Modern equipment reduces our impacts in relation to noise and fuel use, which is good news for the operation, our people, the broader community and the environment.”

HVO will continue to provide community grants twice a year to charities specifically operating in the Singleton and Muswellbrook local government areas and support other charities and community initiatives. It has had moustaches on two trucks during Movember to raise awareness about and funds for men’s health. Coffee carts at HVO events and hard hat sticker campaign recently raised $10,000 for the Mark Hughes Foundation. 

The Komatsu 930-E trucks each weigh 521 tonne and have a payload capacity of 304 tonne.