Things Just Keep Getting Better

 So I rocked up to the office nice and early and was ready and waiting after missing the week before due to Good Friday.  While I waited for Erin to arrive and get organised I checked my emails and caught up on what had happened in the last 2 weeks. I then went onto the Intranet and read up on their latest internal publications.

The first task Erin wanted me to get underway was internally promoting a fundraiser for the Oxfam Trailwalkers Challenge, which we have a team in this year. Check out the amazing site for more information about this 48hour straight hardcore trek.

 

http://trailwalker.oxfam.org.au/brisbane/

I sent out an email to the office to get everyone to donate a prize (bottle of wine, chocolates etc) that we can then make into a few hampers and raffle off. Looking forward to seeing what everyone has brought in on Friday. I was very impressed with Oxfam’s website and resources. They had included all the information and resources needed to participate in the event and the different ways in which to fundraise. I printed out the ready-to-print posters they had available on the site and stuck them up around the office.

While getting a coffee, I introduced myself to Mark McKenzie, who is the Operations Manager for South Middleback Ranges. (SMR) I told him that I had recently done a brief regarding SMR and organising a tour of the site for the local newspaper’s editorial team. He was very interested in getting not only positive media coverage in the community, but also getting Leighton involved in the community.   

Later that afternoon, he sent this:

All

 Received some feedback for OneSteel that our brand had taken a slight tarnishing in the general community over the last couple of months, they are very supportive of our direction however suggested we come up with some strategies to get some positive profile in the community in the short term.

 Looking for some overall ideas on how to do this and some headings for consideration include

1.     Sponsorship

2.     Articles in local newspaper

3.     Site visits by key community groups

4.     Project focused initiatives

 Wouldn’t mind getting a dump of ideas that are achievable in the short term, I’m aware items are currently underway however I’m chasing some overall coordinated response. Please chase some feedback from key members of your team.

 Please if you could get back to me by COB Friday 06 May I will initiate the next step.

 Thanks - Mark

Erin then Replied

Hi Mark, Rhiannon Sloan our new Communications Assistant has put together a brief on a possible site tour with the local media. With the intention of showing them what we do and how we do it... basically teaching them more about our operations and our safety systems and processes. Hopefully, resulting in a ‘fairer go’ in the local press. We’re hoping to get this off the ground in the coming weeks (with yours and Albert’s ok).

 If it will assist, all Community Investment opportunities can be forwarded to me for review, and Rhiannon and I can centrally co-ordinate from here – and we need some really good ideas, such as local schools needing help, local sporting teams needing sponsorship, etc. – and, also, not just using our cash, but our capabilities (i.e. volunteering opportunities for our people, etc.).

 We need to know what the local issues/ needs are. (We can’t guarantee, of course, that all ideas will get the green light – but the ‘on the ground’ perspective is inva\luable here in terms of our locally-based people’s input.)

 Perhaps the Communications Team in Ascot can centrally co-ordinate a Community Investment short-term plan for SMR/ Whyalla based on everyone’s combined input – and assist with events/ newspaper articles/ advertisements, etc., as a centralised resource?

 Happy to hear everyone’s thoughts, and discuss forward movement.

 Cheers,

Erin

For the rest of the afternoon I researched the Whyalla community and made a list of the different activities Leighton and the community would benefit most from. The main ones:

Sponsorship of local schools/university/TAFE

Sponsorship of local sporting events or teams

Involvement with Indigenous communities

Donate a new playground to the local park or school

Sponsor a community event/host a trivia night

Whyalla & Districts Road Safety and Bicycle Education Centre

Last task was a meeting with Lucy (Erin's external PR Advisor) to discuss the nominations for Leighton's Awards Night in September. The day was finished off with a couple of glasses of bubbly. I love working there and am really hoping for a job there when the work experience is over.