PERTH, 28 August, 2014: More than 100 volunteers rolled up their sleeves on Saturday to help at the Fortescue Metals Group third annual Roebourne working bee, which this year concentrated on improving the Roebourne District High School.

Volunteers travelled from as far away as Perth to help install playground equipment, paint, weed, clean and much more. Lending a hand on the day were representatives from Fortescue and its contracting partners, local small businesses, teachers and parents from Roebourne District High School, prisoners on supervised release from Roebourne Regional Prison and Australia's world champion hockey team, the Kookaburras.
Fortescue chief executive officer Nev Power said the working bee was started three years ago because Fortescue recognised the importance of making a contribution to the communities in which it operates.
"The Roebourne working bee is one of the highlights of our year because it's a great team bonding exercise and it proves our commitment to the local community through our actions," Mr Power said.
"Everyone felt a great sense of satisfaction at the end of a hard day's work when they saw how their time and effort had made a real difference for the students of Roebourne District High School."
Kookaburras goalkeeper Andrew Charter, who brought his World Cup winners' medal and his Commonwealth Games gold medal for show and tell, said it was important to give back to the community. "When the team at Fortescue asked me to help I jumped at the chance. It's been a lot like being in the Kookaburras in fact: hard work, with a great group of people and a lot of fun," Mr Charter said.
Fortescue has 1,100 Aboriginal employees, which is about 12 per cent of its workforce. Many of those employees are graduates from one of its Vocational Training and Employment
Centres, located in Roebourne and South Hedland. Fortescue's Billion Opportunities program is
committed to developing a generation of Aboriginal entrepreneurs. It has awarded more than
$1,5 billion in contracts to Aboriginal businesses and joint ventures. Fortescue recently announced it was sponsoring a project in conjunction with the Roebourne-based Wirlu-Murra Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation to record important cultural and community sites and stories and promote Yindjibarndi culture.

Media Contacts:

Byron Vale
Mobile: 0415 566 976
Email: bvale@fmgl.com.au

Fortescue Metals Group Limited ABN 57 002 594 872 ACN 002 594 872 ADDRESS Level 2, 87 Adelaide Terrace, East Perth, Western Australia 6004 TEL +61 8 6218 8888 FAX +61 8 6218 8880 EMAIL fmgl@fmgl.com.au
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