Making A Difference

Gateway’s Project Officer, Marc Swensson, recently invited SA Great’s

“Speakers In Schools” to visit Port Pirie and surrounding areas.  Making the trip from Adelaide, Jessica (SA Great), Lesley & Helen (ElectraNet), Andrea (Technology Industry Association) joined Marc (Gateways), Shaker & Elmore (JHI Builders) at John Pirie Secondary School, Mid North Christian College and Gladstone High School to talk to Year 10 & 11 students about their respective careers and pathways. 

With Marc acting as emcee, Lesley kicked off the presentation, sharing stories from days organizing the very first Tour Down Under, to her time in Italy and Nepal, to her current role as a Project Scheduler.  Armed with a Vegemite jar prop and give-away’s being thrown left, right and centre, Andrea then spoke about the different ways that technology is used in industry today. 

Local legends Brenton (“Shaker”) and Elmore from JHI Builders talked about

the benefits of volunteer work, supporting locals and Elmore’s journey to becoming Apprentice Of The Year.  All presenters were young, passionate and inspired all students in attendance.  Gateways thank all the students and schools for their support, and a big thank you goes to all the speakers for generously giving their time.

MNSEC go mining at BHP

September 16th saw over 30 students from Gladstone High School, Orroroo Area School, Mid North Christian College and Quorn Area School attend Gateway’s annual road trip to Olympic Dam.  For most of the students, it was their maiden voyage to Roxby Downs.  The bus chucked a mainy and a quick look around the town was followed by some well earned lunch. 

While at BHP Billiton, presentations included an overview of the proposed

mine expansion and guided tour by Public Affairs Officer, Deb Ainslie and an explaination of radiation and safety procedures on site.  Students and Gateways own Marc Swensson dressed up in the compulsory safety uniform (aka disco pants) making for some memorable dance moves and catwalk poses.  After some Q&A time, it was back on the road for the trip home.  Gateways also supplied Subway sandwiches for lunch, snacks, drinks and movies for the bus ride – and the students provided some cheeky sing-a-longs and great conversation.  Capped off with Hungry Jack’s for tea, the trip was long and fun with never a dull moment!

Jamestown Mock Interviews

During Term 3, Gateways Project Officer, Marc Swensson assisted Year 10 students at Jamestown Community School prepare for life in the work force.  One lesson saw the students divide into groups of three and perform mock interviews to the rest of the class.  In these groups, one person played the part of the interviewer, while the other students played the part of interviewees (one displaying a poor attitude and the other performing positively).  Over the following weeks, Marc facilitated and assited to perform formal mock interviews with all students.  Students were expected to be punctual and dress appropriately – treating the interview as if it was for a real job.

Olympic-sized Fun @ BHP Billiton

On September 2nd, over 40 students from John Pirie Secondary School and Australian Technical College took part in Gateway’s annual road trip to Olympic Dam.  It was the first time many of the students had been to Roxby Downs, so after a tour of the town and some lunch, it was off to Olympic Dam.  The excursion included an overview of the proposed mine expansion and guided tour of Olympic Dam by BHP Billiton Public Affairs Officer, Deb Ainslie; CEG’s Darren Lowe spoke about employment opportunities; plus an explaination of radiation and safety procedures on site.  Students were given the opportunity to ask any questions they had about mining and related industries and everyone got a good laugh (and photo opportunity) when we could dress up in the compulsory safety gear & uniform (including the affectionately titled “Disco Pants”).  Gateways also supplied Subway sandwiches for lunch, snacks, drinks and movies for the bus ride – keeping everyone entertained and fresh as a daisy.  Complete with a trip to Bree Park’s bird sanctuary in Woomera and Hungry Jack’s for tea, the trip was long, but informative and enjoyed by all.

VIBE Alive 2009

VIBE Alive is a 2 day festival for young fellas who like to dance, rap, sing, paint and play sport. There is even time to just chill and enjoy the music.

VIBE Alive is a chance for the youth to express themselves and show their school, community and family what they are good at. Students also find out some awesome info and advice on career choices, meet celebrities and learn some very important info on health and nutrition.

VIBE is a festival dedicated to celebrating Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander cultures and being a proud Aussie! Oh, and it’s the perfect place to catch up with the mob and make some new mates!

NAIDOC Celebrations

One of the many forms of live entertainment at the NAIDOC Week Celebrations in Port Pirie’s Memorial Park were Belly Dancers! The dance troop performed an extensive array of dances for the crowds and had everyone, including Gateways staff, shaking their groove thang!

Other entertainers included Ali & Elaine singing karaoke for the crowd, Gateways own Marc Swensson playing guitar and flexing his vocal muscles, Kirby Sullivan from Uniting Care even gave a beautiful rendition of ‘Halleluiah’ and of course – saving the best for last – the traditional indigenous song & dance storytelling was a spledid sight to behold!

Beauty & the Hairdresser

Hair & Beauty are, without a doubt, two of the most popular careers of interest with young women today! This was proven by the massive numbers of young girls who crowded the Hair & Beauty display at the recent Careers Expo. Here we can see JPSS students watching a demonstration by hairdresser, Amanda, from Michelles Hair Design, on how to move hair extensions up after they have grown out. Her ‘model’ is Haylee, owner/operator of Bedazzled Beauty, who also gave demonstrations on how to apply acrylic nails.

Defence is sometimes the best Offence

One of the busiest stalls at the recent Southern Flinders Careers Expo, held in Port Pirie, was the Australian Defence Forces stall, manned by representatives from the Army, Navy and Air Force they plugged the many benefits that ADFA can provide to the many young people who clamoured around their display!

Discovering a Creative Outlet

These John Pirie Secondary School students were just some of the many who took part in a day long seminar entitled ‘Discovery Day’ – a day during which students discovered themselves and what it is that makes them tick. One of the many interactive sessions throughout the day was the Self Esteem Poster Challenge in which students used a variety of craft items to create a compelling and positive poster promoting self-esteem and it’s benefits.

Mining Their Own Business

These students were the first of the five groups to take the BHP Billiton tour of Olympic Dam this year with students from Gladstone, Peterborough, Jamestown, Mid North Christian College and Booleroo Area School participating.

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