Traditional Owner Business Wins Road Maintenance Contract
Broome based Kaynar Contracting has won a three-year contract at Thunderbird to maintain all roads on-site, including the 30km long Thunderbird Access Road.
Kaynar Contracting is a Traditional Owner business certified by Supply Nation, with a focus on servicing clients in the mining, civil and automotive industries.
Kyle Ringin, Kaynar Contracting Director, said the long-term contract was a huge win for the company.
“We’ve been working on site at Thunderbird supporting other contractors for some time now, so I’m really pleased to be awarded this contract in our own right.
“The longevity of the contract means we can invest in new machinery which gives us an opportunity to further grow the business,” he said.
Kimberley Mineral Sands’ Chief Operating Officer Michael Rose said Kaynar Contracting had demonstrated experience in local conditions and the mining industry, as well as strong social benefits through its Joombarn-buru ownership.
“I’m pleased to be awarding this contract to a Broome based Traditional Owner business which will help create more local jobs and support economic growth,’ he said.
First rehabilitation trials underway
The KMS Enviro team has begun the first seed propagation and rehabilitation trials at Thunderbird.
New species have been introduced into our onsite nursery and the range of flora available for rehabilitation has been expanded. Research is also being undertaken into developing effective germination pre-treatment and determining optimal planting techniques.
Aided by two environmental vacation students, our KMS Rangers recently collected seeds from around the site, recorded details of all the seeds in our collection and created a seed inventory database.
Seed propagation trials are trying out different treatment methods such as boiling, scarification, cuttings, clean water soak, and smoke water soak.
Rehabilitation trials are focussing on identifying the most effective methods for large-scale rehabilitation. Multiple approaches, including spreading seeds directly, planting seedlings, and the creation and dispersal of seed bombs, were tested.
The results from the trials will provide insights to inform and improve future rehabilitation.
Faces of Thunderbird
Meet Kirsty! Kirsty is one of our Process Operators at the Thunderbird Processing Plant.
She says she feels fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn and experience working in the Control Room where we control the processing of our mineral sands into the different concentrates for export.
Kirsty has lived in Broome for 27 years and is a busy mum of four boys, the youngest of whom are both in Year 12.
The things Kirsty enjoys most about working at Thunderbird are the even-time roster and beautiful camp, but mostly the people - especially when she bumps into random people from Broome on-site which makes it feel more like home 🏡 She says she's also lucky enough to work with a great crew full of personalities!
Recruitment Update
We are currently recruiting for the following position:
Mechanical Engineer (Closing Sunday 3 March)
Please apply via the online links. If you have any queries, please contact our People team via recruitment@kmsands.com.au
For a full list of positions available at Thunderbird, including with our contractors, please visit Seek.
Workforce Numbers
The figures below represent staff numbers for KMS and our primary contractors at Thunderbird. There is an increase in the total workforce from last month due to reporting changes and the inclusion of new contractors.