Shiploader Illumination Projects
Port Waratah, in partnership with key local, national and international charities, lights up the night with special colours at its shiploading facilities at the Carrington Terminal each year, adding valuable awareness and funding to important community causes.
The shiploaders are well-placed to be seen easily at many locations right around Newcastle Harbour including Stockton, Kooragang Island, Carrington and the Honeysuckle entertainment precinct.
In May 2021, during the national month of domestic and family violence prevention, the shiploaders were shining bright purple. Port Waratah joined forces with Got Your Back Sista, a Newcastle-based community organisation that specialises in helping women and their children start a new life after escaping the trauma of domestic violence. Port Waratah provided a donation to Got Your Back Sista, to help support their valuable work in raising awareness of domestic violence in our community and primarily providing help and support to women and families in distress.
Leveraging the Light It Up initiative, Got Your Back Sista and Port Waratah employees took part in a social media awareness campaign to spread the message ‘Say NO to Domestic Violence’. The campaign was designed to encourage conversations about domestic violence and create awareness of the support services available for those who might need it.
CEO of Got Your Back Sista, Melissa Histon said, “Sadly, one in five Australian women and one in 20 men have been subjected to domestic abuse. This community initiative with Port Waratah is a wonderful, visible way to remind the community that domestic violence is not acceptable and is never okay.”
In September 2020, Port Waratah teamed up with the local Hunter Prostate Cancer Alliance (HPCA) to support International Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australian men with 20,000 diagnoses and more than 3,000 deaths each year.
Every night during September, shiploading facilities were shining blue to encourage men over 50 to take the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) blood test for early cancer detection, which can save men’s lives.
Port Waratah partnership with and donation to HPCA for the campaign helped to increase awareness of prostate cancer in the community and HPCA’s free counselling service for men and their families who are facing a diagnosis of prostate cancer.
Port Waratah CEO Hennie du Plooy said “Our hope is that this initiative sparked a conversation between friends, colleagues or family members about prostate cancer. We encourage all men over 50 years of age to talk to their GP about testing for prostate cancer, as part of their regular health check-up.”
Port Waratah called on all local shutterbugs to leverage and support the cause with a photography competition and social media campaign.
In October 2019, Port Waratah put a pink spotlight on breast cancer during Australia’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
To kick-start the launch of the month-long pink Illumination mission, a special fundraising BBQ was held for Port Waratah employees and their families on the Stockton foreshore.
“To have so many employees and their families attending our ‘Light it Up Pink’ celebration shows that this is a cause close to the hearts of many,” Mr du Plooy said.
All of the funds raised from the BBQ, plus a further donation from Port Waratah, were passed on to the Hunter Breast Cancer Education and Support Network. The donation assisted with the ongoing delivery of the annual Hunter Breast Cancer Public Forum, a free forum for the women of our region, and their families, who are affected by breast cancer.
