Rio Tinto in Emerald creates hope for cancer patients this Christmas

Rio Tinto Coal Australia has given a gift of hope to cancer patients this Christmas by donating $10,000 to Cancer Council Queensland for ongoing research and support services for regional cancer patients.

The Kestrel Mine pledged the donation in lieu of what RTCA would have spent on Christmas cards.

The gift provides a much needed boost for the Cancer Council's annual Christmas Appeal, and adds to significant fundraising efforts by RTCA employees during 2009.

Cancer Council Queensland CEO, Professor Jeff Dunn, said the generosity of RTCA and its staff would help the Cancer Council to expand its services in regional Queensland in 2010 and beyond.

"This year, with the help of RTCA and its people, we opened the Central Queensland Cancer Support Centre in Rockhampton, giving people from outlying regions vital access to cancer treatment services and support.

"The centre is the first of its kind in this region, and will help to address the gap in cancer survival rates for regional Queenslanders.

"With the RTCA's Christmas donation, we will continue our work in 2010 to improve access to services such as the Cancer Council Helpline, and to continue our research into understanding why regional patients experience lower rates of cancer survival."

In total, RTCA is donating $20,000 to cancer research this Christmas, as its Hunter Valley mines are also making a similar donation to the Cancer Council NSW.

Managing director Bill Champion said he is very proud of the fundraising for cancer that RTCA employees have supported in their own time, and welcomed the opportunity to recognise and further enhance that support with a company donation.

"This year has been challenging for a number of reasons; such as flooding rains in Queensland in early 2009, and uncertain markets due to the global financial crisis," Mr Champion said.

"Despite these difficult circumstances, our workforce has been exceptionally generous in its support of fund-raising initiatives for cancer research, and I am delighted to nominate Cancer Council Queensland as the recipient of this corporate donation."

Recent activities at Kestrel Mine include:

Emerald Cancer Council Branch - Members of this branch attended the 15th UICC Reach to Recovery International Breast Cancer Support Conference held in Brisbane - $2087
Relay for Life - $1000
Catering for Australia's Biggest Morning Tea held at the Emerald Neighbourhood Centre - $350
A Kestrel Mine employee donated $200 to the 'Look Good Feel Better' group
Kestrel Mine employees raised $2000 to buy a brick for the Central Queensland Cancer Support Centre
Kestrel Mine will also match all monies raised by employees from Movember this month.

Kestrel Mine general manager operations, Tony Lennox, said: "Our employees support a range of fundraising activities in the community to promote cancer awareness and cancer research. It is an important area for them to support, so we are pleased to find an idea as simple as Christmas cards as yet another way to lend our help to the fight against cancer."

In Queensland, RTCA manages the Blair Athol, Hail Creek, Kestrel and Clermont mines, which along with the head office in Brisbane are donating a total of $10,000 to the Cancer Council Queensland for cancer research in regional areas.

RTCA manages Coal & Allied's three mines in the Hunter Valley in New South Wales. Those sites are also joining head office in Brisbane to donate a total of $10,000 to the Cancer Council NSW for cancer research in regional parts of that state.

Media release - Rio Tinto in Emerald creates hope for cancer patients this Christmas [PDF: 30 KB]