Miner gives students a boost

St Cecilia’s Catholic Primary’s scholarship program has gained a boost from Roy Hill’s new community foundation.

The miner, which shipped its first iron ore last December, has teamed up with its contractors and business partners to form a charity called the Roy Hill Community Foundation.

The foundation made its first community investment last week by pledging to support St Cecilia’s Little Stars program, which provides up to 20 scholarships for Aboriginal students.

Little Stars organisers now hope to expand the scholarships by bringing in local volunteers as student mentors and including parenting workshops and after school activities.

Roy Hill chief executive and foundation chairman Barry Fitzgerald said he was proud to help “disadvantaged Pilbara children get access to school through scholarships”.

Roy Hill’s new charity comes as Hedland residents have been debating the legacy of some community facilities built during the mining boom.

Hedland’s ratepayers association claimed the State Government and mining companies funded community buildings, but did not create adequate plans for how the local government could pay for their ongoing costs.

Mr Fitzgerald said the Roy Hill foundation hoped to avoid such debate by focusing on sustainable projects in education, training and employment, culture and arts and business development.

He said the foundation would work differently because it was made up of multiple companies, including Samsung, NAB, Hitachi and others.

He said the foundation’s management board would decide which projects to invest in instead of Roy Hill executives.

Another project the foundation is looking to back is an Aboriginal cultural centre in Hedland, to be built possibly as part of the Spoilbank marina development.

Mr Fitzgerald said the foundation was working with indigenous groups on the building’s design and a model to ensure it provided long-term sustainable benefits.

St Cecilia’s Primary principal Peter Allen and indigenous contract company Guma ICRG director Clinton Wolf, who was instrumental in setting up the Little Stars scholarships, thanked the Roy Hill foundation for its support.