Park Plunge for charity

Four Hedland Fortescue Metals staff members will scale the face of the 220m Central Park Building next month, all in the name of a good cause.

Port operations manager Mark Komene, senior maintenance planner Matt Herwig, port and rail safety superintendent Norm Kenny and reliability superintendent Rafael Gomez are part of a group of 25 FMG employees who will take part in the Central Park Plunge on September 3.

As part of the 52-story plunge, the men are raising funds for the Ronald McDonald House, which offers bedrooms to families with seriously ill children.

Now in its second year, the Central Park Plunge gives 300 participants the opportunity to abseil the length of the building, with the aim of raising $350,000 for four charities which also include Kids’ Camps, Anglicare WA and the Fiona Wood Foundation.

In 2015, more than $450,000 was raised.

For Mr Kenny and Mr Herwig, it’s not their first time raising funds for the charity.

“In about 2013 we did a motorbike ride for Ronald McDonald House and we raised $60,000 for that,” he said.

“To be able to see the kids and the parents when we arrived, that really touches the heart and so I don’t mind doing anything to raise money, especially if kids are involved.”

For Mr Komene, not only is it his first time doing something like this, he’s also confessed to being afraid of heights.

“I’m a little bit nervous … because you see this little rope and it’s supposed to hold two tonne and when you go over the edge there I imagine you’re like, ‘I hope this rope doesn’t break’,” he said.

But for each of the men, the cause is one they are wholeheartedly getting behind.

“I’ve got twin boys,” Mr Komene said.

“They were born 13 weeks premature so we spent 82 days in hospital with them but we knew five other couples which weren’t localised in that area and they were housed in Ronald McDonald housing … that’s one less burden if you’re not local in the area.”

Mr Herwig said the fundraising for him was about giving thanks he and his family didn’t need to use the service and helping out where he could.