Cat dealer WesTrac has conducted a ceremony at the company’s South Guildford facility in WA to hand over a Cat D10T2 dozer to Indigenous contracting business Civil Road & Rail SX5.
Civil Road & Rail SX5, part of the broader SX5 group, will use the Cat D10T2 for mine rehabilitation services at Rio Tinto’s Pilbara mines.
SX5 directors Ralph and Cherie Keller, along with co-director and Eastern Guruma senior elder Kenzie Smith, said the act of land rehabilitation had grown in significance over recent years.
“We’re making things green again, making Country feel better,” Ralph Keller said.
“In repairing Country, we’re helping repair the trust and relationships with the region’s Traditional Owners.”
Smith’s family is among the Traditional Owners of the land and has a long history of helping businesses utilise and rehabilitate the land.
The family once broke horses and mustered cattle on the region’s stations, which set it on a path to establishing and running SX5’s contracting business.
WesTrac general manager Cameron Callaway said miners, as well as their suppliers and service providers, understood the vital importance of engaging with the Traditional Owners on whose country they operate to ensure continual improvement in environmental, social and governance outcomes.
“The world needs miners to supply the mineral resources required for a more sustainable future, and that means we need to support sustainable mining initiatives,” Callaway said.
“Drawing on the knowledge of Traditional Owners and the expertise of knowledgeable, experienced Indigenous organisations such as SX5 is a key aspect of that, and it’s especially rewarding for WesTrac to be involved in projects such as this.”
The Cat D10T2 will become a key part in the sustainability story, with onboard technologies to drive greater efficiency, productivity, and fuel economy, as well as improved operator safety and comfort.
Keller said technology such as the Cat D10T2 has been key to SX5’s success.
Support from Indigenous Business Australia (IBA) has made it possible for the group to continue to purchase equipment with the latest technologies.
“Putting the regeneration of Country back in the hands of First Nations companies like SX5 is smart business and we’re so glad to support their efforts,” IBA chief executive officer Kirsty Moore said.
“SX5 is a great example of a First Nations business transforming its opportunities to work with big business – all while restoring Country and being trained in new technology.”