Adelle and her husband Herman, known as H, are another two members of the MinRes family that we spoke with to find out more about what R U OK? Day means to them, and how they ask, “are you ok?”.
Aged in their mid-60s, Adelle and H have been with MinRes for almost 12 years, and they’ve travelled thousands of kilometres over this time.
“We’ve been everywhere and done all sorts of jobs – from the Carina mine in the Wheatbelt region to the Wodgina lithium operation in the Pilbara and everywhere in between. I think the only MinRes site we haven’t been to is Wonmunna,” said Adelle.
Adelle and H currently work at Iron Valley. Located about 75 kilometres north-west of Newman in the Pilbara region, Iron Valley is an iron ore producing mine with more than 100 people working on site at any time.
Adelle and H are valued members of the MinRes Site Services team, they help to provide a home away from home experience for our people and are involved with everything from catering, cleaning, facilities and water management as well as making sure the buses run safely and reliably.
H is often the first person our people see as they get on the bus to go to work, and the first person they see at the end of the working day.
Photo: H celebrated his 10-year anniversary with MinRes at Iron Valley in early 2020. In true MinRes style, our Catering team spoilt him with a delicious anniversary cake.
“In the morning I like to sit with the team before they get on the bus and I just chat with them. I ask them if everything is ok in their room, if their TV is working and make sure the tap in their bathroom isn’t dripping,” said H.
“It’s the little things that make a big difference to people working up here. If there is a problem in anyone’s room, I make sure I fix before they finish work.
“During these conversations I pay attention to how people are behaving. We’re a really close-knit team up here, so if someone is a bit short with their response or they’ve gone quiet, that’s a sign to me that something isn’t quite right.
“That’s when I ask if everything else is ok, so they have the opportunity to talk and I just listen.”
Photo: Adelle (centre) with members of her team, who she describes as “just the best”.
Adelle and H are often viewed as parental figures on site, and they’re happy that people feel comfortable confiding in them.
“I think promoting kindness is very important and that’s what I aim to do every day. I feel like it’s very easy to do when I am surrounding by so many amazing people – the team I work with in the kitchen are just the best,” said Adelle.
“R U OK? Day is a really important reminder to think about all the different ways you can check in with your friends and family and be comfortable to ask how they are going.”
