Two weeks ago the Upper Hunter Motoring Association raised more than $10,000 at their annual dinner dance to benefit the local PCYC and assist with their community aid programs, partially thanks to a $2000 donation from Anglo American’s Drayton mine to go towards purchasing items for auction on the night.
More than 170 people attended the event held at the Muswellbrook RSL and beneficiaries included the Muswellbrook PCYC which received $10,000 of proceeds, $500 for the Devil Ark breeding facility protecting endangered Tasmanian Devils and $1500 for prostate cancer research.
Anglo American’s donation was used to purchase a surfboard signed by world-renowned surfing superstar Layne Beachley, a weekend for two at Barrington Tops and a weekend away at the Crown Plaza at Terrigal which were all popular auction items at the dinner and dance.
The dinner was held as part of the Motorfest, an annual fundraising event which sees gate takings distributed to the Muswellbrook PCYC. The final fundraising figure is still being tallied.
Upper Hunter Motor Association’s Geoff Budden said he was delighted Motorfest was once again a huge success and thanked Anglo American for supporting the dinner and dance.
“By granting us the funds to purchase the items for the auction, Anglo American helped us bring the community together and raise funds to benefit local people,” Mr Budden said.
PCYC Manager De-Anne Douglas said the amount raised at the dinner would make a real difference to the local community.
“The PCYC has more than 2267 members, with 916 under 18 years of age and it’s donations like this that help us provide valuable services to local people,” Ms Douglas said.
“Considering the downturn, it is fantastic Anglo American has continued to support local groups through the recent donations, which in turn helps us run our operation and support local kids.
“We are non-Government funded and every little bit helps. The $10,000 donation from the Motorfest and dinner will help us cover costs, improve our facility and subsidise memberships for families that struggle financially so their kids can still use the centre,” she said.
“On top of this, the team at Drayton mine also recently donated several furniture items and a microwave to the PCYC which we then passed onto local families doing it tough in the Valley.
“This is exactly why we support the future Drayton South project, because the benefits are shared with the local community to benefit local people,” she said.
The popular PCYC includes an impressive boxing hall, where Upper Hunter Motor Association’s Geoff Budden stopped by to present De-Anne Douglas with the donation on Wednesday last week and to thank Anglo American’s Matt Frodsham for the support.
Anglo American’s Drayton South project will secure 500 local jobs at Drayton mine which would otherwise be lost if the existing mine was to close in 2015.
ENDS
The Muswellbrook PCYC’s De-Anne Douglas, Anglo American’s Matt Frodsham and the Upper Hunter Motor Association’s Geoff Budden at the PCYC boxing hall last week, celebrating the outstanding fundraising efforts from the Motorfest and dinner.
For further information, please contact:
Metallurgical Coal Corporate Affairs:
Jacqui Strambi: +61 439 774 526
Notes to editors:
Anglo American is one of the world’s largest mining companies, is headquartered in the UK and listed on the London and Johannesburg stock exchanges. Our portfolio of mining businesses meets our customers’ changing needs and spans bulk commodities – iron ore and manganese, metallurgical coal and thermal coal; base metals and minerals – copper, nickel, niobium and phosphates; and precious metals and minerals – in which we are a global leader in both platinum and diamonds. At Anglo American, we are committed to working together with our stakeholders – our investors, our partners and our employees – to create sustainable value that makes a real difference, while upholding the highest standards of safety and responsibility across all our businesses and geographies. The company’s mining operations, pipeline of growth projects and exploration activities span southern Africa, South America, Australia, North America, Asia and Europe.
www.angloamerican.com.au