Talison and Blackwood Youth Action Group Sign Partnership to Support Youth Mental Health Services

Talison Lithium has signed a three- year partnership with Blackwood Youth Action Group to help deliver critical services to support the wellbeing of young people across the Warren-Blackwood District.

The $600,000 partnership, with potential for a further two-year extension, will enable the Blackwood Youth Action Group to deliver targeted mental health education and awareness programmes, early intervention strategies and treatment for young people aged 12 to 25 years across the local government areas of Bridgetown-Greenbushes, Manjimup, Boyup Brook and Nannup.

The BYA Pyramid Program is a four-level wrap-around approach to youth mental health, breaking down stigmas and providing support for young people in need.

In signing the Partnership agreement with BYA on Friday 5 May, Talison Lithium Chief Executive Officer, Lorry Mignacca, said Talison recognized the importance of building resilience in young people and providing opportunities for the future.

"We are proud to be partnering with the Blackwood Youth Action Group to increase mental health support services for young people in the Warren Blackwood region,” he said.

“Supporting the BYA also means supporting our workforce, their families, and the well-being of people in the communities surrounding the Greenbushes Lithium Operation," said Mr Mignacca.

"As we seek to expand our operations and recruit the workforce necessary to continue supplying the world with the raw materials required for the clean energy transition, we are keenly aware that young people in our region are our future."

BYA Chairperson Sarah Youngson said the partnership between BYA and Talison was important for BYA to be able to continue to run their programs and facilities.

“It is impossible to quantify the value for BYA and community of this partnership with Talison,” she said.

“Talison’s support means BYA is able to continue to provide mental health education and support for young people across the Warren Blackwood region and we are extremely excited about this partnership and what it will deliver to our future generations.”

The BYA partnership is part of Talison’s overall community investment strategy which includes a Sponsorships and Donations Programme providing cash and in-kind donations for community groups and organisations and education scholarships for schools in the Warren-Blackwood Education District.

FORMER GREENBUSHES EXPLORATION MANAGER MIKE HATCHER VISITS TALISON

Mike Hatcher, who was instrumental in championing the exploration of the Greenbushes lithium mineral deposit recently made his first visit to the mine in more than four decades.

Mr Hatcher, who now lives in Adelaide, began working at Greenbushes in 1976 when the primary minerals produced were tin and tantalum. However, after returning from a sponsored tour of Canada's Tanco operations in 1980, he pushed for the exploration and development of the Greenbushes spodumene deposit.

At the time there was a decline in the price of tantalum, and it seemed logical to develop the third important mineral found in the Greenbushes pegmatite – spodumene. Mr. Hatcher co-wrote three important papers on the Greenbushes lithium deposit, which were published in 1982, 1986, and 1990.

In 1983 a company called Lithium Australia was formed in Greenbushes, and that same year the Greenbushes mine became the first in Australia to produce and export lithium. Talison's Greenbushes Lithium Operation has been leading in lithium ever since, continuously innovating in the production and processing of spodumene, while also being instrumental in establishing global export markets for lithium products throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Today Talison plays a critical role in helping supply the lithium mineral concentrate needed to facilitate the global transition to clean energy.

Mr. Hatcher left Greenbushes in 1983, and his recent site visit was an interesting trip down memory lane, allowing him to see first-hand what he had helped begin all those years ago.

Pictured: Mike Hatcher with Talison Geology Superintendent Daryl Baker.

Regions Rising 2023: Keynote address on Jobs and Skills

Craig Dawson, General Manager of Operations at Talison, delivered the keynote address on Jobs and Skills at the Regions Rising conference in Bunbury on March 10, 2023.

The Regions Rising event series serves as an essential platform for bringing together industry experts, economists, regional leaders, government officials, political leaders, academics, and community sector representatives to discuss the critical factors affecting regional communities.

The address highlighted Talison's position as the leading lithium producer and emphasized how its impacts extend beyond just contributing to the clean energy transition. Talison's operations also provide significant funds to Federal, State, local governments and local communities.

There was discussion on the challenging skills and labour environment Talison faces as it tries to expand its workforce, along with the strategies Talison is implementing to overcome these obstacles.

Mr Dawson shared that despite the high demand for workers in the mining industry, Talison is striving to become more sustainable in the recruitment of its workforce by trying to maintain the balance between hiring locally and ensuring the community's liveability.

He also spoke about initiatives such as the annual Trainee and Apprenticeship programs which have become an important entry pathway into mining in the region, and Talison's partnership with the Chamber of Minerals and Energy WA on their curriculum-linked Digital Technologies Program, which helps provide students in the Warren Blackwood Region with the skills they need for the jobs of the future, starting in pre-primary and continuing through their senior school years.

Mr Dawson concluded his address by stating "While the global transition to cleaner energy relies on the lithium we mine, we rely on the people who make that possible."