Western Australian mining and exploration company, IGO Limited (IGO), has pledged $250,000 to support the Esperance and Dundas Shires with their COVID-19 and bushfire recovery plans.
The funding will provide vital support to the Shire of Esperance’s COVID-19 Community Recovery Plan and the Shire of Dundas’ Bushfire Recovery Plan and will help ensure the local communities in which IGO operates are supported during this challenging time.
The communities of Esperance and Norseman have been severely impacted during 2020, firstly by severe bushfires over the summer months, and more recently by COVID-19 related travel restrictions which have significantly reduced economic activity in both regions. While the recent relaxation of intrastate travel restrictions has been a lifeline for many regional communities in WA, the impact of these combined crises will be felt for many months ahead.
IGO Managing Director and CEO Peter Bradford said, “At IGO, our purpose, ‘Making a Difference’, drives our approach to delivering value and care. Care for all stakeholders, including the people in our host communities.”
“We are privileged to be part of the Norseman and Esperance communities and value the relationships that we have formed. We are therefore proud to be able to contribute and we hope this financial support will enable our local communities to recover after what has been an incredibly difficult start to the year,” Mr Bradford continued.
Shire of Dundas President, Laurene Bonza said the financial assistance from IGO was most welcome.
“It is an incredibly generous gesture from IGO and comes at a time when we need support after the devastating bushfires and the impacts COVID-19 has had on our small community. We are most grateful to IGO for their ongoing commitment to our community,” said Ms Bonza.
Shire of Esperance CEO, Matthew Scott said, “The impact of COVID-19 and the recent bushfires to the Esperance community and economy has been significant and we look forward to working together with IGO to develop community-based projects to directly benefit all in our local area.”
As well as being affected by the bushfires, the Esperance community has had to deal with unprecedented challenges to the local tourism industry as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the impact being felt across the whole community. IGO’s $150,000 donation to the Esperance COVID-19 Community Recovery Plan will help support the Shire of Esperance with its ongoing recovery needs within the community.
In Norseman, and the broader Shire of Dundas, significant bushfire activity affected large areas of the Great Western Woodland, which resulted in extensive road closures and a significant reduction in tourist numbers during the Summer season. IGO ’s $100,000 donation to their Bushfire Recovery Plan will help support the Shire with its recovery plan to benefit the wider local community.