What people say?

Testimonials

Thank you for your presentation today at Marandoo. Your on point with your delivery and as mentioned, I connected with Blake and George today at different levels. Blake was easy to relate to because he has been there and struggled and over came it. George helped explain why we struggle and gave great insights into how we can better manage problems before they get out of hand. This would have to be the best mental health presentation I have ever seen.
Gareth ‘Turbo’ Edwards
Shutdown Planner, Rio Tinto
Hearing your story and seeing you out there spreading the word and helping others has given me inspiration to keep fighting the fight and do what I can to help others too.
Craig Harris Maintenance Superintendent
BHP Billiton
I’d like to thank yourself Blake and George for the presentation at our work site this evening/Marandoo. I’ll certainly be getting behind the cause and for the positive explanation of what/where and how this can affect our lives. Awesome job and it’s a credit to you both.
Allan Willey
Mobile Plant Operator, Rio Tinto (Marandoo)
Hi George & Blake. It was great to hear the stories last night and the discussion that was had after! Great to see everyone getting involved and coming down to support you! I discussed a few things this morning at pre-start that stood out for me which was what Blake said that “It’s not mental health issues, it’s life issues that we deal with every day. Things that I need to focus on as a supervisor knowing the signs, asking the right questions & following up on any issues.
Travis Keough
Supervisor , Rio Tinto (Yandi)
Your approach to mental health is professional and needed. Glad we interviewed you on Undercurrent the great things FIFOzero are doing for suicide prevention in WA.
Greg Thomas
Wheatstone-Barrow Island
These guys’ mission is to try and eradicate suicide …A lot of deaths today can be around suicide especially for FIFO’s. Sometimes it can be quite isolating. Blake, he’s one of us. He has worked in the FIFO industry about 9 years now and George has had nearly 18 000 hours of coaching for a personal development company. So these two bring light to our conversations on the seriousness of FIFO suicides.
Simon Johnson
Pit Operation Superintendent WTS Rio Tinto Iron Ore
I work at Marandoo for Rio and you both came and spoke to us during shift change one night. You mentioned how it is ok to be a work in progress and I really liked that and got a lot from it. I have been FIFO for 10 years in mining, mainly contracting. The culture is so important. Rio is the first company that seems to be genuinely focusing on breaking this cycle! The culture and values are light years ahead from what I have seen in my short time with them. You were both real and your presentation was real, relevant and had an impact. Many are not and I just think and feel they are on the bandwagon! I liked the it’s OK to be a work in progress concept and got a lot from it. So keep up the good work and good on Rio!
Shaun Pickering
Rio Tinto (Marandoo)
For the past few months, we have engaged the FIFOzero team to help engage our communities in Mining and FIFO sector of our workforce. For me it has been incredible. The guys are taking a real different approach to what I have seen in how we engage and speak about mental health. It is a pragmatic approach to help people solve problems and better deal with their issues in these environments. It’s a massive tool to help our everyday person deal with the issues that come with working in FIFO. There is a real emotional fragility about working out here. It has to come with I guess, a certain level of problem solving skills that some people find hard to adapt to. So since we have worked with the FIFOzero team, we have gone across I think it’s about 4 - 5 sites so far and the reaction and engagement we have had with our residents, our clients and our own people has been fantastic. But again, for me it has been about the approach that these boys are taking, which is something different. Rather than focusing on the problem and suicide, they’re actually focusing on building skills, to really come up the stream further and create prevention before these situations become hard for us to deal with. I really look forward to the future and working more with the guys.
Anna Stevens
Wellness Advisor Rocklea Palms