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SAFELY IN PLACE: The iron ore rock monument at the Whyalla wetlands
Fourteen tonnes of iron ore rock was delivered to the Whyalla wetlands this week … all in one big lump!
In preparation for the official opening of the Jim Pollock Whyalla Wetlands next month, a 14-tonne iron ore rock has been donated to the City of Whyalla by GFG Alliance. This massive rock will carry a plaque honouring the late Jim Pollock who was the Mayor of Whyalla until 2016.
The kind offer by the Gupta Family Group Alliance has been backed up with a massive voluntary effort by a group of Whyalla businesses to get this impressive monument to the city and in place at the wetlands where a plaque will be attached and an information board erected nearby.
The rock, which is estimated to contain six tonnes of iron, was sourced from the GFG Alliance’s SIMEC owned Magnet Pit at the Southern Middleback Ranges Mining Operation at Iron Duke. Mining contractors BGC did the heavy work at the pit to extract the rock before loading it on to a Scholz Transport truck in November last year. On Wednesday it was taken to the wetlands where CBCH Crane Hire lifted it off the truck and put it in place.
City of Whyalla Project Manager Landscape, Sam Bourne thanked and paid tribute to GFG Alliance, BGC, Scholz Transport and CBCH Crane Hire.
“This was a huge logistical operation and all of these companies donated their equipment and time to get it done,” Sam said.
“It is not something that gets done every day and all these companies were so professional, resourceful and gracious with their time and efforts.
“To lift a tapered rock weighing 14 tonnes off a truck and on to the plinth where it will stay at the wetlands was an amazing effort.”
Jim Pollock, pictured, was a well-loved and respected city leader who served as Whyalla Mayor for fourteen years. He passed away in June 2016.
Eddie Scholz, from Scholz Transport, said he had no hesitation offering his services when he heard about the project.
“I knew Jim personally and was such a shame to see him go,” Eddie said.
“Jim wasn’t just a leader of this community, he was a caring person who just loved Whyalla and its people.
“The work we, and all the other companies did, honours Jim and is what Whyalla and Jim was all about … just pitching in, showing the way and helping out.
“We’re always keen to help out these sort of projects and anything that is pro-active and helps the community.”
Whyalla Mayor Lyn Breuer was full of praise for all of the companies involved in putting the monument in place and said it was a fitting memorial.
“Jim really was that solid rock for Whyalla as Mayor of this city for fourteen years and a leader in our region for many years beyond that,” Mayor Breuer said.
“It says a lot about how Jim was viewed and loved in this community that these companies were prepared to donate so much time and effort to get this memorial here.
“It broke all our hearts to lose Jim nearly two years ago and this is a fitting way to remember a remarkable Whyalla person and city leader and everything he did for this community.”
Rock facts
It weighs 14 tonnes, comprised of 40% iron (Fe).
It was sourced from the western zone of the of the SIMEC Iron Duke Pit Magnet deposit at the 128 relative level.
The rock is a magnetite carbonate, the most important magnetite ore within the SIMEC Mining magnetite stream.
It contains iron-bearing mineral magnetite, carbonate gangue which is dominated by minerals dolomite, ankerite and calcite.
This particular rock is also sulphur rich including pyrite and small scale quartz vening and amphibolites.