News

The Perkins Group of Companies was proud to sponsor WA Business News’ Food for Thought, Women in Business Breakfast, held this morning at the Hyatt Regency in Perth.

The Food for Thought series is a celebration of the myriad of achievements by WA’s extraordinary businesswomen and a source of inspiration for women in business presented in a unique platform to connect and engage in a relaxed atmosphere, outside the usual workplace environment.

“Each of the speakers told their story and explained the challenges they have overcome to get to where they are today. A lot of the challenges were ones that we as females face at some point in our careers so it was fantastic to see and learn how these have been overcome. It was very insightful and inspiring and has provided some great conversation topics to bring back to the workplace”

Earlier this month, Perkins Project Manager Mick had the opportunity to join the Wirrpanda Foundation and West Coast Eagles for 5 days on the Wirrpanda Remote Regional Experience in the state’s Pilbara region. The purpose of the trip was in support of the Wirrpanda Remote School Attendance Strategy Program and to engage with the local children in a number of activities.

Here is Mick’s full report on the experience:

Day 1

After arriving in Karratha mid-afternoon we were straight on the bus to Point Samson to meet up with Wirra Kids from Wickham Primary for an afternoon engagement with the community comprising of cricket, soccer and of course footy followed by a BBQ. On the bus journey we were advised we should expect to be interrogated by the kids as they will want to know everything about us. Shortly after our introduction and as the sport commenced for the afternoon the rapid fire questions came our way. After a solid 2hrs of sport and interrogation the first beer of the evening was well deserved.

 Day 2

All aboard for a casual 3hr bus ride from Karratha to Onslow where we would be based for the next three days. Arriving shortly after lunch it was an afternoon full of community activities. First up was 3×3 basketball with primary school kids followed by dodgeball with high school kids at the Onslow Multi- Purpose Centre. The adults were evenly split across two teams and it was game on right from the first whistle blow. The high school kids turned up to play and were super competitive, the adults were clearly the primary targets. If you couldn’t dodge multiple balls purposely thrown at you. Like Neo dodges bullets in the matrix you found yourself watching from the side lines very quickly with a complimentary sledge. Last item on the itinerary for day two was sunset footy with the West Coast Eagles at Onslow Primary. Over the next 2 hours it was skills and drills clinic for the Onslow community mostly the kids with parent’s onlooking along with a special guest visit from Rick the Rock the Eagles Mascot which sent the kids into an absolute frenzy for photos and Eagles merchandise giveaways.

Day 3

Another day another bus trip, this time heading out to Peedamulla Cattle Station for a cultural experience. Peedamulla meaning ‘plenty water’ In local Aboriginal language, and is managed by traditional owners Preston and Caroline Parker. It is approximately 226,000 Hectares. Peedamulla is one of five cattle stations purchased by the Federal Government and land titles signed over to the Indigenous communities for operation in the late 1970’s, a very significant milestone and one that many Pilbara Indigenous communities are proud of. Preston was our guide throughout our time on the station and was never short of a yarn offering plenty of insight to his elders of the land before, land traditions, Aboriginal law and ceremonies. I walked away with a greater appreciation and understanding of our indigenous culture.  Our time at Peedamulla was nearing to an end, leaving just one more thing left to do and that was the culinary experience. Caroline and her Grandmother Doris had been preparing lunch during our tour of the station. On the menu was traditionally cooked Kangaroo Tail Stew with Dampier. The kangaroo was cooked in the ground prior to making the stew and needless to say it was cooked to perfection, far better than my attempt with Kangaroo purchased from Woolworths which resulted in the smoke alarm cheering me on. After demolishing two rounds of stew it was time to head back to Onslow for the Passion of the Pilbara Festival. The bus trip back to Onslow took a slight detour through ‘Old Onslow’. In the earlier 1900’s the federal government decide to locate the entire town closer to the water. This was done to prevent the town from being blasted regularly by cyclones, and there are only a few structures which partially remain being the prison and the  police station. Bi-annually BHP and Chevron in conjunction with a few other sponsors cater for a community festival (Passion of Pilbara) comprised of live musical acts, rides and amusement which is all free of charge, no paying for rides or side shows which drew a fairly large crowd both nights along with the inaugural fishing comp with an attractive first prize of $10k for the largest Spanish mackerel caught. This certainly had the community talking and plenty of spectators at evening weigh-ins.

Day 4

No bus ride to day, Awesome! Day 4 was all about reaching out to the Onslow Local Community and spreading the word of the Wirrpanda Foundation at the Passion of the Pilbara Festival final day. Bump in was 10.30am until 4pm to set up our mini stall offering showbags of Wirrpanda merchandise, handball or kick footy with Troy Cook or make you own indigenous magnets at the art and craft table provided. The magnets and footy passing kicking proved to be very popular and drew a reasonable crowd steadily throughout the day resulting in being able to see quite a few familiar faces from the previous day’s activities offering that next level of in-depth social engagement and interaction with the indigenous community.

 Day 5 

One last bust trip back to Karratha airport to get our flight home with a quick stop into Dampier. After seeing the movie Red Dog I was excited to see the statue in person and read the narrative posters.

 To conclude, getting amongst the community for 5 days has significantly increased my awareness, knowledge and understanding of the indigenous community . 

Friday 2nd of August is Jeans for Genes Day. A day to raise vital funds for the Children’s Medical Research Institute. Each year staff from the Perkins Group of Companies get in the spirit and don their jeans, double, triple and even quadruple denim to support this vital cause. The sad truth is that 1 in 20 kids facing a birth defect or genetic disease are used to hearing words like “incurable” or “lifelong effects”. It doesn’t have to be this way.

Right now, The Children’s Medical Research Institute is working on gene therapy to find cures for previously incurable genetic diseases. It’s not too late to get involved and help raise funds! Jump online and donate or buy some merchandise from participating retailers. Every dollar counts!

NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia each July to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC is celebrated not only in Indigenous communities, but by Australians from all walks of life. The week is a great opportunity to participate in a range of activities and to support your local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. This year the theme for NAIDOC Week is Voice. Treaty. Truth.

As we work towards Closing the Gap, as per our Indigenous Engagement Plan, Perkins Builders will be participating in NAIDOC Week at the Deadly Jobs Expos at Perth’s largest NAIDOC Week celebration on Thursday 11th July at Ashfield Reserve, the NAIDOC Family Day and at the Bunbury NAIDOC Family Fun Day on Friday 12th at the Bunbury Trotting Track. These expos will provide information and opportunity for Indigenous people on the workforce, amongst a fun day for the family, with many other activities to participate in.

Let’s work together for a shared future.

The Perkins Group of Companies has joined forces with X Trial in a sponsorship that will help grow the X Trial Australian Championship and develop the grass roots sport of Trial.

What is X Trial you ask? It’s like parkour, but on a motorbike! This sport is one of intense skill and tact; riders are pitted against five obstacle courses and are racing against time. The riders have to negotiate through a course and ride massive earth moving tyres, concrete pillars, logs, skip bins and much more, all with only ninety seconds on the clock!

Only eight of the best riders get an invitation to test themselves on the most difficult and intense course in Australia.

“The Perkins Group of Companies is very proud to be associated with the WA leg of the Australian X Trial Championship. We hope our involvement will encourage local riders to participate in this exciting sport as a stepping stone to the international stage”

“This is more than just a sponsorship, its support for the sport and the series” said X Trial promoter Neil Price. The deal comes as the championship spreads its wings, with round one in Perth, July 20th at HBF Stadium.

The Perkins X Trial Championship is being held at HBF Stadium, Mount Claremont, Perth on Saturday 20th July. Tickets are available to purchase from Ticketmaster.

Earlier in the month, 9 staff members from the Perkins Group of Companies departed for Cambodia to take part in the Tabitha Foundation House Building for a second year to participate in their house building project.

Cambodia is a third world country that in the 1970s experienced genocide at the hands of the Khmer Rouge regime. The systemic killing of Cambodians results in the loss of 25% of the country’s population – and this occurred in some of our lifetimes. This has resulted in extreme poverty throughout the country, which the Tabitha Foundation is looking to combat through meaningful savings programs.

The team visited Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and the Killing Fields on the first day, both memorials to the atrocities committed during the 70s. We also met with a survivor of the Khmer Rouge Regime who now works for Tabitha Foundation and were briefed on what was to come with the build. We found out we would be building in a nearby province (near the Vietnam border), and for 24 families. These families had committed to the savings program, where over a period of 5 years, they save $25 to contribute towards the cost of the house build (the rest contributed by donations).

Two days, 24,000 nails, bamboo floors, 92% humidity, and a few sore thumbs later we had constructed 24 houses for 116 people; 74 of which were children. The build included participation from eager family members, farm animals, and the occasional fan plugged in from a neighbouring house that were fortunate enough to have power.

At the end of the build we participated in a handover ceremony, where each family received a blanket to signify the handover of the house to the family. With a roof over their head, and access to clean water it is anticipated that these children will likely go to school, the family may be able to afford to pay for medicine if someone was to fall ill, and there would be no need to sell their children into human trafficking or be vulnerable to this in the future. Through education, the program helps to break the hopeless cycle of poverty.

All that hard work had built up an appetite for us, and following an award ceremony where we saw a number of the Perkins Group acknowledged for their building skills or expert photography ability, we headed to dinner with the build group at the Friends Restaurant, who employ young adults who live on the streets, and provide them training and employment opportunities in the hospitality industry.

In Siem Reap, we visited the Cows for Cambodia Project. The way the programme works is to loan a family a pregnant cow that they must look after, and when it has a calf, they give back the cow to go to another family and keep the calf. We visited the cows that had recently been purchased for the programme, including one that we had donated funds towards and then visited two families that had been positively affected by the programme.

The day was topped off with a visit to a local school in one of the rural villages outside of Siem Reap where we spent some time meeting the children that were attending after school classes in English, seeing how intelligent these children were, and the opportunities that were being created by the programme for families in the community was heart-warming and inspiring.

There will be a lot of lessons learnt from this trip that will stay with each of us for the rest of our lives. One quote that sums up the experience well is – what we do for ourselves dies with us, what we do for others and the world remains and is immortal. The people we met, and the experiences we were afforded is something we will be eternally grateful for.

We want to extend a thank you to all whom participated in all our fundraising efforts, with a very special mention to South West Site Manager Pete Leaman who donated a whole house; without your generosity this would not have been possible.