March 2016

Helen Fitzroy, who led the development and creation of the Miners’ Promise organisation, and who served as Chairperson between 2012 and 2014, has officially stepped down from her position as a Director of the Board.

Helen was instrumental in creating Miners’ Promise after experiencing the emotional and financial hardship of unexpectedly losing her husband Steve in a workplace accident in 1991. Impacted by the outpouring from others with stories so similar to her own, Helen began to develop the concept of a crisis support organisation, which ultimately led to the launch of the not-for-profit organisation in 2010.

For more than 15 years Helen has worked tirelessly to campaign for greater mine safety and to fight for better support, and has become a well-respected safety advocate within the resources industry across Australia. These efforts were recognised in 2012 when she won WA Local Hero in the Australian of the Year Awards and became a national finalist in the 2012 Australian of the Year Awards ‘Local Hero’ category.

Her personal struggle and recovery is also documented in her book ‘Just a Number’, which has helped countless others navigate their way through similar tragedy.

For the past 18 months Helen has also been delivering support to members and their families impacted by a crisis event, illness or death, in her voluntary role as a Family Support Advisor (FSA) for Miners’ Promise.

“Miners’ Promise exists because of the tenacity and dedication of Helen Fitzroy,” said Richard Kern, Miners’ Promise Chairperson.

“Not only is Helen largely responsible for the existence of the organisation and for directly assisting our families, but for the past 18 months, she has also been working behind the scenes on our organisation’s procedural framework as part of our succession planning strategy. This means she is able to move on from her role as a Board member, safe in the knowledge that the organisation is set up for success.

“So on behalf of the organisation and my fellow board members, I would like to express our deepest gratitude for the enormous contribution Helen has made to Miners’ Promise, for her five years service as a Director, and former chairperson on the Board, for her work as a family support advisor and in driving the organsiation’s procedural framework.

“Fortunately for us, Helen will be remaining with Miners’ Promise as a family support advisor and has assured us she will continue to remain in this role for as long as she is needed,” said Richard.

Helen is stepping away from the Board to allow others the opportunity to join, and to enable her to focus on delivering her message across Australia through her popular safety presentations, focusing on the personal perspective of a workplace fatality.

Miners’ Promise is an independent, not-for-profit organisation providing crisis support to members employed within the oil & gas, mining and construction industries across Australia.

Media contact: Zoe Croft, zoe@nocrumbs.com.au, 0422 944 921