New dining rooms open for Chinese New Year 2011

The many Chinese employed within the Ramu Nico project came together 2-3 February to welcome in The Year of the Rabbit during Chinese New Year celebrations at both Basamuk and Kurumbukari.

NCS’ Chinese Chefs and PNG national teams put together sumptuous feasts of noodles, dumplings, steamed buns and stir fried favourites, which were served in new dining room facilities at both sites.

MCC staff celebrated by playing traditional Chinese music, karaoke singing, lucky door prizes and other games to toast in this very important festive season for the Chinese.

At Basamuk, the celebrations were hosted by MCC President, Madam Luo Shu, with similar scenes up in the mountains at the Kurumbukari site with MCC’s Dr James Wang hosting his staff to a traditional feast and celebration in their newly finished dining room and facility.

R&R 2010 Presentations on Lihir

On Lihir, 66 NCS employees were the VIPs at a special presentation ceremony at the Lihir Sports Club on Friday 28 January where awards were presented for 5, 10 and for the first time, 15 years of years of continual service for NCS’ 2010 Recognition and Reward Program.

The recipients from NCS Lihir and NCS Properties were joined by their colleagues, managers and executives from Anitua and Newcrest to share in the celebrations of this great achievement.

Newcrest were thanked for their ongoing support over the years in assisting NCS in their drive to be PNG’s number 1 service company.

These sentiments were echoed by Bob Pink who spoke on behalf of Noel Foley and Newcrest who said that he was very moved to think that people had been working for NCS on Lihir for so long.

“It’s highly commendable that people have been working continually for 10 and 15 years. The work you do is extremely hard. We work together as a team and have supported each other during extremely tough times.” said Bob.

“It’s the attitude of service, working together and pitching in that makes our relationship work. That kind of camaraderie is something that we want to foster and endorse – that’s only going to continue to blossom and grow.” he continued.

2010 Recognition & Reward Program

NCS’ Recognition and Reward Program is one of the most important ways that the company acknowledges the loyalty and dedication of employees who reach 5, 10 and 15 years of continued service.

In his welcome address at the Lihir awards event on 28 January, Managing Director Marcus Gosling said that this opportunity is significant for NCS as a family, to celebrate the achievements of its most dedicated ‘elders’, particularly those achieving 10 and 15 years.

“You are a great example to your colleagues and in particular new employees. It’s time to celebrate your achievements and recognise the journey you have all made over these years.” he said.

“The strength of our company and the future we have is displayed in this commitment and shows that NCS has a future based on solid foundations. You all work very, very hard. Hard work translates into achievement and satisfaction.” he said.

Marcus went on to say that NCS has been operating now for over 17 years and this in itself is a great achievement, and we couldn’t have done it without PEOPLE.

“Success and recognition doesn’t come easy – it takes people like you to stick at it during the tough times and rise to the challenges. You olgeta namba wan.” he said.

Presentation events were held in Madang, Kaintantu, Hidden Valley, Lae, Port Moresby and Lihir acknowledging 129 employees for their service to NCS.

NCS’ support helps cancer awareness program on Lihir.

On the evening of 14th August, the Lihir Sports Club was awash in a pink glow as the inaugural Pink Dance was held. The Pink Dance is the first event of its kind organised by Lihir Medical Centre for the community of Lihir. It was not only a fundraising event, but it was also the official launch of the Island’s Cancer Awareness Program.

As always, NCS Catering Manager Felix Holi, and his team worked closely alongside many other members of the Lihir community to ensure that the night was a success as over 220 of Lihir’s community attended dressed in various shades of pink and feasting on an array of delicious finger food.

Graham Potter, Manager of Anitua Security asked for his personal thanks to be passed on to NCS staff at the club.

“The NCS Staff at the club were professional in every manner. The night was a huge success for both the hospital’s fundraising and all who attended. The night was only so successful due to the excellent, world class service from your company.” said Mr Potter.

“Nothing was too much for your staff and the consistent smiles on their faces showed they enjoyed the night as well. A true honour to see – ten points!” he continued.

Over 17,500 PGK was raised during the event – which will go toward implementing cancer education and awareness programs on Lihir.

ABOUT THE CANCER AWARENESS PROGRAM ON LIHIR

The need to have a cancer awareness program became evident after reviewing the LMC Women’s Health Program 2009 which identified a great need for providing education and awareness of a range of diffent kinds of cancers that affect both women and men. The aim of the program is to:

• Provide a means of education & awareness about the prevention of cancer
• Increase the number of Pap Smears and Breast Examinations ensuring early detection of cancer in women
• Promote the importance of regular testing for men for the detection of Prostate Cancer
• Other issues of awareness will be Sun Smart & Quit Smoking.

A story about a blanket donation that will warm your heart

Staff at NCS Morobe decided to donate excess blankets they had on site to hospitals and clinics in the local area in September when numbers at the site decreased, freeing up the excess items.

Goroka Base Hospital was the major beneficiary, receiving over 300 blankets. It took two 10 hour round trips in a 3 tonne truck by hospital staff to collect the blankets from the Hidden Valley and deliver them back to the hospital.

Director of Nursing Services, Ms Sonya Vano said that this donation was the first of its kind – particularly in such quantity! As Goroka has a temperate and cool climate, the blankets are very much in need and are so appreciated, particularly by patients who travel to the hospital from remote areas with little or nothing to keep them warm.

NCS’ Romeo Robinson, who was the liaison for this project, was invited to visit the hospital to see for himself that the blankets had arrived and were being put to good use. Romeo, a Goroka local, was very pleased to see how these much needed blankets were appreciated by hospital staff and patients as he was shown around the wards.

“The appreciation was all too evident with the smiles from staff and patients as I was introduced as the representative from NCS” said Romeo.

As Romeo toured the hospital, he met a vegetable supplier to NCS Raibus, Mr Silas Waromo. He was recovering in the hospital from an incident. Keeping him warm was an NCS donated blanket.

It’s great to see NCS doing such great work in the local community. Well done to Romeo and the NCS Morobe team for this initiative

NCS Meets the challenge with ADF

Once again the Australian Defence Force has called upon NCS to assist in their time of need.

Only too willing to assist, Operations Manager Mick Pye arranged for one of our finest chefs from Unitech, Paul Abagava, to head over to Igam Barracks and work alongside the chefs of the Australian Army.

Paul is grateful for the opportunity as he is learning a great deal from the Aussie digger chefs, not just about food but life in the military as well. “ I never thought I would be doing this sort of work “ said Paul

Paul is pictured with two members of the Army as they wait for their hard earned evening meal.

Celebrating 35th PNG Independence Day – Kainantu and Wau

The way we celebrated 35^th PNG Independence Day – 16 September 2010

All around Papua New Guinea, NCS people celebrated the 35^th Independence Day with great pride, joy and of course, feasting!

NCS staff had the awesome responsibility to prepare and serve a feast and a celebration – for their clients, guests and colleagues at our sites across PNG. We hope you enjoy some photos from our celebration album and a few special stories too.

Kainantu: elebration a success despite challenges

The team at Kainantu showed that they could still produce a splendid feast despite some last minute supply challenges!

“Our regular supplier of fruit and vegetables failed to supply local vegetables that resulted in my organising an early morning market run with Tex our storeman to get some supplies from the local market” said site manager Aviuah Karu

“Once we overcame those issues and a few other minor hiccups, everyone had a wonderful time. Our Independence celebrations went really well due to co-operation from all NCS staff” she continued.

NSSMTC

A happy and proud group at NSSMTC in Wau at morning tea

Celebrating 35th PNG Independence Day – Lihir style

The way we celebrated 35^th PNG Independence Day – 16 September 2010

All around Papua New Guinea, NCS people celebrated the 35^th Independence Day with great pride, joy and of course, feasting!

NCS staff had the awesome responsibility to prepare and serve a feast and a celebration – for their clients, guests and colleagues at our sites across PNG. We hope you enjoy some photos from our celebration album and a few special stories too.

Lihir: Traditional Island-style flavours for Lihir

NCS Lihir wanted to showcase the best of local flavour and style from the islands for this year’s Independence Day banquet. The dining rooms were decorated in local flora and a feast of local delicacies included lobster, mud crab, snapper and shrimp supplied by local fishermen.

Pork Mumu, kau kau and plenty of fruit and vegetables were presented in traditional palm baskets, rice was flavoured with coconut and served in small handmade palm nests, special festive breads and grand celebration cakes were baked in the brand new NCS bakery which opened only the day before.

Particular thanks go to Felix Holi and his family for the many hours of hard work making the traditional baskets for serving the feast and congratulations to all staff who worked very hard to make this

a special celebration.

Celebrating 35th PNG Independence Day – Kurumbukari & Basamuk

The way we celebrated 35^th PNG Independence Day – 16 September 2010

All around Papua New Guinea, NCS people celebrated the 35^th Independence Day with great pride, joy and of course, feasting!

NCS staff had the awesome responsibility to prepare and serve a feast and a celebration – for their clients, guests and colleagues at our sites across PNG. We hope you enjoy some photos from our celebration album and a few special stories too.

At Kurumbukari and Basamuk:

TUG OF WAR part of the challenge at KBK

An impressive array - including our people at KBK

Some time for fun and games at KBK

The Ramu NiCo mine site at Kurumbukari (KBK) came alive for NCS Raibus staff who embraced the spirit of “Meeting the Challenge – Every Day” when client MCC organised a “mini games” as part of their PNG Independence Day celebrations.

The NCS team led by cook Roger Kauken managed to not only participate, but also come in first place in the tug-of-war despite being on a tight schedule for preparing the special Independence Day feast.

Some of the games organised by MCC included: basketball and tug-of- war, for which teams from Raibus Security, MCC and SJ Construction PNG all put up strong competition.

The National dining room transformed into a jungle, adding to the celebration atmosphere for the Independence Day Feast. The transformation of the dining room was incredible with trees and plants transferred from the jungle outside – the impact was impressive as you can see!

Congratulations to KBK Site Manager Ora Tueti who worked tirelessly with the help of all staff to prepare and serve a magnificent feast AND be part of the fun and games for the day.

Celebrating 35th PNG Independence Day- Hidden Valley style

The way we celebrated 35^th PNG Independence Day – 16 September 2010

All around Papua New Guinea, NCS people celebrated the 35^th Independence Day with great pride, joy and of course, feasting!

NCS staff had the awesome responsibility to prepare and serve a feast and a celebration – for their clients, guests and colleagues at our sites across PNG. We hope you enjoy some photos from our celebration album and a few special stories too.

At Hidden Valley:Praise from the top at Hidden Valley

The following words from MMJV’s General Manager Mark Mitchell say it all – about the feast prepared at Hidden Valley.

This is to let you all know that I think everyone did have a very beautiful day yesterday to celebrate the 35^th Independence anniversary of PNG. It is good everyone has gathered in harmony to celebrate the PNG day. I am happy and very pleased to have this opportunity to work side by side with you all.

I am very thankful to NCS for making the day happen with a variety of food yesterday. That was a very top one.

I am looking forward to a continuing good social and working relationship here at Hidden Valley and in PNG.

Thank you very much.

Lihir’s world-class kitchen and dining room opens

NCS staff on Lihir celebrated with Newcrest Executives and Lihir residents at the long anticipated opening of the new dining room and kitchen complex on 1 October.

Newcrest Chairman of the Board, Don Mercer was joined by Rick Lee and Richard Knight to “do the honours” and cut the ribbon marking the opening of the facility which will be the “belly” of the island as far as food production and service is concerned.

The new kitchen and dining room has been a major project for both NCS Lihir and Newcrest (formerly LGL) with the design of the complex originally conceived in 2007.  It will primarily replace the existing three kitchens which have certainly seen better days – having been in continual use preparing meals for over 3000 people each day for last 15 years.

“This new facility will improve working conditions for kitchen staff and offer our customers even better service efficiency and comfort whilst ensuring the highest qualities in food and service as Lihir continues to grow” said NCS Lihir General Manager, John Honan.

“This is a fantastic result for NCS, bringing together all catering operations under the one roof. Catering to the needs of  residents every day is a remarkable effort by the NCS team.” said John

John went on to say that the beauty of this new facility, apart from the benefits of moving to new equipment, is now we can accommodate our resident meal production under the same roof as the bakery, butchery, vegetable preparation and functions, providing tremendous efficiencies in labour and cost management. Operationally, NCS will now be able to separate areas for various production, improving our productivity and compliance to QA Certification.

“I believe it is the best mining camp facility in the country, if not beyond.  It is equipped with state of the art equipment, fully air conditioned, ample storage and a great ambiance.” he said.

The Dining Room:

• Can currently accommodate 520 diners in one sitting
• Has two dining areas – one with air-conditioning and one al fresco
• 3 main hot servery, 2 crib areas, a cold/ sweet servery and 3 drink stations

The Kitchen contains:

• Main kitchen, butchery, bakery, pastry section
• Functions department
• Vegetable preparation area
• BBQ facilities
• Large refrigerated storage and dry storage area
• Clean up area for washing and refuse

The old kitchen and dining facilities will not go to waste. Camp 1 and 2 will be reassigned by our client for other use during busy construction phases for Newcrest projects, and camp 2 kitchens will continue to be used for Non- resident meals, equating to 180,000 meals for the month of September alone.

WHAT PEOPLE THINK OF THE NEW LIHIR FACILITIES

“It’s good to have new equipment everything is very open and easy to work with.” Policarp Katapurea (Acting Head Chef)

“Very nice bright open space makes a good working environment.” Luke Pas (Chef)

“Everything is clean and bright I am enjoying working here.”    Lucil Balaguan (New Hire second day)

“I must say congratulations on the first meal being served in the mess last night and it is indeed a pleasant environment to be dining in.” Amy Phillips, Newcrest Mining Limited – Lihir

A Rai Coast Welcome for NCS Raibus Challenger

On Wednesday 6 October, NCS’ new 51ft steel barge named MV “NCS Raibus Challenger” took its official maiden voyage from Madang to Basamuk across Astroloble Bay. On arrival at Basamuk “The Challenger” and crew were greeted with a traditional Rai Coast welcome from community elders, dancers and the singing of the National Anthem by students from the Mindre Elementary School.

The Challenger, licensed to carry vehicles and cargo and up to 38 passengers, will be used by NCS for transport primarily to the Ramu NiCo Project Basamuk site where NCS provides catering services.

Our partners include NCS in training programs

When NCS enters into a contract with another company to provide services, we become partners in the business we service. Whether it’s a mine developer, a Government institution or a commercial business, our commitment is to provide the best quality services to our clients whilst ensuring the safety and protection of our staff and the wider community that support our Client.

That’s what a true partnership is about at NCS.

The mining project sites are usually located in the remotest areas of the country and we have to remind ourselves that NCS, as contractors, are visitors to these sites. We must ensure that we are working in accordance with the safety standards established by our Clients as well as maintaining our own.

Safety on sites is “Namba Wan” and each Project owner has site specific rules and regulations. It is beneficial for the developer that we ensure that our staff also understand what is required of them as part of the remote mining community.

Accordingly, our mining development clients often invite our staff to participate in their safety training programs. It makes practical sense. Should an incident arise, the more people on site trained to respond, improves the chance of a qualified person being in the vicinity to respond to an emergency.

Training at two sites: In recent months, Barrick at Kainantu has included NCS staff on safety training programs including the Courageous Safety Leadership and First Aid and MMJV at Hidden Valley, inclusion in their First Aid Training.

At Hidden Valley with MMJV,  trainer Allyson Jo Toro ran a St John’s First Aid training session for 8 NCS staff. All participants were volunteers who undertook the half day training program in their own time.

The goal was to teach the basics of first aid and how to help in the event that a first aid response is needed. First aid saves lives. In this first training session topics and practical skills covered included:

• CPR (Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation)
• Mouth to mouth
• Heart massage
• Recovery position

Follow-up training will be offered to complete basic training and we understand that graduates of this course will be eligible to do the Advanced First Aid course.

Catering Manager John Cole said “We are always happy when our staff take on extra training in an effort to increase their knowledge and abilities, it is good for NCS and better for the staff members.”

He went on to say that this additional opportunity helped to further “bond” our team, which already work well together.

“Sharing this experience has bought them more than just first aid knowledge. It has given them the added confidence in their ability to handle situations as well as a closer team spirit”.

MMJV’s Ms Jo Toro said that it was a joy to have such enthusiastic and eager students. “I am proud you have a good energetic team out there who are ready to promote Health and Basic First Aid and also attend to emergencies back at their workplaces. Not only that, they express gratitude to have learnt a new skill which is valuable to them for life.”

“They were good ambassadors for NCS. Any staff following will have big shoes to fill.”

At Kainantu with Barrick

It’s a similar story up at Kainantu. Ten NCS participants passed their Health and Basic First Aid Training with “flying colours”.

Barrick trainer Douglas Ned said that he was impressed to see them doing the steps of CPR. “Theory and Practical assessment were done and participants examined to ensure they understand the concept of CPR – ensuring that if someone has collapsed, cannot breath and poor blood circulating, that they can get someone breathing before they are referred to hospital.”

NCS remains committed to continuous improvement and the development of all NCS employees. Health and Safety Training is a vital key in this process and is under constant review by NCS senior management

Golden Kina Award Winner – Raymond Lohia, CCA

Raymond Lohia – Human Resources Manager, Coca Cola Amatil

It IS unusual for the recipient of the Golden Kina Award to be a client of NCS, however in this exceptional circumstance – we congratulate Mr Raymond Lohia, our client representative from Coca Cola Amatil with the NCS Golden Kina Award.

Raymond was nominated by NCS Operations Manager Brian Curran as he represents for us – our ideal client relationship and has enabled NCS to provide great catering and hospitality services to CCA in Lae.

“Raymond has been an amazing support to NCS since the commencement of our business relationship earlier this year.” said Brian. “He has promoted our business within CCA and encouraged future business opportunities and is always open to discuss and resolve issues at a moment’s notice. He really is our dream client and we wanted to acknowledge that in this way” continued Brian

The presentation of this Award was held on 29th June at CCA in Lae and was a complete surprise for Raymond who though it was just an ordinary business meeting.

On receiving this award, Raymond said “I’m really honoured to receive this award and dedicate this to my team and management of CCA PNG” said Raymond. “The gesture by NCS in recognising me as a customer goes a long way to show the value you have for your core business principles. Thank you also to Brian and team for the support.”

It is a great business relationship between NCS and CCA. Raymond’s professionalism, thoughtfulness, communication, responsiveness and feedback is one of the keys to the success of our business together.

“It has truly been a pleasure, for all NCS staff, to work with Raymond and his team, and the appreciation that is show for our service – makes a great difference to our staff too.” Said Brian

Nominate someone for a GKA.

NCS’ Golden Kina Award is just one of the ways NCS acknowledges outstanding service to our company in helping us with Meeting the Challenge – Every Day in spirit and in action.

Do you know someone who works with NCS and shares the spirit of “Meeting the Challenge – Every Day”?  Nominate them for an NCS Golden Kina Award, and tell us why you think they deserve to win!

What it takes to feed the thousands on Lihir

Have you ever wondered what it takes to operate and support the day to day living on the 5th largest gold mine in the world? NCS Lihir has been operating consistently for 15 years now and in recent years, the size and scope of our operations has increased to a community of residents, operations and staff of 3,500.

Lihir, NCS’ largest site, is located on Lihir Island – which is in the far north of PNG. This remote location provides significant challenges and can you imagine what kind of organisation it takes to supply, stock, warehouse and manage the vast volume of goods to keep operations running smoothly?

Here’s a glimpse of how we do it.

THE TEAM

The Warehouse Operations Manager, Tony Saldana, is supported by a team of 27 including a leading hand, four supervisors, several storeman, delivery drivers & fork lift operators, office administration staff and three purchasers. This relatively small group ensures that all food & janitorial products are ordered, shipped, stored and eventually delivered to the various camp dining rooms, the local deli and the sports & social club.

That’s an awesome responsibility!

THE WAREHOUSE

The warehouse is the hub of operations on Lihir and is approximately 600 m2, generally holding up to four weeks of stock on hand at any one time. The warehouse is conveniently located close to camps 1&2 and is next door to the new kitchen and dining room which is the final stages of construction.

Think about the kind of stock that needs to be stored in different kinds of conditions.

The main storage area inside the warehouse holds all the dry grocery lines, including many pallets of staple items such as rice, water, long life milk, sugar & biscuits. Outside the warehouse there are numerous other dry containers holding packaging products, paper towels, plus a shed that holds janitorial products and catering equipment.

The warehouse also has a large freezer containing products such as meat & seafood and cold room and reefer containers to store chilled products such as dairy & flour. There is also a section for fresh produce.

Supplies can arrive to site and into the warehouse on a daily, fortnightly and monthly basis. They are delivered by various means ranging from local banana boats to large ocean going container vessels from PNG and overseas. Local suppliers deliver fresh produce each day from communities on Lihir and surrounding islands of Namatanai and Kavieng.

CHALLENGES OF STEADY SUPPLY

Every day we face many challenges to ensure that the operation runs smoothly and many of the issues are logistical.

We often face delays at the wharf, changes to shipping schedules and simply getting containers from the wharf to either the warehouse or the lay down yard can also be a problem.

Due to the present high demand from other companies servicing the mining industry in PNG, we also experience a lack of availability of stock from suppliers based in PNG. So we always have to be on our toes to ensure that we can manage the stock that we have if we can’t get what we need.

Lack of storage space for containers, as well as stock is an issue we are trying to resolve and we are looking forward to our new freezer complex being completed which will allow us more of the much needed storage space.

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