Bonnie’s perseverance sparks success

Bonnie Anderson’s hard work and strong contribution to Mount Isa Mines has been rewarded after she was named the Harry Hauenschild Apprentice of the Year at the Queensland Training Awards North Queensland regional final.

The highly esteemed accolade announced in late July, recognises outstanding achievement by a student who recently completed an apprenticeship in Queensland.

As a regional winner, Bonnie will go on to the Apprentice of the Year state titles which will be announced in September.

Bonnie is now a fully qualified electrician working with the Hoisting Electrical Maintenance team at Mount Isa Mines, however the road to obtaining her qualifications hasn’t been without its challenges.

Initially, going down a trade pathway was not one that Bonnie had considered, and after four years working in real estate, she was itching to get out from behind the desk and work with her hands.

Knowing the mining and resources industry is traditionally male dominated, and not one afraid to get her hands dirty, her desire to compete with the boys and excel as a female was ignited.

Coming from a family of tradespeople, including her father who has more than 30 years’ experience as a dual-tradesman with Mount Isa Mines, Bonnie says she felt a great deal of support in deciding to apply for an apprenticeship.

“Not too many females go down the trade path but my father has a dual-trade and a number of my family members are also tradespeople,” says Bonnie.

“Their encouragement influenced my decision to apply for an apprenticeship.”

Now four years on, Bonnie has worked hard and taken every opportunity that has come her way to continue growing both professionally and personally.

In addition to the required TAFE apprenticeship training, she has sought out further development opportunities, such as obtaining an elevated work platform ticket as well as completing the Queensland Metals SafeLeader program.

These extra skills and knowledge have helped contribute to Bonnie’s success by enabling her to be a more valuable and versatile worker across our Mount Isa Mines operations.

Bonnie has actively participated as a mentor in the Girls for Mining Program, with the aim of being a strong positive role model to female school students in Mount Isa.

“I joined the program in 2019 to encourage other young females to overcome the stigma of becoming a tradesperson and to demonstrate what the resources industry can offer,” Bonnie says.

Although Bonnie has only been working in the mining industry for a short time, her strong work ethic and determination has shone through and her efforts have been noticed.

Mount Isa Mines Hoisting Superintendent, Alan Dean, is pleased with Bonnie’s achievements and development to date and commends her ambition and professionalism.

“Bonnie started as an electrician in my department in July of 2020 and with her knowledge and understanding of the role she quickly rose through the ranks,” Alan says.

“This is the quickest an electrician has gone from a UM3T to a UM2T tradesperson in the seven years I have been a Superintendent,” says Alan.

“Bonnie is an asset to the area where she works as well as to Mount Isa Mines as a whole.”

Queensland Metals is proud to have Bonnie as an ambassador for Mount Isa Mines and she is proof that hard work and dedication bring reward.