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AWU Tomago members raise $80k for Westpac Rescue Helicopter in 2024

August 9, 2024

AWU members at Tomago Aluminium have raised an impressive $80,000 over the past year to support the Westpac Rescue Helicopter. 

The funds were raised through an out-of-pay donations scheme, in which employees voluntarily contribute a portion of their salary to support local charities. Tomago Aluminium helps to boost the impact of the union-led initiative by matching each dollar donated. 

In 2024, the initiative raised $144,000 in total, with $80,000 earmarked for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter. This latest contribution brings the total raised by members to support the charity to more than $1 million. The remaining amount raised was divided between the several other charities, with each receiving $16,000:

  • Emma’s Warriors, a registered foundation providing care kits and practical love and support for seriously ill tweens and teens and their families.
  • Dog Rescue Newcastle, a 100% volunteer-run organisation dedicated to the rescue of abandoned, neglected & homeless animals.
  • Talk2MeBro, a charity dedicated to ending male suicide
  • Fight for Connor, an organisation that supports families of terminally ill children so they can spend every moment possible with their loved ones.

AWU NSW Branch Secretary Tony Callinan said the members’ fundraising effort was an example of union values in action. 

“In raising such an impressive sum for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter and other organisations AWU members are not only supporting some incredibly worthy charities—they’re helping to save lives,” he says.

“It’s fantastic to see members coming together to support the broader community and make a real difference. The AWU is immensely proud of members’ ongoing commitment and the positive impact they’re having.” 

The charitable initiative dates back to the 1980s, when Tomago’s three unions—the Australian Workers Union, the Australian Manufacturers Workers Union, and the Electrical Trades Union —established an out-of-pay donations scheme. The AWU later formed a separate partnership with the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Trust in the late 2000s, further strengthening the connection between the workers and this crucial service. 

A significant boost to the fundraising efforts came in 2015 when former AWU Site Delegate Wayne Pringle took charge of fundraising for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter. Pringle revitalised the “$2 Plan,” an initiative encouraging employees to donate $2 weekly from their pay. Through his dedicated efforts, participation grew from 250 members to 604 by 2017, with some contributors giving beyond the standard $2 donation. 

In 2020, Wayne and Tomago Representative Katie Burns re-launched the Out of Pay charity scheme and the Westpac scheme, combining them into one Workplace Giving Fund. The new scheme was based on an opt-out approach, meaning all new starters automatically became members when they signed their contracts—a move that has significantly boosted participation and donations. Seventy-four per cent of AWU members at Tomago now participate in the scheme. 

The impact of the AWU’s effort was recognised not long afterwards, when the Westpac Rescue Helicopter team announced that total donations had surpassed $1 million. One of the Westpac Rescue helicopters now displays the Tomago and AWU logos to mark the ongoing support. 

Current AWU Site Delegate Marcus Faulkner, who took over management of the charity scheme when Wayne retired in 2021, said he’s proud of the impact the AWU has had.

“I am but a custodian of what had been put in place by Wayne Pringle, but it continues today and as far as I am concerned that legacy will continue and grow into the future.”

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