Former admins bid farewell
Louis Mayfield
@louis_mayfield
19 Sep 2017, 9:35 a.m.
GOODBYE: Mayor Lyn Breuer, KordaMentha partners Mark Mentha and Sebastian Hams, and Council CEO Chris Cowley with the Arrium photo taken by John Murray.
Former Administrator Mark Mentha described visiting Whyalla for his last update on Liberty OneSteel as an ‘empty’ feeling.
The place that had basically defined KordaMentha for 18 months was now ready to survive on its own, thanks to the tremendous job by the administrators.
On Monday Mark Mentha fronted the community present at the Whyalla City Council meeting to speak about the journey to this point, and what may lie ahead for the steel city.
Mr Mentha said there were still 370 million creditors still to be paid, and that the community would likely see money flowing again shortly.
“There will be capital expansion programs at Liberty OneSteel that will be in the order of over a billion dollars, which I think will hold the community in pretty good shape in terms of engineering,” he said.
“The mining operations are continuing and have a very good future when you look at the current Iron Ore price.
“The demand for the product that Liberty OneSteel makes is still very high when you look at the infrastructure spending by the federal and state governments.
“I think that will put Whyalla at the centre of much business activity, hopefully some of the work from the federal government’s Future Frigates program will flow on to Whyalla.”
Looking back on his time as Arrium’s administrator, Mr Mentha praised the passion of former Acting Mayor Tom Antonio and current Mayor Lyn Breuer for the part they played in saving Liberty OneSteel.
“The leadership that has come from your elected officials like Eddie Hughes, Ron Hay at the Chamber of Commerce, the Union leaders and the business leaders who participated in the OneWhyalla Meetings has been very positive,” he said.
“OneWhyalla became a battle cry to say that the community needed to be heard, even though we might be small fish compared to the East Coast.
“I think the participation of the community in OneWhyalla was outstanding.”
In closing, Mr Mentha said the Whyalla community had ‘grit and determination in spades’, hanging on through the blackout in September, the 10 per cent pay cut, the fluctuating prices of Iron Ore and coal, and a fire on one of Arrium’s offshore patrol vessels.
“On behalf of all of KordaMentha team who have made Whyalla their home for the past 18 months, we say thank you for supporting us every day in every way,” he said.
Mayor Lyn Breuer said the community owed KordaMentha an ‘incredible debt’ for saving Arrium and Whyalla.
“We’re certainly at the biggest turning point in our history, and we’ll never be the same again. KordaMentha has certainly gained the confidence of the community in a big way,” she said.
“When you started as administrators, we could see that you were serious and you cared about us and you would do your damnedest to get that best outcome for us.
“It was such a relief to hear that GFG Alliance had bought the steel group Arrium, and I must say with great sincerity – thank you for your role.”
KordaMentha members Mark Mentha, Sebastian Hams and Paula Joseph were presented with a photo of Liberty OneSteel at night taken by local photographer John Murray as a parting gift.
