Fostering relationships with our Gippsland community

In May, we held our annual Longford & Offshore Community Stakeholder Dinner in Sale with over 60 community members attending the event. Esso Australia representatives took the opportunity to engage with our key community groups and provided updates on our latest projects and upcoming developments in the business.

The dinner kicked off with a Welcome to Country and didgeridoo performance by members of the Gunaikurnai community. This was followed by a welcome speech from our Longford Plants Manager Clinton Gentle, who highlighted our recent Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association (APPEA) award win for our innovative apprenticeship program as well as key community contributions and partnerships throughout the year.

Guests were treated to a delightful 3-course dinner and presented with updates on our Gippsland decommissioning activities and Carbon Capture Storage Project. They later had the opportunity to participate in a Q&A session with our leadership team and have their questions answered.

“The event provided a fantastic opportunity to interact with members of our community and discuss the breadth of our current activities in Gippsland as well as what the future may hold for Esso Australia. It also gave me a chance to talk to our community members and hear about the tireless work that they and their organisations are doing to make the community that I live and work in a better place,” commented Simon Kemp, Australia Major Projects Technical & Business Manager.

“It was great to meet new and familiar faces at the dinner and engage in meaningful conversations. It’s wonderful to hear how our contributions have made a positive impact to the community,” commented Andrew Williamson, Longford Operations Superintendent.

Guests who attended included Mayor Ian Bye, Deputy Mayor John Tatterson and Councillors from the Wellington Shire Council, representatives from primary schools as well as community organisations including Ramahyuck, George Gray Maffra Centre, Country Fire Authority, Monday Tucker and Lions Club of Sale.