Meet Makaia Nicholls. She lives in Kalgoorlie with her husband Ethyn and son Knight.

She is the Master Data Specialist at the Kalgoorlie Smelter, which involves interacting with multiple work groups to ensure maintenance plans, task lists and work instructions for personnel coming to site are all up to date.

“Having grown up in a small mining town in South Australia, I’m a country kid at heart so I absolutely love Kalgoorlie and how family-friendly it is,” Makaia said.

“On the weekend, you will find us out and about like most of the locals - kicking a footy, doing any kind of sports, motorbike riding, camping or anything outdoorsy.”

With the support of her team at the Smelter, Makaia has recently started studying a mechanical engineering degree.

“Studying is a full-time responsibility in addition to my regular role, but I’ve been well-supported by the Smelter team and am getting lots of exposure out here on site, which is benefiting my studies” Makaia explained.

Makaia said she is looking forward to celebrating 50 years of Kalgoorlie Nickel Smelter with the team and broader community later this month.

“It’s such an exciting time for the Smelter – celebrating 50 years and demand for nickel where it is at the moment, I’m just really proud to be part of the team,” she said.

“Everyone here is such a wealth of knowledge that wants their people, teams and colleagues to excel, and they'll definitely provide you with tools to do whatever is on your development plans. It's such an awesome environment to be in.”

 Kalgoorlie Nickel Smelter will celebrate 50 years of operations with a community open day on Friday 28 April. Keep an eye out for more employee profiles as we continue to celebrate this milestone.