Matt’s story of embracing compassion

Matt Macfarlane has been an integral part of the Monadelphous family for over 16 years. Beginning his journey on the tools in Western Australia’s South West, he is now the ‘heart beat’ of our community engagement initiatives. We sat down with him to hear a bit about his story and journey with Monadelphous so far.  

 Matt is a Whadjuk Wadandi Bibbulmun man from Perth whose earliest memories are living in West Leederville, across the railway track from Subiaco Oval.  

 He said he has always been inspired by his mother who dedicated her life to working closely with and improving the lives of the local Aboriginal community in Perth.  

 "My mother was Aboriginal and my father is of Scottish and Irish descent. Mum worked tirelessly with the Aboriginal community, assisting with the establishment of businesses such as Aboriginal Legal Service and Aboriginal Medical Service. She also worked for a number of community organisations, WA State Housing Commission and held a number of board positions,” he said. 

 Over the years, work has taken Matt across the state from Tom Price and Dampier to Kalgoorlie and beyond. Matt recalls that during his time working at Cape Lambert, our team consisted of just a cook, hairdresser, and him – which is a true testament to his resourcefulness and adaptability to get the job done.  

 "I initially started with Monadelphous in 2005 at Worsley after many years working as a specialist applicator doing concrete remediation, epoxy coatings, fibre-glassing, sandblast painting, grouting and a lot of jackhammering,” he said.  

 In 2017, Matt joined the Energy team in Perth after transitioning from a camp maintenance supervisor and water operator position on the Gorgon Project at Barrow Island.  

 Matt's passion for people and the Indigenous community led him to a pivotal role within the business as Local Content Coordinator. Embracing his heritage and fostering community engagement initiatives, Matt has championed Indigenous engagement across Monadelphous, leaving a positive impact wherever he goes. 

 "These days, I work with teams across the business to assist with Indigenous employment and engagement initiatives. I’m always willing to learn in this area, develop my skills further and advise where I can - acknowledging I don’t know everything,” he said.  

 "I believe everyone faces challenges regarding work or home at some stage in their life, and it’s easy to think someone else’s challenges are trivial, but for that person, it might be significant. So, I’ve learned it is very important to actively listen, be interested in others and help to understand and guide people where you can," Matt shares. 

 M&IS Energy General Manager, Doug Macintyre said that Matt has had a significant impact during his time at Monadelphous and touched the lives of many people he’s met along the way.  

 “Matt’s ability to connect with people and offer guidance never goes unnoticed, he is always willing to go the extra mile and lend a hand to help those around him.

 At Monadelphous, we continue to celebrate our remarkable people, like Matt, who make our business and teams thrive.