Hedland Maritime Initiative (HMI) was born out of an exciting opportunity to create a unique and attractive maritime hub for Port Hedland, and in 2021, the project really got moving.

What started with a team of just two people, Managing Director, Karlene Bylund and Manager, Richard Bairstow, HMI soon grew to a team of five.

“Early in 2021, the team was really small. We had only two people, myself and Richard,” Karlene said.

“In April we welcomed Victoria Shorter to the team as our Stakeholder Engagement and Communications Adviser”.

“And in August, Jill and Megan joined the team, which I was thrilled about as things were just getting busier and busier.”

The team have been instrumental in the planning and facilitation of the Port Hedland Voluntary Buy-Back Scheme (PHVBS), which has given Port Hedland’s West-End residents the opportunity to voluntarily sell their property for a government-guaranteed market price.

The first contract for the PHVBS was signed in June, a milestone that stands out for Karlene.

“June was a really exciting month with the first contract signed for the PHVBS”, Karlene said.

One contract in June increased to more than 80 by November.

“By November we had acquired 85 properties as a result of the Port Hedland Voluntary Buy-Back Scheme”, Karlene said.

And before 2021 draws to a close, Karlene expects the acquisition of another 15 properties.

“We’re expecting to hit another major milestone, with the acquisition of 100 properties by the end of this year”, Karlene said.

For HMI, communication has been key to the success of 2021. This is highlighted in the logo, which incorporates the nautical flag, Kilo, meaning ‘we wish to communicate’.

“When we were launching the branding in March, it was really important to us that we had something meaningful, which is why we incorporated the Kilo flag into the HMI branding”, Karlene said.

“Kilo is the maritime flag for ‘we wish to communicate’ which is important to us when we are engaging with the local community and our eligible property owners”.

This year, the HMI team have built strong foundations for what will be a world-class maritime hub, and with 2022 around the corner, there’s much to look forward to.