Gina Rinehart Western Australian of the year: Mining magnate covers her eye during acceptance speech

Billionaire Gina Rinehart has issued a life-saving reminder to Australians about the need to protect themselves from the sun. 

The richest woman in the country used her acceptance speech after being crowned Western Australian of the Year on Friday night to urge the audience to look after their skin. 

Mrs Rinehart, 69, had left hospital just hours before after undergoing a minor surgery recently to remove a melanoma from her face and partially covered her bruised face behind a large white fan. 

Ms Rinehart (pictured) issued a stark warning to her fellow countrymen and women about the need to protect their skin from the sun

‘I should probably remind you all, please do the sun cream, do the hats and do the check-ups, please, which I didn’t do,’ she said.

The mining magnate attended the gala dinner at Perth’s Crown ballroom on Friday night alongside a host of other famous faces including incoming Premier Roger Cook, Mineral Resources founder Chris Ellison and Seven West Media executive chairman Kerry Stokes.

Mrs Rinehart accepted her award from the outgoing WA premier Mark McGowan in what was his last engagement as the state’s leader after last week announcing he was stepping down because he was ‘exhausted’.

It comes as Mrs Rinehart last week topped Australia’s rich list for the fourth year in a row.

Her $37.41 billion fortune edges her ahead of fellow mining magnate Andrew Forrest who has an estimated wealth of $33.29 billion. 

Her wealth primarily comes from the success of her massive Roy Hill mine in Pilbara, WA, which exported more than 60 million tonnes of iron ore in 2021-22, and Hancock Prospecting, which delivered a bumper profit of $5.8billion in 2022.

Manufacturers and miners performed better this year than last, with 14 slots taken by them in the top 200 richest – an increase from 11 in 2022, according to the Australian Financial Review’s annual Rich List.

Gina Rinehart topped the list for the fourth consecutive year, with a net worth of $37.41billion in 2023

Her fortune translates to 52nd on Forbes 2023 list of global billionaires.

At Friday’s awards ceremony, Ms Rinehart reflected on the success of Hancock Prospecting, which she transformed from an ailing company into one of Australia’s foremost mining corporations. 

The company was founded by Ms Rinehart’s father Lang Hancock in 1955, who later appointed his daughter as chairwoman in 1992.

‘It’s actually a very long way from where my family company was 30 years ago and I’m incredibly proud of what we have achieved in this time for our company and what we’ve been able to contribute to West Australia and our country and our future,’ she said.

Mrs Rinehart is also a committed philanthropist, supporting numerous medical, educational, sporting, health and community organisations.

In 1993, she established the Hancock Family Breast Cancer Foundation before later raising awareness about the devastating disease by painting three Roy Hill trucks pink.