Edna May Gold Mine

Edna May
Location
Edna May Gold Mine
Location in Australia
Location Westonia
State Western Australia
Country Australia
Coordinates 31°28′S 118°42′E / 31.467°S 118.700°E / -31.467; 118.700Coordinates: 31°28′S 118°42′E / 31.467°S 118.700°E / -31.467; 118.700
Production
Production inactive
Financial year 2008-09
History
Opened 2010
Owner
Company Evolution Mining
Website Catalpa website
Year of acquisition 1993

The Edna May Gold Mine is a gold mine located at Westonia, Western Australia.

It is operated by Evolution Mining.[1] The mine, planned to be in full production by the end of July 2010, is scheduled to produce in excess of 100,000 ounces of gold per annum.[2] Historically, the Westonia region has produced 600,000 ounces of gold between 1911 and 1991.[3]

History

Mining at Westonia has been carried out on three separate occasions since 1911.[4][5] From 1911 to 1922, an underground operation produced 320,000 ounces of gold. In a second phase, from 1935 to 1947, 40,000 ounces were produced, again from an underground operation. The third phase, now as an open cut, run from 1986 to 1991 and produced 274,000 ounces of gold.[3][6]

The Edna May project was acquired by Catalpa in July 1993, when it was purchased from ACM Gold Pty Ltd.[1] Catalpa, then as Westonia Mines Limited, was first listed on the Australian Securities Exchange, the ASX, on 20 August 2002. It changed its name to Catalpa Resources Limited on 3 September 2008.[7] The company was renamed after the ship Catalpa, which rescued Fenian convicts of the coast of Rockingham in 1876.[4]

Catalpa purchased the processing facility of the former Big Bell Gold Mine and relocated it to its site near Westonia in 2007 for a cost of A$5.2 million.[8] It began refurbishing and constructing the plant in March 2009, aiming for a production start in mid-2010 and an annual production in excess of 100,000 ounces of gold.[2] Construction cost of the mining project was estimated to be A$92 million.[9] The company announced its first gold pour at the mine on 29 April 2010.[10] Unlike many other mining projects in Western Australia, which utilise a fly-in fly-out workforce, Catalpa hoped to initially recruit up to 30% of its workers from local communities and planned to eventually increase this number to 50%,[11] which it had achieved by the time of its opening in August 2010.[12]

Catalpa commenced a three-month ramp-up phase at the mine in May 2010, with full production scheduled to be achieved by 31 July 2010.[13]

The mine was officially opened on 1 August 2010 by Western Australian Premier Colin Barnett and Petroleum Minister Norman Moore.[12] It is expected that the mine will be in operation for at least nine years and produce 100,000 ounces of gold per annum.[14]

References

  1. 1 2 MINEDEX website Archived September 11, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. Edna May search result, accessed: 15 July 2010
  2. 1 2 Catalpa Gets Set to Rebuild Edna May Gold Plant Catalpa ASX announcement, published: 11 March 2010, accessed: 15 July 2010
  3. 1 2 Annual Financial Report 2003 Westonia Mines ASX announcement, published: 24 October 2003, accessed: 15 July 2010
  4. 1 2 Catalpa Resources Launched Today Catalpa ASX announcement, published: 3 September 2008, accessed: 15 July 2010
  5. ↑ Gold Mining at Westonia - the phases Merredin-Wheatbelt Mercury, published: 1 August 2002, accessed: 15 July 2010
  6. ↑ Edna May Gold Mine about-australia.com, accessed: 15 July 2010
  7. ↑ WESTONIA MINES LIMITED (WEZ) delisted.com.au, accessed: 15 July 2010
  8. ↑ Annual Financial Report 2007 Westonia Mines ASX announcement, published: 28 September 2007, accessed: 15 July 2010
  9. ↑ Construction Update Catalpa ASX announcement, published: 5 January 2010, accessed: 15 July 2010
  10. ↑ Catalpa achieves first gold pour at Edna May Catalpa ASX announcement, published: 29 April, accessed: 15 July 2010
  11. ↑ Catalpa's Edna May gold mine receives environmental approval Perthnow.com.au, published: 26 May 2010, accessed: 15 July 2010
  12. 1 2 First gold rush of century ignites West The Australian, published: 2 August 2010, accessed: 2 August 2010
  13. ↑ Edna May Project Update and Senior Management Restructure Catalpa ASX announcement, published: 3 June 2010, accessed: 15 July 2010
  14. ↑ Westonia opens a new chapter a century after the start of its golden history Government of Western Australia website, published: 1 August 2010, accessed: 2 August 2010
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