Latest news with #Murchison
News.com.au
16 hours ago
- Business
- News.com.au
The Murchison goldfields could be the best place in WA to find a new gold mine
The Murchison is one of the best places in WA to explore for gold Competitive tension between major players Westgold and Ramelius puts toll treatment and takeovers on the agenda for juniors Caprice Resources is in the sweet spot, wedged between the fiefdoms of WGX and RMS In one of Australia's longest running gold fields, its infrastructure literally shaped by the historic mines the run like arteries through its landscape, two great fiefdoms have emerged. To the north of the Murchison, centred around the historic gold rush towns of Cue and Meekatharra, is the territory of Westgold Resources (ASX:WGX), which mills over 200,000oz of the precious metal every year through plants at Tuckabianna, Bluebird and Fortnum. To the south is Ramelius Resources (ASX:RMS), the king of the town of Mt Magnet, which has a similar production footprint out of its Checkers Mill and is charting a path to 500,000ozpa by incorporating Spartan Resources (ASX:SPR) and its Dalgaranga gold project. The competitive tension is palpable, highlighted in 2023 by the battle between the warring parties for Musgrave Minerals and its Cue gold project – RMS won the bidding there. Westgold ended up merging with TSX-listed Karora to take on its Beta Hunt mine further south near Kambalda, but was at one point a suitor for Spartan forerunner Gascoyne before its fateful Never Never gold discovery. Any player with a decent find in the district will become a takeover target for the hungry titans of the 133-year-old gold field. And new players are emerging that makes it even more exciting, especially with gold prices running above $5200/oz. Meeka Metals (ASX:MEK) raised $60m this week for its Meekatharra gold project, where it is mulling the expansion of the project's 600,000tpa mill. Vault Minerals (ASX:VAU) is chasing life extensions for the Deflector gold and copper mine, TSX-listed Monument Mining is looking to revive the mothballed Burnakura plant and Catalyst Metals (ASX:CYL) has hit a $1.5bn valuation with its revival of the Plutonic gold mine further afield beyond Meekatharra. For Caprice Resources (ASX:CRS) managing director Luke Cox, there's no better place to be looking for a fresh gold deposit in the context of an all-time boom for the precious metal, revealed by the WA Government to be contributing a record $739 million in royalties for the resource rich State alone in 2024-2025 and heading for higher climes of close to $1bn in each of 2026 and 2027. Caprice's New Orient and Island gold projects sit at the nexus of the two big players, wedged literally between the domains of Westgold and Ramelius. "You have two major players butted up against each other in the Murchison goldfields," Cox said. "They have mills they need to feed and all of a sudden you've got the explorers, which are like the incubators for future resources within the area that will feed their mills." Fill the mills It's known Westgold is chasing additional feed for its processing plants, especially shallow open pit gold that can supplement the underground mines under its control like Big Bell and Great Fingall. The $2.8bn gold miner has already inked a deal with New Murchison Gold (ASX:NMG) to process ore containing around 140,000oz over 2.5 years through its Bluebird plant near Meekatharra from the junior's Crown Prince gold deposit. Ramelius, meanwhile, has been acquisitive in recent years, bolting on higher quality but short live resources like the Penny gold mine and Break of Day, the latter literally located next door to Caprice's ground. CRS has a headstart on permitting. Its New Orient and Island projects sit on separate granted mining leases, removing a critical hurdle to get any gold project up and running given the time it takes to secure Aboriginal heritage clearances and State Government approval to have a mining lease granted. Now the aim is to drill out something worthy of getting the mid-tiers intrigued. The Vadrians Hill prospect at Island has already shown its wares – a headline strike of 28m at 6.4g/t in February proved the catalyst for the $37m capped explorer's 160% YTD share price rise. A 7000m program recently wrapped up, with 2000m added to an initial 5000m campaign as gold continued to show. Work is also ongoing to prove up the tighter drilled New Orient, where a historic resource was once reported. In the more than two decades since drilling has gotten denser, deeper and expanded the known strike of gold mineralisation, Cox says. At Vadrians, the aim is to outline a potential open pit with drilling continuing to find more gold. "Initially we're looking at open pit material because that'll be the material that's of more interest to potential players in the area," he said. "When you look at (Ramelius') Break of Day, we'll be chasing one of these to depth, either Baxter or Vadrians, North Vadrians, South Vadrians, we've just got a new discovery down here. " There's always things that we can start to chase. " At the moment, we're doing the shallower drilling, and then we'll start following up with deeper drilling. That's where you start getting some significant ounces." The critical thing for companies like Ramelius and Westgold is to keep their mills fed to the optimum level. Cox, who was once mine manager at the Edna May gold mine in WA, pointed out they need to run at a critical mass or the ball mills – rotating barrels that grind down and liberate gold from mineralised ore before it is leached with cyanide – literally "eat themselves". The steel balls which act as the grinding media can erode against each other without the right amount of ore to act as a buffer. Filling the mills isn't a luxury, it's a necessity. Handily, work completed by previous owners has shown the ore at Island is similar to that which has been processed at Ramelius' Checkers mill for decades. Caprice will be taking its own samples for metallurgical testwork in upcoming diamond drilling. The golden radius Forget the golden ratio, the golden radius has become the key equation for mill operators in WA's hot gold scene. Back in his Edna May days, Cox recalls drawing a 100km circle around the Westonia mine's processing plant. Everything inside was fair game for M&A or toll treatment deals. With gold prices at record highs, that circle is expanding. Mines now located between 100-200km from a processing plant can be comfortably trucked and milled at a profit. Where Caprice thinks its ground position stands out is that if the gold price were to collapse, that radius could shrink to 50km. "If the gold price goes down to US$1500/oz, what are you going to do? If the gold price goes up to US$5000/oz, how are you going to bang for as much material as possible to make like hay while the sun shines?" Cox said. "So you need all of these juniors to prove up resources that become potential feed sources for there mills." For CRS, Cox said the key thing was it knows the gold is there in the ground, it just needs to do the work to prove up deposits of significance, and recently raised a cool $7m in quick time from investors to do just that. Who else is aiming to join the Murchison empire? There are plenty of other gold explorers looking to outline and mine resources across the historic Murchison Goldfields. Aforementioned New Murchison Gold is an obvious one, given their processing tie-up with Westgold and denied media speculation of a takeover approach from WGX last last month. NMG is planning to develop Crown Prince at a cost of just $5.4m in the second half of this year, with its ore reserve running at 890,000t at 4.8g/t for 140,000oz. Odyssey Gold (ASX:ODY) owns the Tuckanarra project where it boasts a significant resource of 407,000oz at 2.5g/t, as well as an access and collaboration agreement to potentially process the ore with its joint venture partner Monument Mining at the Burnakura mill. Monument is currently looking into the reopening of the plant and its expansion from 260,000tpa to 750,000tpa. Great Boulder Resources (ASX:GBR) owns the Side Well gold project, containing over 500,000oz on Meekatharra's doorstep and is regularly touted as a potential takeover prospect for Westgold. Further afield Strata Minerals (ASX:SMX) is looking to see if the mineralisation hosting Ramelius' ultra high grade Penny gold mine continues to the south. Initial drill results returned some low grade gold hits, but provided encouragement to plan another round of drilling. Closer to Wiluna on the cusp of the Murchison and Northern Goldfields, Western Gold Resources (ASX:WGR) is planning FID on its Gold Duke utilising a processing deal with the operators of the Wiluna gold mine. The site would deliver 447,000t at 2.55g/t Au for 34,000oz according to a scoping study, generating an estimated undiscounted accumulated cash surplus of $38.10 million against a capital bill of just $2.1-2.5m. Star Minerals (ASX:SMS) is also aiming to become a small-scale gold producer at its Tumblegum South project, with India's Bain Global Resources on board as a strategic investor. With the Indian mining contractor's help it wants to bring Tumblegum South into production in early 2026. A scoping study suggested at gold prices from A$3000 to A$3800/oz – well below current levels – the updated production target for the Tumblegum South Gold Project ranges from approximately 167,000t at 2.43g/t producing 11,800oz gold, to 255,000t at 2.16g/t producing 15,900oz gold. That would generate an undiscounted accumulated cash surplus after payment of all working capital costs, but excluding pre-mining capital requirements, of approximately A$9.4m to A$19.6m. Tumblegum South contains a total resource of 45,000oz.
RNZ News
02-06-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Nicolas Shaun Miller's ‘cry for help' exposes serious addiction to child exploitation material
First published on Tracy Neal , Open Justice multimedia journalist Nicolas Miller told the police after he tried to take his own life that he had a 'serious addiction to child porn' and was afraid his offending would worsen. He has been sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison. Photo: Open Justice via New Zealand Herald / Tracy Neal Warning: This story covers topics including online child exploitation and attempted suicide that may be upsetting to some readers. A man's attempt at taking his own life opened a Pandora's Box on his addiction to child exploitation material. Now a judge has deemed the man's quick confession to the police was a cry for help but said it didn't excuse his actions. Nicolas Shaun Miller told the police after they found thousands of items of objectionable material on his computer that he had a "serious addiction" to what he called "child porn". The confession to the police came about in "unusual circumstances", Judge Jo Rielly recently said in the Nelson District Court. Crown prosecutor Daniel Baxter said it was a sad situation for all involved. Defence lawyer Mark Dollimore said in some ways, Miller's addiction had almost killed him. The 31-year-old had been living alone in a caravan in Murchison, in the southern Tasman District, in what Dollimore described as "squalid conditions". Miller said he led a "boring, monotonous life", and, when he was not working, he played video games and drank to excess. He no longer had much contact with family, he was alone and isolated, Dollimore said. He said that on 17 November last year when Miller had tried to end his life he had consumed cannabis, watched pornography and the reality of his situation and his addiction had overwhelmed him. Miller was taken to Nelson Hospital and treated for serious self-inflicted wounds. "He came very close to killing himself. It was touch and go for him in ICU," Dollimore said. Miller later said he had tried to take his own life because he knew he had a serious problem that he struggled with, but didn't know where to reach out for help. Miller believed his addiction might lead to contact offending with a child which he feared he might not be able to resist, and that he favoured a "particular type" which he himself found abhorrent, Judge Rielly said. She said Miller's effort to speak up was a cry for help, but it didn't excuse the illegal behaviour. He was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison on seven charges, one of which was a representative charge, of knowingly possessing an objectionable publication. It wasn't until after mental health services had assessed Miller in November that a police investigation followed and he was charged. Miller had told a mental health staff member that he had been viewing "child porn" for the previous two or three years, and the police were notified. After a search of his address, several electronic items, including a computer tower, were seized. Forensic examination of the tower suggested it contained objectionable material on about 16,000 files. A subsequent search confirmed 14,146 items as objectionable. Miller had also accessed websites that had bestiality content on them. The representative charge covered an "extensive number" of images found on a hard drive, some of which were classified as the most serious of their type. Miller told the police that he viewed the images daily because they "excited him" but he knew he had a major problem. Miller also told the police he understood that viewing child exploitation material was not a victimless crime, and that children endured "horrific atrocities" in the making of such material, fuelled by viewers such as himself. Dollimore said Miller had "fessed up" early and had co-operated with the police in every way he could, and that he was desperate for help. Baxter said it was Miller's honesty that led to his offending coming to light, and the Crown was not opposed to credit being given for Miller's request for help. Judge Rielly said that from everything Miller had said, not only was he feeling extremely low about himself, but he was also very concerned about where his addiction might lead him. Judge Rielly said Miller also knew his behaviour could change for the worse and he did not want that to happen. In setting a prison starting point at five years, Judge Rielly said although Miller's relationship with his family was now strained, he had not sought to blame anything about his background for his offending. He was given credit for his early guilty plea and for demonstrating his remorse, his shame, his insight into the offending and his readiness to rehabilitate, to arrive at a sentence of three-and-a-half years on the representative charge and two-and-a-half years on the remaining charges, to be served concurrently. Miller was automatically registered as a child sex offender. If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111. -This story originally appeared in the New Zealand Herald .
News.com.au
30-05-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Barry FitzGerald: Sun shines for Solstice as copper leg adds to WA gold potential
'Garimpeiro' columnist Barry FitzGerald has covered the resources industry for 35 years. Now he's sharing the benefits of his experience with Stockhead readers. Gold is where junior resource companies need to be. It's even better when they can add a copper leg to their story. That's a position Solstice Minerals (ASX:SLS) has worked its way into with its pick-up earlier this year of the advanced Nanadie copper-gold project in WA's Murchison region. The low-cost acquisition ($1m cash and some shares) came with an (inferred) mineral resource estimate of 162,000t of copper and 130,000oz of gold. The pick-up has proved well-timed as the value of copper MREs held by juniors has come in to sharp focus recently as a result of takeover bids for Xanadu Mines (ASX:XAM) and New World Resources (ASX:NWC). Both bids were at big premiums to the ruling market prices for the targets, prompting a rub-off affect on a whole bunch of other ASX juniors with copper resources in a kind of who's next response by investors. Ownership of Nanadie does not make Solstice a takeover target. But as Solstice sets about growing the resource into something much bigger, it can expect heightened interest from investors. Nanadie is essentially a copper free option in Solstice because the stock continues to trade around its pre-acquisition levels and where it was in September last year when Garimpeiro had a look at the company's Eastern Goldfields exploration hunt. The Yarri gold project is exciting under cover stuff on a big ground position straddling the Keith-Kilkenny and Laverton tectonic zones, home to multi-million ounce operations owned by others to the north and south. Edjudina discovery Solstice has already unearthed a discovery in the making at the Edjudina Range prospect, and at two nearby prospects – Statesman Well and Bluetooth – which have the potential to yield open pit MREs in quick fashion. Solstice has just reported that the first-ever reverse circulation drilling at Edjudina Range returned a 20m hit at 1.02g/t gold from 36m downhole. Early days but encouraging stuff for sure given the RC holes followed on from reconnaissance type holes that included 2m at 3.17g/t. The company has also completed a RC drilling program at Statesman Well and Bluetooth with assay results expected in the next couple of weeks. More work is planned and it has to be said that Solstice is well placed to keep up the gold momentum and get going with the drill bit at Nanadie in the back half of the year to grow its copper leg. Cash backed The momentum capability is due to Solstice being one of the best cash-backed explorers out there. At the end of the March quarter it was holding $13.6m in cash, the equivalent of 13c a share. As mentioned back in September last year, when the stock was trading at 18.5c, the strong cash-backing is a result of residual funds from the company's 2022 IPO and the sale last year of its 80% stake in the Hobbes gold deposit (177,000oz) for $10m to Northern Star Resources (ASX:NST). Gold from Hobbes is destined to be run through Northern Star's nearby Carosue Dam gold operation. Solstice's Yarri project is in the same neck of the world as Carosue Dam as well as AngloGold's Sunrise Dam mine and the Rebecca-Roe and Apollo Hill projects of Ramelius Resources (ASX:RMS) and Saturn Metals (ASX:STN) respectively. Yarri's proximity to the gold processing infrastructure in the region could well lead to another Hobbes-type deal for Solstice depending on what it comes up with at Statesman Well and Bluetooth, or Edjudina Range for that matter. Solstice managing director Nick Castleden explained the junior's modus operandi recently at the RRS Garther Round conference in Adelaide. 'Find something that is valuable, take it to a point where we have added as much value as we can, and then find someone else to mine it. That's our sweet spot.' Castleden and other directors have done it five times before at other gold companies, with the value of the deals having ranged from small stuff up to more than $1 billion, most recently the Rebecca project held by Ramelius. Now with the Nanadie copper-gold project Solstice is in the process of finding its sweet spot.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Murchison Minerals Announces Consolidation
BURLINGTON, ON / / May 26, 2025 / Murchison Minerals Ltd. ("Murchison" or the "Company") (TSXV:MUR) is pleased to announce that, further to its press release of April 2, 2025, it has filed articles of amendment to consolidate its issued and outstanding common shares (each, a "Common Share") on the basis of twenty (20) pre-consolidation Common Shares for one (1) post-consolidation Common Share (the "Consolidation"). The Consolidation was approved by shareholders of the Company at its annual and special meeting held on April 30, 2025. The Common Shares are expected to commence trading on the TSX Venture Exchange on a consolidated basis on or about May 30, 2025. In connection with the Consolidation, a new CUSIP number (CUSIP: 626426407 / ISIN: CA6264264079) has been obtained to replace the previous CUSIP number. Following the Consolidation, the Company will have approximately 14,913,651 Common Shares issued and outstanding. No fractional Common Shares will be issued pursuant to the Consolidation and any fractional Common Shares that would have otherwise been issued have been rounded down to the nearest whole Common Share. The change in the number of issued and outstanding Common Shares resulting from the Consolidation will not materially affect any shareholder's percentage ownership in the Company, although such ownership will be represented by a smaller number of Common Shares. Registered shareholders who hold Common Shares represented by a physical certificate or direct registration system advice ("DRS Advice") will receive a letter of transmittal from the transfer agent for the Company, Computershare Trust Company of Canada, with instructions on how to exchange their existing certificates or DRS Advices for certificates or DRS Advices representing post-Consolidation Common Shares. Beneficial shareholders holding their Common Shares through an intermediary, such as a brokerage firm, bank, dealer or similar organization, should note that such intermediary might have different procedures for processing the Consolidation than the procedures for registered shareholders. Beneficial shareholders who have any questions in this regard are encouraged to contact their intermediary. About Murchison Minerals Ltd. (TSXV: MUR) Murchison is a Canadian‐based exploration Company focused on the exploration and development of the 100% - owned Brabant Lake zinc‐copper‐silver project in north‐central Saskatchewan and on nickel-copper-cobalt exploration at the 100% - owned HPM Project in Quebec. Additional information about Murchison and its exploration projects can be found on the Company's website at For further information, please contact: Troy Boisjoli, President and CEO orErik H Martin, CFOJustin Lafosse, Director Corporate DevelopmentTel: (416) 350‐3776info@ Forward‐Looking Information Certain information set forth in this news release may contain forward-looking information that involves substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties. This forward-looking information is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the control of the Company, including, but not limited to, the impact of general economic conditions, industry conditions, and dependence upon regulatory approvals. FLI herein includes, but is not limited to: future drill results; stakeholder engagement and relationships; parameters and methods used with respect to the assay results; the prospects, if any, of the deposits; future prospects at the deposits; and the significance of exploration activities and results. FLI is designed to help you understand management's current views of its near- and longer-term prospects, and it may not be appropriate for other purposes. FLI by their nature are based on assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such FLI. Although the FLI contained in this press release is based upon what management believes, or believed at the time, to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure shareholders and prospective purchasers of securities of the Company that actual results will be consistent with such FLI, as there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended, and neither the Company nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of any such FLI. Except as required by law, the Company does not undertake, and assumes no obligation, to update or revise any such FLI contained herein to reflect new events or circumstances, except as may be required by law. Unless otherwise noted, this press release has been prepared based on information available as of the date of this press release. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on the FLI or information contained herein. Furthermore, should one or more of the risks, uncertainties or other factors materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in FLI. Assumptions upon which FLI is based, without limitation, include: the ability of exploration activities to accurately predict mineralization; the accuracy of geological modelling; the ability of the Company to complete further exploration activities; the legitimacy of title and property interests in the deposits; the accuracy of key assumptions, parameters or methods used to obtain the assay results; the ability of the Company to obtain required approvals; the results of exploration activities; the evolution of the global economic climate; metal prices; environmental expectations; community and nongovernmental actions; and any impacts of COVID-19 on the deposits, the Company's financial position, the Company's ability to secure required funding, or operations. Risks and uncertainties about the Company's business are more fully discussed in the disclosure materials filed with the securities regulatory authorities in Canada, which are available at Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE: Murchison Minerals Ltd. View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
STV News
07-05-2025
- STV News
Driver caused death of friend of 40 years after detached trailer hit car
A man who has been 'humbled' by the kindness shown to him by the family of a friend whose death he caused by driving carelessly has avoided a prison sentence. Malcolm Murchison, 70, had been driving on the A87 near Portree in Skye on May 5, 2022 when he caused the death of Donald 'Donnie' Martin. The High Court in Edinburgh heard how Murchison was driving a van with an excessive and unsecured load that caused a trailer to become detached and cross into the opposing carriageway. It then collided with a car being driven by Mr Martin, a much-loved chiefain of shinty club Skye Camanacd and a friend of the accused for 'many decades'. Mr Martin died at the scene and Murchison had to break the news of the death to his family. On Wednesday, Murchison – who pleaded guilty to a charge of causing death by careless driving earlier this year – appeared for sentencing in Edinburgh. Defence solicitor advocate Shahid Latif asked Lord Lake to exercise leniency, saying that his client had experienced 'guilt' and 'shame' for his actions. He said that Murchison was struggling to come to terms with what he had done. Passing sentence, Lord Lake decided the circumstances of the offence meant that he could impose a non custodial sentence on Murchison. Ordering him to perform 134 hours of unpaid community work, Lord Lake paid tribute to Mr Martin's family. He told the first offender: 'You have accepted responsibility for your actions. 'It is highly significant that you broke the news of Mr Martin's death to his family. 'It is a sign of how remarkable Mr Martin's family have been in their response to these events. 'They have provided you with support to help you cope with what has happened.' At the time of Mr Martin's death, Skye Camanachd paid tribute to their chieftain by issuing a statement. It said: 'No one individual has made a bigger contribution to Skye Camanachd.' The club praised Mr Martin, writing that his loss to the club is 'simply immeasurable' Murchison was originally charged with causing death by dangerous driving but pleaded guilty to an amended charge earlier this year at a hearing at the High Court in Inverness. On that occasion, the court heard that Mr Martin's relatives did not want Murchison to be prosecuted. They did not attend court. Prosecutor Chris MacIntosh told Lord Lake that it was around 2.50pm when the incident occurred. He said: 'The accused was driving a van, which was towing a trailer. 'The trailer was overloaded. 'On the A87 the overloading caused the towbar to break. The trailer then became loose and the breakaway cable did not operate to apply its brakes. 'The trailer entered into the opposing carriageway and collided with an oncoming car driven by Donald Martin. 'Mr Martin suffered fatal injuries as a result of the collision and died at the scene.' The court heard that the weight being towed at the time of the collision was 1,940kg but the maximum towing capacity of the Volkswagen Caddy being driven by Murchison was 1,325kg and that of the fitted towbar was 1,588kg – meaning that the weight exceeded the towing capacity of both. Mr MacIntosh said: 'Following the detachment, the trailer still had forward momentum. It continued travelling north and entered the southbound lane where it collided with the oncoming Vauxhall Corsa driven by Mr Martin. 'Mr Martin had no time to react before the collision occurred.' At the scene of the accident, Murchison told witnesses, 'My mate Donnie is in there.' Mr Martin was pronounced dead at the scene. An investigation determined Murchison had not been driving at excessive speed. 'It would have been obvious to a competent and careful driver that driving the van and trailer in that state of overload would be unsafe,' the advocate depute told the court. He added that investigators believed 'driving the vehicle in such a state would have affected its handing'. The court heard that Murchison and Mr Martin, 65, had been friends for more than 40 years. Mr McIntosh told Lord Lake: 'There are no victim impact statements and the next of kin have indicated that they did not wish to attend court today. 'Their view was that this was a tragic accident and they did not want a prosecution of the accused who remains a close friend of the family.' On Thursday, Mr Latif told the court that his client had expressed remorse for his actions and was struck by the support given to him by Mr Martin's family. He added: 'I once again start today's proceedings by reiterating that the accused is humbled by the magnanimity shown to him by Mr Martin's family. 'He continues to struggle to come to terms with what has happened. 'He continues to show guilt and remorse for his actions. He has accepted responsibility for what has happened.' Lord Lake also imposed a driving ban on Murchison for two years and eight months. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
