Heron Resources Limited - Community Projects

Changes At Our Place

Heron has sponsored the printing of large books which teach about the history of the area. "Changes At Our Place" is shown at right being taught by Teacher Suzanne Stevens at Hannans Primary School.

The book was written by Aboriginal parents who attend a group called HIPSTAR, which stands for Helping Indigenous Parents Support Talent and Reading. A simple mapping exercise expanded into the creation of a wonderful little local history book. It shows changes that have occurred as European settlement expanded into the Goldfields and includes Wangatha language, time lines and maps drawn from a child's point of view. Sensitive issues such as land rights, the stolen generation and environmental degradation are touched on in the booklet, providing starting points for discussions and better understanding. Copies of the book have been distributed to all local schools to increase its impact on students' literacy and numeracy skills and their understanding of society and change from an Aboriginal cultural viewpoint.

NTP Beautiful Healthy Babies Competition

Ngunytju Tjitji Pirni infant health clinic held their annual Beautiful Healthy Babies Competition to celebrate NAIDOC week. Heron Resources sponsored the event by organising a puppeteer to entertain the children and promote good healthy eating. The puppets proved a great hit with the children, who found them very easy to relate to.

Heron enlists support from Rotary Clubs

The Rotary Clubs in Kalgoorlie-Boulder and Heron worked together in 2005 to produce a children's book for the Wangkanyi Ngurra Tjurta Language Centre (WNT) to distribute to schools.

This collaboration is set to continue with a 2007 calendar based on the Wangkatha numerals to be produced, for sale to generate ongoing funding. Shareholders wishing to purchase WNT's fabulous work can telephone Tracy.

(Photograph: Standing from left, Lisa Ellery, Sharon Hume, Esther Roadnight, Steve Mulvaney, Silvano Fasolo and seated in front Tracy Browning.)

Heron supports Urban Landcare

Doug Krepp is a supporter of Heron, having had the original idea which lead to the iron ore acquisitions, and later doing Heron's Goongarrie hydrological monitoring. Doug is also a great advocate for preserving the local bush and as Supervisor of a "Work for the Dole" team, helped create Karlkurla Bushland Park. Doug was honoured with a Prime Minister's award as Australia's best "Work for the Dole" Supervisor in 2001, and has a Walk Trail named in his honour.

Doug Krepp with Ian and Daniel Buchhorn have spent many hours helping to maintain the amenity of Karlkurla Bushland Park.

(Photograph: Daniel Buchhorn on the famous Doug Krepp Walk Trail in Karlkurla Bushland Park.)

Wongatha Language Centre supported by Heron

Mat Longworth was invited to attend the official Yilpa book launch which Heron helped to publish.

The book tells a traditional dreamtime story of "Why the Goanna and Lizard are no longer friends today" and has been written in both Wangkatha and English and includes a spoken CD to help children learn the Wangkatha language.

This book and CD has been distributed to all schools in the Goldfields region and is a unique tool in breaking down the cultural barriers.

(Photograph: Jean McKenzie (translator), Mat Longworth, Nerida Glanfield and Esther Roadnight from Hannans Rotary, and Barb McGillivray from the WNT Language Centre at the Yilpa book launch.)

NTP Recognizes Heron Resources Support

Ian Buchhorn was invited to unveil a plaque to recognize the support Heron Resources gives to The Ngunytju Tjitji Pirni infant health clinic.

NTP administrator Coral Mencshelyi said support from local industry and employers was very important in the clinic�s work and was always appreciated.

Ian Buchhorn said the company was always happy to help organizations which benefited the community.

NTP is an Aboriginal Corporation set up to address the high rates of indigenous maternal and infant death and illness in the Goldfields using culturally appropriate health methods and resources. It provides regular visits and health checks to women before and after giving birth.

(Photograph: Ann Forrest, Ian Buchhorn & Mercy O'Loughlin unveiling plaque at NTP.)

Education Scholarship 2006

Sisters Vera-Sharhn Dimer (left) and Beige-Erica Dimer are both recipients of the scholarship.

Heron's Education Scholarships in its 5th Year

The Central Goldfields Education Trust was set up in 2001 to provide scholarships to young Aboriginal people associated with two Native Title Claimant Groups, the Central West Goldfields People and the Central East Goldfields People.

The Scholarship aims to:
* Provide an incentive for students to do well in their study.
* Assist students and their families to meet the costs involved in pursuing an education.

Since commencing the Scholarships have helped 47 students cover the costs of their school fees and other general education costs.

Goldfields Land & Sea Council Director Brian Wyatt welcomed the announcement of the first scholarships. "We applaud Heron Resources for its good sense in taking the negotiation route with native title related issues and for its willingness to facilitate claimants' wishes that have tangible long-term benefits resulting from negotiated settlements."

Jaylin Sambo, a scholarship recipient in 2003, found an apprenticeship with a local mine after completing an automotive vocational education program at Eastern Goldfields Senior High School.

Jaylin's mother, Gina Sambo, said "without the scholarship it would have been very hard for him to get where he is today."

Heron Resources Managing Director, Ian Buchhorn, said, "We have always taken a constructive approach to dealing with issues of importance to Aboriginal people and we believe this is a major step forward. The Goldfields has many Aboriginal children with great educational potential and the mining industry can play a leading role to assist them to realize their potential and develop their skills."

(Photograph courtesy Kalgoorlie Miner)

Letter from Director of Telethon Institute for Child Health Research

" � wish to congratulate you on your long-term support of the Ngunytju Tjitji Pirni Aboriginal Corporation � Yours is a truly great example of 'corporate social responsibility'. Well done!"

Read complete letter from Prof. Fiona Stanley, Director of Telethon Institute for Child Health Research
(18 September 2002)

Kalgoorlie-Boulder Urban Landcare Group

Heron Resources is a corporate member of the Kalgoorlie-Boulder Urban Landcare Group, and sponsored the replacement of the plant identification labels in Karlkurla Park.

For more information, see the press section of this site.

The Official Opening of the Ngunytju Tjitji Pirni Office sponsored by Heron Resources Limited coincided with the celebration of the 10 Year Anniversary. One of the events held to mark the event was the "NTP's Beautiful Babies" Competition.

The NTP Baby Competition was run during NAIDOC week 2002. This event has been jointly sponsored by Pam Buchhorn and Heron Resources Limited since 1997.

The photo on the right features Pam Buchhorn with the heir to the Heron Resources throne, Daniel, who was born 5 June 2002.

On the front row from the left are:
Joy Ashwin with Ashley, Samantha Banbury with Bella Rae, Miriam Lewis with Penelope, Clayton Anderson with Grace, and Valerie Hansen with Violet.

Balzano's Barrow Race

The Staff from Heron Resources are always keen to get behind a good community cause and they have been entrants and sponsors of the big race for some years now.

The photo on the left features a prominent local media identity, a prominent local Stockbroker and one world expert on Nickel Laterite, in training for the Balzano's Barrow Race in 2002.

From Left to Right are:
Tim Cruise from Macquarie Stockbroking, Rex Beach from the Kalgoorlie Miner and our very own David Crook (in the lead as per usual).

On the big race day the men from Heron Resources aquitted themselves beautifully with the "Heron-gone" team crossing over the finishing line in a very respectable time of 1hr 10min taking out 5th place.

Heron at the Office

The office is a popular "drop-in centre" for local prospectors and alluvial gold miners looking for a tribute patch on one of Heron's leases, especially at "carton time" on a Friday afternoon.

Yet another argument on how the Goongarrie ore body was formed, and why it is so exceptional.

Heron's "think tank" is the shed out the back of the office.

Left of view on the shelves is the geologists' field gear, on the trestles and floor is diamond drill core ready for the NKN Project due diligence appraisal, and right of view is the drill sample residue packets from each and every hole Heron has ever drilled.

Ready for action. The tray of the Managing Director's Hilux. From left to right, spare jerry can, water bottle, all the sampling gear for soils, costeans and RC drilling, plus wooden claim pegs in case a mining lease needs to be pegged.

All Heron vehicles are similarly set up. From safety viewpoint, the vehicles each carry a GPS, EPIRB and satphone for working in remoter areas.

Local Personalities

Keith Quartermaine, OA, Scientist and Historian: Keith Quartermaine led his friends on expeditions into the Heron, Avoca and Balladonia exploration country. Between 1951 and 1976, Keith wrote 26 journals and took over 10,000 photographs on his exploration of the Nullarbor and Goldfields � exploring, recording and researching the history, flora, fauna, caves, meteorites, tektites and geological features of the region.
Jack Otway, Prospector: Jack Otway is a legend amongst the Kalgoorlie prospecting fraternity. Jack's prospecting knowledge and skill is from the era of Paddy Hannan, Daniel Shea and Tom Flanagan. But nobody likes being lost in the bush, so Jack does use his GPS, and borrows the Heron satphone for his more remote expeditions.
Jack is a welcome visitor to the Heron office, usually dropping around with an idea for some new ground for Heron to peg, usually right out in the back-blocks.