The Desert v DalkeithFriday, May 31, 2013 - 4:57 AM

The annual cultural and football carnival between the Wiluna Martu Eagles and the Dalkeith Nedlands Junior Football Club will take place this long weekend of 1-3 June, 2013.

A Commencement Ceremony and training session was held at Kings Park today and the game will be played from 10am to 1pm on Sunday June 2 at Dwellingup Oval.

The yearly carnival brings together young players from the Wiluna Martu Eagles and the Dalkeith Nedlands Junior Football Club (DNJFC) in a unique team-building weekend that combines highly skilled football with cross cultural and ice breaking activities.

"The event is a very successful example of mining companies and indigenous people working together," said Golden West Resources director Mick Wilson (Golden West has a strong presence in the Wiluna area where the company is planning to build an iron ore mine).

"The vision is for this model to spread to other regional areas, joining with mining companies," he said.

The event was founded by iron ore junior Golden West Resources and is now proudly supported by the Shire of Wiluna, Murlpirrmarra Connection, BHP Nickel West, SMS Rentals, and Global Construction Services.

The collaborative event was conceived in 2009 by Golden West’s Mick and Peter Dawson of DNJFC. It has rapidly become a major event on the junior football calendar, and an important celebration of team spirit, cultural understanding, respect and healthy living.

Five years ago, a willing group of like-minded people, half of them from the remote community of Wiluna, the other half from metropolitan Dalkeith Nedlands, brought together the Wiluna Martu Eagles and DNJFC for a football match at Dalkeith’s home ground in Perth.

The teams are comprised of boys and girls with ages varying from 10 to 16 and the game is played with passion and great sportsmanship.

While the older boys play at full tilt with all the skill they can muster, they also make sure the younger players from both sides are brought into the game and are able to play without fear of being bowled over by the bigger boys.

"It is this understanding among the older boys to protect the younger boys and girls regardless of the side they are on, and that was and remains a unique feature of the game," said Mr Wilson.

This year's carnival will take place at the Nanga Bush Camp in Dwellingup (approximately 100 km south of Perth).

Last year’s event - "Wiluna Martu Eagles Fly Home 2012" - took place in Wiluna and the surrounding areas and was enjoyed by over 120 players, parents and supporters. The weekend was packed with activities, including team building exercises, cultural awareness sessions, and tours of the area (including a gold mine site).

The carnival culminated in the Wilson-Dawson Perpetual Cup, the highly-anticipated football match between the two young teams. In a high-scoring game the Wiluna Martu Eagles convincingly took the cup back from the 2011 winners.

The 2012 event was the most successful to date, thanks to generous contributions from a wide range of partners towards travel, accommodation, facilities and activities.

The carnival also attracted enthusiastic media coverage, with features in the West Australian and on WIN TV.

The 2013 event is expected to be an even greater success.

About Murlpirrmarra Connection

Murlpirrmarra Connection's mission is to engage Wiluna's Indigenous youth in educational facilities by building strong relationships with Wiluna families, encouraging, supporting and offering the children educational options. In addition, Murlpirrmarra Connection creates and implements community initiatives to increase the wellbeing and health of Wiluna's population.

About Golden West Resources

GWR is proud to have kicked off the Wiluna Martu Eagles partnership with Dalkeith Nedlands Junior Football Club – now attaining its 5th Annual Indigenous Cultural Football Weekend. The company prides itself on its close relationship with indigenous people and actively promotes employment at its Wiluna operation.

GWR’s flagship Wiluna West Iron Ore Project boasts 130 Mt of high grade, low impurity, DSO (60% Fe) iron ore. Approvals are in place to permit commencement of mining of its high grade ore.

GWR was recently notified that its plans for large scale mining at Wiluna West do not warrant formal assessment under the Environmental Protection Act 1986, clearing the way for development of the Wiluna West Iron Ore Project at a rate of production of up to 10 million tonnes per annum for a mine life of approximately 15 years.

GWR has made substantial progress towards mining operations and has an established a permanent camp at Wiluna West and is finalising development and its move into production. Operations at Wiluna West will take advantage of existing road, rail and port infrastructure already servicing iron ore operations in the region with the option of exporting product through Geraldton or Esperance ports.

GWR has a Capacity Reservation Deed (concerning 3 Mtpa) in relation to the new facilities to be constructed at Esperance Port as part of a proposed increase in export capacity, announced by the Western Australian State Government last year and earmarked for completion by early 2015.

http://www.goldenwestresources.com/