Advertisement

Mining 'family' has heart of gold

Bill Beament in Kalgoorlie yesterday is donating a gold bar to Telethon. Picture: Iain Gillespie/The West Australian.

Bill Beament likes to refer to the family culture he and his young management team are building at gold miner Northern Star Resources.

So it was fitting that the Northern Star boss yesterday marked the company's fourth anniversary and its 500,000th ounce of gold with a precious donation.

Northern Star is giving 5kg of WA gold worth about $250,000 to the Telethon Adventurers.

"The Adventurers' cause is close to our heart," Mr Beament said. "We have a young management team and we all have young kids.

"It is also really important for us to give something back to the community because we rely on a social licence."

Telethon Trust chairman Kerry Stokes welcomed the donation as generous and a great gesture.

"I am very grateful," he said. "Northern Star is setting a magnificent example for other companies and the rest of the community."

Telethon Adventurers co-founder Rick Parish said Mr Beament had supported the Adventurers for a couple of years and the donation made Northern Star the group's greatest contributor.

Northern Star was also recognised at the Diggers & Dealers conference awards last night for acquisitions in the past year to turn it into one of WA's biggest employers and gold producers.