Yandal Resources Ltd (ASX:YRL) has made several key appointments as it looks to fast track its next phase of growth on its Western Australian gold assets.
The company has made four appointments across exploration strategy, regional expertise and technical depth.
The company has a portfolio of advanced gold exploration projects in the highly prospective Yandal and Norseman-Wiluna Greenstone Belts of Western Australia and these new additions to the team are expected to have a major impact on Yandal’s next phase of growth.
Coming into the team are:
- Eduard Eshuys, who has been engaged as technical advisor on an initial two-year term to assist with exploration strategy.
- Chris Oorschot to the role of exploration manager effective immediately.
- Consultant Michael Outhwaite (Lithify Pty Ltd) engaged to complete a targeting study at Ironstone Well/Barwidgee.
- Ben McCormack (Outlier Geoscience) engaged to undertake a review of key prospects at Gordons including the high-grade Star of Gordon and Malone Prospects to provide an updated 3D geological model that will be used for future drill targeting.
“Yandal welcomes these key appointments which provide the business with added technical depth and regional expertise as we scale up our exploration efforts across our high-quality projects in the Yandal and Norseman-Wiluna Greenstone Belts in the WA Goldfields,” Yandal Resources’ managing director Mr Tim Kennedy said.
“The engagement of Eduard Eshuys is significant, as his enviable track record of discovery and development in the region, along with his familiarity with Yandal’s core assets will add significant value to our exploration efforts.
“We are also pleased to report the appointment of Chris Oorschot as exploration manager to lead this next phase of growth for Yandal. In addition, we have engaged highly regarded consultants - Michael Outhwaite and Ben McCormack – to undertake important studies which will play crucial roles in refining our future exploration campaigns.
“The completion of the aircore drilling campaign at Mt McClure and Ironstone Well/Barwidgee builds further momentum as these early stage but compelling targets hold great potential, and we look forward with anticipation for the assay results which are expected in April.”
New technical advisor
Eduard Eshuys will be Yandal’s new technical advisor for an initial two-year term and has a strong discovery, operational and corporate track record in the Australian gold sector that the company can draw on.
Eshuys is particularly familiar with the Yandal belt achieving success in the area as director of resources for the Great Central Mines Group.
He will advise on strategy and all technical aspects of exploration targeting and field programs for Yandal’s WA gold projects, drawing on his detailed understanding of the company’s core assets through operational experience with Great Central Mines and via DGO Gold which has been a major shareholder since 2020.
At Great Central Mines Group, Eshuys led the teams that discovered the Plutonic, Bronzewing and Jundee gold deposits, and the Cawse Laterite Nickel Deposit and led the development and gold production at Bronzewing and Jundee and nickel at Cawse.
As managing director and CEO of St Barbara Ltd (ASX:SBM) from July 2004 to March 2009, he developed the company into a substantial gold producer with the redevelopment of the Sons of Gwalia underground mine which produced in excess of 2Moz.
As executive chairman of DGO Gold, he was crucial to an early strategic investment in DeGrey Mining Ltd and joined the board of DEG, prior to the discovery of the +8Moz Hemi discovery.
Experienced exploration manager
Chris Oorschot will bring his 12 years’ experience exploration, development and mining of Western Australian projects predominantly within Archaean greenstone belts to his new role of exploration manager.
Oorschot’s experience includes both open pit and underground deposits across a range of deposit styles. He has a strong background in exploring and developing projects within complex stratigraphic environments and structurally controlled mineralised systems.
He has served as the exploration manager for Dacian Gold, during which he oversaw the re-structuring of the company’s Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves, lead the geological due diligence for numerous strategic opportunities and the implementation of revised targeting and exploration strategies.
Consultants engaged to help fast track programs
Michael Outhwaite from Lithify Pty Ltd has been engaged to undertake a targeting study at the Ironstone Well and Barwidgee Project (IWB).
Outhwaite was responsible for completing a craton-scale targeting study for Breaker Resources NL (ASX:BRB) that resulted in the discovery of the 1.7-million-ounce Lake Roe gold project in Western Australia.
He will complete a desktop targeting exercise for Yandal across the IWB tenure to identify favourable sites for gold deposition primarily using available aeromagnetic and gravity data and informed by previous geological interpretations and exploration data where available.
The focus will be on identifying targets in previously unexplored or poorly explored areas.
The company has also engaged Ben McCormack from Outlier Geoscience to complete a review of key prospects at Gordons, 30 kilometres north-east of Kalgoorlie.
McCormack worked for AngloGold Ashanti (ASX:AGG) during the early stages of exploration and subsequent resource definition at the vast Tropicana Gold Project in Western Australia.
He will focus on the high-grade Malone and Star of Gordon’s prospects where he will develop 3D geological and structural models which will be used to guide future exploration and drilling programs.
Aircore drilling complete
These key appointments come just as Yandal has completed the roughly 5,000-metre aircore drilling program at Mt McClure and Ironstone Well/Barwidgee.
First assays are due in April.
While total metres drilled was less than the 8,000 metres initially planned, this was due to shallower average hole depth.
The program was designed to test several discrete high-priority targets with potential for significant gold discovery at Mt McClure, Barwidgee and Ironstone Well.
Positive results will see relevant prospects earmarked for detailed follow-up drill testing in the coming months.
The 3D modelling program at Mt McClure is also progressing well and is designed to identify potential high-grade plunging shoots within the broader mineralised zone, such as those described at the nearby +1-million-ounce Orelia Deposit Ltd, which may warrant deeper drill testing.