Geoff Helisma, Clarence Valley Independent
Corazon Mining announced on the Australian Stock Exchange on June 17 that it has “commenced drilling at the Mt Gilmore Copper Cobalt Gold Project”, which is 25km northwest of Grafton.
“Drilling will target the priority 8km-long Gordonbrook Hill – May Queen copper-cobalt/silver-gold anomaly, within the greater 20km long Mt Gilmore Trend,” the announcement states.
“This is the maiden drill program at the Gordonbrook Hill target and comprises two core holes for a total of 900 metres, designed to test the area near the Gordonbrook Hill mineralised porphyry identified by Corazon in 2020 (ASX announcement 9 October 2020).”
Meanwhile, in an interview on proactiveinvestors.com.au, Corazon Mining’s managing director, Brett Smith, said results from a “21-hole drill program … are beginning to flow from a large scale soil sampling program that is still underway”.
He said there was a “strike” of cobalt and copper mineralisation and other metals for about 19 kilometres” and that a “quite extraordinary data set assembled by 200 metre by 200 metre patterns … is quite exciting for us”.
“We didn’t expect to see what we are getting at the moment,” he said.
“…I think we’ve done enough [modelling] to define a good sense of tonnage and grade for the main load where we have drilled it.
“That will give us some idea of value which we can attribute to other areas we are targeting and ranking as far as exportation and drilling targets.
“We hope to have that modelling finished in the next couple of weeks – there’s a lot of geology going into it, and it is quite detailed – we hope that will result in us making some statement [about] the size tonnage and grade in the next few weeks for that particular part of the deposit.”
Following the ASX announcement, the Clarence Catchment Alliance (CCA) is encouraging people to write to MPs, warning on its Facebook page that the announcement should “kick us all into immediate action”.
“This is setting a dangerous precedent for other companies here,” CCA writes.
“There are 25+ Exploratory Mining Licences (ELs) in the Clarence Catchment, with more popping up every few months, and if we don’t act now nothing will stop what’s laid out on maps already.
“It’s crucial we act now and it’s crucial MPs hear from us.
“Our lives and livelihoods are on the line. Our water and environment are being put at risk.
“Our culture and society are in second place behind quick buck priorities.
“No news is good news in politicians’ eyes so we have to write, and we have to write now.”
The alliance’s 10,000-plus signature petition is due to be tabled and debated in the NSW Legislative Assembly on Thursday August 5 – Clarence Valley Council’s mayor, Jim Simmons, will be attending with the CCA delegation (depending on covid developments) to represent CVC’s official anti mining stance.
The NSW Government has supported Corazon Mining’s exploration efforts with its New Frontiers Cooperative Drilling scheme, which subsidises “50 per cent of per-metre drilling costs, up to a maximum of $200,000”.
The NSW Government has recently announced that it is investing up $2.2million to underwrite round four of the scheme, which is open for applications from July 1 – the latest announcement increases the government’s investment in the scheme to $8.4million since 2014.
This article appeared in the Clarence Valley Independent, 30 June 2021.
