Golden Grove’s trek to Yalgoo raises $48,500 for Variety WA

MMG Golden Grove raised more than $A48,500 for Variety WA as part of the 2011 Yahoo Yalgoo charity walk.

On Sunday 21 August, nine Golden Grove employees successfully completed the 56 kilometre journey from Golden Grove mine to Yalgoo – the mine’s closest town.

Each year Yahoo Yalgoo participants set-off from Golden Grove at 5am and trek to the town of Yalgoo arriving 10 hours later.

Walk coordinator and Golden Grove Maintenance Superintendent, Graeme Clarke said Yahoo Yalgoo has gone from strength to strength since it started in 2004.

“This year we had dedicated teams of Golden Grove employees and local Yalgoo residents take part in Yahoo Yalgoo, so the walk has become a great community building initiative,” Mr Clarke said.

Walkers in the 2011 Golden Grove team included Vincent O’Brien, Godfrey Salberg, Riv Clarke, Brad Bornshin, Jane Save, Danny Preston, Danae Sheldrick, Kathryn Forrest, and Glenn Robb.

Yahoo Yalgoo is now an annual charity event for MMG Golden Grove, which has supported the walk for the past eight years, and during this time raised over $330,000 for WA charities.

Yahoo Yalgoo was founded in 2004 by a group of Golden Grove employees who at the end of their shift walked a six kilometre journey from the mine site to the staff village.
Their idea to hold a charity walk from the mine to Yalgoo was seen as an ideal opportunity to show the walkers’ physical and mental strength while also raising money for charity.

All funds raised through the Yahoo Yalgoo walk will benefit Variety WA via the 2011 Variety Bike Run. Variety WA is a children’s charity that helps WA children who are sick, disadvantaged or have special needs.

MMG Golden Grove is an underground base and precious metals mine that produces concentrates of zinc, copper and lead/precious metals. The mine is located approximately 450 kilometres north-east of Perth and 280 kilometres east of Geraldton in Western Australia.