West Coast Fever trio Shannon Eagland, Ingrid Colyer and Alice Teague-Neeld will visit Western Australia’s Goldfields region from November 28 - December 1, as part of the Gold Industry Group’s (GIG) partnership with netball in WA.
West Coast Fever’s Ingrid Colyer and Shannon Eagland.
The players will engage with young netballers in local communities while taking in the sights and sounds of Australia’s largest outback city.
The City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder’s annual Saint Barbara’s Festival is guaranteed to be a highlight of the trip. The Festival, which celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2019, is an integral part of the Goldfields’ calendar and recognises the ongoing socio-economic contributions the mining sector makes to the region by celebrating the partnership between gold mining and the Kalgoorlie-Boulder community.
Undoubtedly the showcase of the Festival, the Street Parade on Sunday 1 December will see the netball stars and the GIG interact with the community from atop a gargantuan parade float.
Other GIG members sponsoring the Festival and participating in the Street Parade include KCGM, Northern Star Resources, Gold Fields, SMS Mining Services, Saracen Mineral Holdings, Norton Gold Fields and Evolution Mining.
The players will also participate in ‘Come and Try’ clinics to provide advice and support to the next generation of netballers, visit Northern Star Resources’ Kanowna Belle gold mine and walk the Kalgoorlie Heart of Gold Discovery Trail using the free Heart of Gold Australia app.
West Coast Fever wing attack, Ingrid Colyer, who grew up in Karridale in WA’s South West region, said it was important that the club connected with the State’s remote and regional communities.
As a child, Colyer and her parents regularly made the 3-hour trip from Karridale to Perth on weekends to play netball.
“Some of WA’s strongest emerging talent reside in our remote and regional communities,” said Ms Colyer.
“We are eager to inspire young girls and boys to embrace netball and continue on the netball WA pathway.”
Kelly Carter, Gold Industry Group Vice Chair and Gold Fields Vice President Legal and Compliance, said netball’s connection to remote and regional communities was at the heart of the landmark partnership between the Gold Industry Group and Netball WA.
“We see the importance of sport to the communities in which we operate, and so we’re delighted to be able to support this by bringing some of the State’s elite netball players to the Goldfields Region,” said Ms Carter.
“The St Barbara’s Festival is a fantastic celebration of the bond between the gold mining sector and the Goldfields community – we’re proud to be able to showcase that to the broader netball family.”
Fever fans can stay up-to-date with the trip via West Coast Fever’s social platforms – Twitter @westcoastfever, Instagram @westcoastfeverofficial and Facebook @westcoastfever; and Gold Industry Group’s social channels – Twitter @ausgoldindustry and on Facebook and Instagram @heartofgoldaus.
The Gold Industry Group is proud to support netball in Western Australia, as the Principal Partner of Netball WA, Elite Partner of West Coast Fever and Premier Partner of Shooting Stars; thanks to members Gold Fields, Northern Star Resources, Saracen Mineral Holdings, Newcrest Mining, St Barbara Limited, Newmont Goldcorp Australia, AngloGold Ashanti Australia, Gold Road Resources and Ramelius Resources.