125 netballers from Great Southern, North West and Wheatbelt Goldfields netball associations were immersed in the grand heritage of The Perth Mint while learning about the value of gold to our nation ahead of the State Cup in October.
GIG members with the Aboriginal All Stars Leadership Camp participants at Kings Park
The regional netballers were treated to a one-hour guided tour of the historic Perth Mint, including the Gold Exhibition and the original melting house, experiencing the emotive journey of gold discovery in Western Australia.
Wheatbelt Goldfields netballer Talitha Heta said she thoroughly enjoyed the experience and learned more about gold.
“The tour is very interesting and fun! We enjoyed learning about gold and it is fascinating to know that the biggest gold nugget was found in Australia when the men went farming,” said Talitha.
“Gold is actually very heavy! I think I only just lifted the gold bar,” added Talitha.
They also got to witness the Australian Kangaroo One Tonne Gold Coin, the largest and most valuable coin in the world firsthand. Awarded a prestigious Guinness World Record, it scales at a massive one tonne of 99.99% pure gold, measures nearly 80cm wide, is more than 12cm deep and is valued at more than AUD $50 million.
A live traditional gold pour in The Perth Mint's original melting house was mesmerising, during which pure gold is heated to molten temperatures and transformed into a gleaming solid gold bar. The 19th century brick walls of the melting house are literally embedded with gold dust, accumulated over many decades of continuous refining.
Following The Perth Mint visit, 56 teams from the Aboriginal All Stars, Metro Association Teams and Regional Representative Teams competed at the annual Netball WA’s State Cup. The competition provides an opportunity for athletes, umpires, and coaches to gain selection points towards progression into the next level of programs and pathways as a part of the Netball WA Competition Pathway.
Players and families also enjoyed capturing their golden moments in our gold photobooth and practiced their shooting skills using our popular ‘Shoot Gold 4 Netball’ game. Players also took the Gold Jobs Quiz to discover roles of interest from a wide range of positions available in Australia’s gold industry.
In conjunction with this year’s State Cup, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander athletes and coaches from across the State came together in Perth for the inaugural Aboriginal All Stars Leadership Camp. A joint initiative of Netball WA and Shooting Stars, the Camp was made possible with the support of Principal Partner the Gold Industry Group and Sport Australia’s 2021 Women Leaders in Sport grant.
The purpose of this Camp is to create opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and girls to build their capacity as leaders in the sport, and to grow their potential, both professionally and personally, while exposing them to role models on and off court.
Throughout the Camp, the participants had the opportunity to learn from local role model 2020 and 2021 Jill Macintosh medallist Donnell Wallam; a proud Noongar woman, facilitating on-court specialist sessions and sharing her netball journey. The participants also engaged in a day of on-country training with the Western Australian Aboriginal Leadership Institute at Kings Park, alongside Gold Industry Group members, led by Rickeeta Walley, on Aboriginal history, native plants and traditional places.
Congratulations to the North West Region who won the Opens premiership after an exceptional performance on the court, defeating Success Netball Association 52-38, Fremantle Netball Association for claiming their victory in the 18U division, the Wanneroo Districts Netball Association in the 16U division and the Perth Netball Association in the 14U division.
The Gold Industry Group is proud to support Netball WA, thanks to gold members Gold Fields, Northern Star Resources Limited, St Barbara Limited, AngloGold Ashanti Australia, Gold Road Resources, Ramelius Resources and The Perth Mint.
Visit Netball WA’s website for the full 2021 State Cup results.
Find out more about our community partnership with netball in Western Australia.