Ed Budds is an in-house writer for APAC Outlook Magazine, where he is responsible for interviewing corporate executives and crafting original features for the magazine, corporate...
- Editor
Share
Valiant Gold is a Western Australian gold company advancing the restart of two historic mining centres in the Murchison Goldfields. Managing Director and CEO, Brendan Tritton, discusses the company’s pathway to production at Comet and Reedy.
Valiant Gold (Valiant) (ASX:VAL) was established through the demerger of the Reedy and Comet gold projects from Westgold Resources (Westgold) (ASX:WGX), creating a standalone, Australian Securities Exchange (ASX)-listed company with 100 percent ownership of two established assets in the Murchison Goldfields.
The demerger gave the assets a dedicated board, management team, and funding base, with a clear mandate to progress mine restart activities, grow and improve resource confidence, and establish a pathway back to production.
“What makes Valiant compelling is that we are not starting from a blank page. Reedy and Comet are not greenfield concepts; they are proven brownfield projects with existing granted mining leases and approvals in place, established in a Tier 1 gold district with historical production and access to regional processing infrastructure,” introduces Brendan Tritton, Managing Director and CEO.
Together, the projects have produced more than one million ounces (oz) of gold and host a combined mineral resource of over 1.2 million oz.
Both projects are close to established processing infrastructure, and Valiant’s ore purchase agreement with Westgold provides a defined processing pathway as the projects return to production.
“My role as Managing Director and CEO is to turn that foundation into a disciplined development and restart story.
“Our immediate focus is on advancing Comet towards a restart whilst progressing drilling, resource conversion, and mine planning at Reedy – including South Emu-Triton and Boomerang – so that both mining centres can contribute to Valiant’s future production platform,” Tritton explains.
“What makes Valiant compelling is that we are not starting from a blank page. Reedy and Comet are not greenfield concepts; they are proven brownfield projects with existing granted mining leases and approvals in place, established in a Tier 1 gold district with historical production and access to regional processing infrastructure”
Brendan Tritton, Managing Director and CEO, Valiant Gold
JOURNEY TO PRODUCTION
Today, the Australian gold sector is being shaped not only by a highly constructive gold price environment, but also a market demanding discipline.
Investors want exposure to gold, but they also want credible pathways to production, sensible capital allocation, and teams that can execute.
“We are also seeing renewed interest in brownfields assets. In a higher-cost environment, projects with existing mining leases, historical development, known mineralisation, and nearby processing options can be very attractive because they may offer a faster and more capital-efficient pathway than greenfield developments,” Tritton states.
Valiant has been structured around that opportunity. Its assets have a substantial production history, whilst the ore purchase agreement with Westgold provides access to established regional processing infrastructure and supports a staged, capital-conscious approach to mine restart, drilling, and technical studies.
“We are not trying to do everything at once – instead, we are prioritising practical workstreams to reduce risk, build confidence in the resource base, and deliver value for shareholders,” he explains.
A DILIGENT APPROACH
As a recently listed, early-stage company, one of Valiant’s first challenges has been establishing a standalone business whilst simultaneously progressing operational priorities at two historic mine sites.
That has meant building the team and systems, advancing technical and mine planning work, commencing field programmes, and engaging experienced contractors to execute the restart strategy.
Brownfield restarts bring their own unique challenges – these projects have real advantages, including existing development and historical production, but they also require a methodical and diligent approach.
“Dewatering, rehabilitation, mine planning, resource confidence, infrastructure readiness, and contractor selection all need to be managed carefully and in the right sequence.
“To address these challenges, we have brought together an experienced board and management team, strengthening our technical and operational capabilities,” Tritton tells us.
In a short period, the team has moved from corporate formation to on-ground execution: completing initial underground re-entry at Comet, commencing dewatering and rehabilitation activities, progressing mine engineering studies, drilling at South Emu-Triton, and preparing the maiden programme at Boomerang.
Valiant operates with a focused, technically strong team that is practical and accountable. Its approach is to advance each project through clearly defined workstreams, using the existing resource base, infrastructure advantages, and funding position to accelerate value creation.
“For me, the most rewarding aspect is seeing assets that were not a priority inside a much larger portfolio receive the dedicated focus they deserve.
“Reedy and Comet have history, infrastructure, resource scale, and exploration upside. The demerger has given them a dedicated company and team with one purpose: to bring these assets back into production and unlock their longer-term value,” highlights Tritton.
Brendan Tritton, Managing Director and CEO, Valiant Gold
“For me, the most rewarding aspect is seeing assets that were not a priority inside a much larger portfolio receive the dedicated focus they deserve”
Brendan Tritton, Managing Director and CEO, Valiant Gold
PRACTICAL TARGETS
Moving forward, Valiant’s targets are deliberately practical.
At Comet, underground re-entry has been completed, and the staged dewatering and rehabilitation programme has commenced.
In parallel, Valiant is advancing mine engineering studies, an initial life-of-mine design, and infrastructure readiness, and planning for the award of the main underground mining contract.
At Reedy, the immediate priority is to grow and improve confidence in the resource base through systematic drilling, whilst progressing the technical work required to assess future mining fronts.
“Results from South Emu-Triton confirmed that mineralisation continues approximately 400 metres (m) below the existing resource boundary, strengthening the potential for resource growth and supporting the next phase of infill drilling and mine planning,” outlines Tritton.
“Boomerang is another near-term development opportunity. The maiden programme is designed to validate and infill the existing model, convert inferred material to indicated, and test extensions that could support both open-pit and underground mining scenarios over time.”
Over the coming year, Valiant intends to keep delivering the de-risking activities set out at initial public offering (IPO): Comet dewatering and rehabilitation, mine design and contractor readiness, resource drilling at Reedy, evaluation of future mining fronts, and disciplined capital deployment.
The objective is to demonstrate, step by step, that Valiant can convert two proven brownfield assets into a credible near-term production and growth platform.
PATHWAY TO PROGRESS
The next 12 months are about execution and de-risking.
At Comet, the focus is to progress dewatering and rehabilitation, restore underground access safely, finalise mine planning and technical work, and advance the contracting and infrastructure workstreams required for the restart of operations.
“Comet is already moving from planning into physical execution. Our objective is to complete the key enabling works and position the mine for a disciplined restart, subject to technical outcomes, safe execution, and the normal regulatory approvals,” Tritton sets out.
“At Reedy, drilling remains the immediate focus. South Emu-Triton has delivered a significant extension below the existing resource, and the next phase is designed to improve resource confidence and assess how this mineralisation can support a future mining restart.”
In parallel, the maiden Boomerang programme provides another development and resource-growth pathway, with drilling designed to validate the geological model, improve classification, test extensions, and support future mineral resource estimate updates and mine planning.
“If we continue to execute these workstreams well, Valiant will move from a newly listed owner of two proven assets to a development company with two clearly advancing mine restart pathways and a platform for future production growth,” closes Tritton.
This article was produced by the editorial team at APAC Outlook and published as part of the Outlook Publishing global network of B2B industry magazines.
Outlook Publishing delivers industry insights, company stories, and sector coverage across manufacturing, mining, construction, healthcare, supply chains, food production, and sustainability.
APAC Outlook provides ongoing coverage of organisations and developments shaping industries across the Asia-Pacific region.
Ed Budds is an in-house writer for APAC Outlook Magazine, where he is responsible for interviewing corporate executives and crafting original features for the magazine, corporate brochures, and the digital platform.
