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Friday, 23rd March 2007 (1941 views)

Half a dozen aborigines have left their town of Oodnadatta to get jobs at Oxiana's Prominent Hill copper and gold mine, in South Australia.

These men had previously relied on the Australian state for money but after undertaking the three-month training programme with the mining company, jobs were secured after this period.

Speaking to the Australian newspaper, one of the men, George Klembt, explained that although money would be "tight" during the training programme, now he feels that he and his partner are "sitting alright".

The benefits to Oodnadatta economically will be "amazing", according to Bungala Aboriginal Corporation director David Pearce, as the town's population currently sits at around 70.

Mick Wikes, general manager at the Prominent Hill property, told the Australian that the company used prior experience of training local people from its work in Papua New Guinea, Laos and Indonesia.

Oxiana's Prominent Hill copper and gold mine is 650 miles away from Adelaide and hosts 1.9 million ounces of gold.

 

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