WILUNA GOLDFIELD

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22030, 9 February 1935, Page 15

WILUNA GOLDFIELD

WORK F : OR !M)0 MEN POPULATION OF 5000 PEOPLE A representative of the Australian Methodist Federal Inland. Mission, the Rev. L. Broadbent, who; with Mrs.-; Broadbent, has been on a holiday visit to England, arrived in New Zealand this week. Mr. Broadbent is returning: to Australia to-day. In an interview with a press repre- ' sentative. Mr. Broadbent said that ho was stationed at Wiluna, Western Australia, which is now the centre of considerable "goldmining activity. The . Wiluna goldfields. he said, were first opened about 10 years ago, and sinco < then the company conducting opera-' - tions there had installed plant and machinery valued at over £1,000,000. About 900 men were employed at Wiluna, said Mr. Broadbent, working three shifts a day. Low-grade ore only was obtained, but over 45,000 tons was handled every month. At one time Wiluna was just- an insignificant inland village, but now, due to the openiiiE of the goldiields, it was a modern town supporting about 5000 people. It> . was 710 miles from Perth and the _> centre of a vast farming and grazingCO Mr. rs ßroadbent said it was his duty'' to establish the Methodist Inland Mis- . sion in the district. Altogether there.: were eight missioners, seven of whom operated over a xride area. The seven travelling missuoners used utUitjt . trucks and travelled from station in the hinterland of Western Australia. v \