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Gold Fields team plants for the future at Museum of the Goldfields
Staff members from major partner Gold Fields were on hand on Monday, 9 December, to assist with the planting of over 70 new native plants in the expanded Aboriginal Bush Food & Medicine Garden at the Museum of the Goldfields, in Kalgoorlie.
The Aboriginal Bush Food & Medicine Garden at the Museum of the Goldfields was established in 2022 to preserve and share Aboriginal knowledge. The garden is designed to develop the awareness of how native plants have been an effective source of nutrition and medicine for Western Australia's Indigenous population. The garden aims to strengthen the community's understanding of food and biodiversity as well as sustainability, and to highlight the symbiotic relationship with the land and the native flora that our Indigenous population has had for over 60,000 years.
The major three-year partnership between gold mining company Gold Fields, the Western Australian Museum and the Foundation for the WA Museum is enabling the Museum of the Goldfields to expand the garden to incorporate a greater variety of plant species.
After a plant audit and removal of non-native plants was carried out by the Rangers at the Goldfields Aboriginal Community Services with support from the Eastern Goldfields Regional Prison's Section 95 work program participants in October, 75 new plants were planted this Monday. Featured plants include the Desert Cassia (senna artemisioides), a small woody shrub with silver green leaves and bright yellow flower is a medicine plant endemic to the North Eastern Goldfields, and the Jam Wattle (acacia acuminata). The seeds of this versatile plant can be used for flour, bark is used as a painkiller, and timber is used to make tools.
The garden will also include a fire pit, yarning circle and interpretive signage. The garden will foster environmental stewardship by promoting biodiversity and sustainable land management and encourage cultural exchange and dialogue among diverse communities.
As part of the three-year partnership, the Museum of the Goldfields will expand its educational programming to align with the new garden and raise awareness of Aboriginal knowledge and cultural practices, and the integration of this with Western science (two-way science).
Marta Perona, Manager of the Museum of the Goldfields, has welcomed the Aboriginal Bush Food and Medicine Garden expansion project and the assistance from Gold Fields staff and business partners.
"The WA Museum has an important role in understanding the past and sharing stories of Western Australia. The bush garden is an excellent example of this. Through the garden and the museum's associated programs and activities we will be able to build community connection and educate our visitors about historic and modern scientific and medical practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people."
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"The garden also holds an emotional connection for the community having been dedicated tothe much-lovedformer Museum of the Goldfields regional manager, Cara Haymes, when it was opened in 2022."
Speaking at the planting event, Gold Fields' Vice President External Affairs Australia, Claire Walker, highlighted the importance of community partnerships that make a meaningful difference to the company's host communities.
"The Museum of the Goldfields is essential to preserving and sharing the stories of the Goldfields community - past, present and future," she said.
"We are proud to support the Aboriginal Bush Food & Medicine Garden and play a part in sharing the rich history and deep knowledge of First Nations peoples."
About Gold Fields
Gold Fields is a leading global gold mining company. Its purpose is to create enduring value beyond mining in the lives and places the company touches. Gold Fields has nine operations in Australia, Chile, Ghana, Peru, and South Africa, and have also started a joint venture project in Canada. Gold Fields is listed on both the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The company employs 20,000+ people (including those from business partners).
Gold Fields' mining assets in Australia include a 100% interest in the St Ives, Agnew and Granny Smith mines and a 50:50 interest in the Gruyere JV project with Gold Road Resources all located in the Goldfields area of Western Australia.
Gold Fields' three-year partnership with the Western Australian Museum and the Foundation for the WA Museum supporting the Aboriginal Bush Food & Medicine Garden at the Museum of the Goldfields as well as the creation of Digital Audio Guides, which will provide accessible, enriched visitor experiences in the WA Museum's four regional locations - the Museum of the Goldfields in Kalgoorlie, Geraldton Museum, Museum of the Great Southern in Albany, and Gwoonwardu Mia in Carnarvon.
About the Western Australian Museum
The Western Australian Museum is the State's premier cultural organisation, housing WA's scientific and cultural collection. For over 120 years the Museum has been making the State's natural and social heritage accessible and engaging through research, exhibitions and public programs. Today, the Museum has seven public locations across our State - and a Collections and Research Centre that houses more than eight million objects.
About the Foundation for the WA Museum
Established in 1995, the Foundation for the WA Museum mobilises, harnesses and directs support for the Western Australian Museum to increase the cultural, scientific, educational and social impact of the Western Australian Museum and help secure its long-term financial sustainability. The Foundation does this by growing the funds under management in its Discovery Endowment Fund; obtaining direct funding support for specific WA Museum projects; and setting up a program of sustainable, regular grant giving that supports the strategic priorities of the WA Museum. The Foundation for the Western Australian Museum also is the producer of the science communication competition FameLab Australia. 
