Thunderbird scoops mining veteran Ventouras as new chairman

Thunderbird Resources has scooped the services of industry veteran George Ventouras as executive chairman in a shift the company says is a strategic move to accelerate an ambitious exploration agenda at its Rockvale and Kookabookra antimony-gold projects in New South Wales.

As a seasoned hand with more than 30 years’ experience in corporate development and resources management, Ventouras has stepped into his new role following the resignation of former executive chairman, George Bauk.

Ventouras also brings a wealth of experience from his tenure as executive director at Artemis Resources, general manager at Greentech Metals and executive director at Errawarra Resources. 

With a strong track record of successful IPO’s, Ventouras also co-founded and served as general manager and non-executive director of Apollo Consolidated, an ASX-listed explorer which was purchased in 2021 by Ramelius Resources for $180m after the company listed on the ASX with a $30m market cap back in 2005. 

Thunderbird Resources executive chairman George Ventouras said: “I am delighted with the opportunity to work with Thunderbird Resources, developing the portfolio of projects with particular reference to the Rockvale antimony-gold project.

The company is currently gearing up for boots-on-the-ground reconnaissance work at the Rockvale site, scheduled to kick off later in the month. 

As a newly acquired project, the Rockvale grounds span 358 sq km and is partially surrounded by Larvotto Resources’ Hillgrove mine which, at 7.3 million tonnes running at 1.3 per cent antimony and 4.4 grams per tonne (g/t) gold is Australia’s largest antimony deposit. 

Rockvale features numerous gold-antimony prospects with high-grade grab samples, including Little Nell/Great Britain which previously picked up a hit of 33.5g/t gold and Tait’s Gully with one rock chip coming in at 76g/t gold and 1.39 per cent antimony. 

At the Girrakool prospect, another sample registered 590g/t silver and 18.2 per cent antimony. 

Highlighting the region's rich potential as a gold-antimony hotspot the district is currently a hive of activity with multiple key players staking their claims. 

Trigg Minerals’ Spartan West antimony project lies directly to the north of Thunderbird together with Lode Resources’ New England antimony prospect, also sitting to the northeast.

Critical Resources dominates the south and southeast with its expansive Hillgrove South antimony-gold play while Koonenberry Gold recently grabbed the nearby Enmore gold project, is just 15km to the south. 

In a partial deviation from its earlier plans - and perhaps not surprisingly given the prospectivity of its newly acquired NSW projects - Thunderbird hinted it is now exploring strategic pathways to unlock the potential of its Surprise Creek uranium-copper project and the Cluff Lake uranium project, both positioned in Canada’s renowned Athabasca Basin. 

The board has approved Ventouras' leadership package, which includes a salary of $200,000 a year and 10 million long-term performance incentive shares tied to project milestones such as resource estimation and feasibility studies. 

With 2025 now firmly in the headlights, all eyes are likely to be on Thunderbird’s Rockvale antimony-gold project as the company gears up for what could be a game-changing year for this sub $10m market cap company. 

Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: matt.birney@businessnews.com.au