To: Big Shorty who wrote (3908 ) 10/4/2001 12:56:50 PM From: Al Collard Respond to of 11802 jimc, news out on your pick NVE-v:NovaWest expands Nickel Royale project Thu 4 Oct 2001 News Release Mr. Patrick O'Brien reports NovaWest Resources has increased its property holdings in the immediate vicinity of its recently acquired (76-claim-unit (3,040-acre)) Nickel Royale project. The assemblage is located in the Hemlo-Schrieber camp west of Thunder Bay, Ont. The company has acquired by option the FourSox property consisting of 36 claim units (1,440 acres) straddling the Hemlo-Schrieber greenstone belt to the west of the initial Nickel Royale assemblage. This belt contains the Marathon deposit (34 metric tonnes Cu-Ni-platinum group metals) to the east being investigated by Geomacque, and the Nipigon plate being investigated by others to the west. The belt, traditionally known for its VMS potential and the renown Hemlo gold deposits, appears to be evolving into an important locus for polymetallic sulphides rich in Ni-Cu-PGMs. The property is easily accessible by road and lies nine miles west of the town of Schreiber, and is in close proximity (l0 kilometres) to the Winston Lake polymetallic VMS mine (Inmet Mining). The base metal sulphide mineralization in the area consists of pyrrhotite-chalcopyrite-pyrite-pentlandite. Pentlandite, the Ni-bearing sulphide phase from the company's nearby Nickel Royale, is particularly visible in cut and polished slabs, and accounts for up to 15 per cent of the sulphides. The sulphides occur as massive to net-texture and vein-like; Ni/Cu ratios exhibit a spread but average 3:1; and Pd/Pt ratios average approximately 4:1. Sulphides from the company's nearby Nickel Royale recalculated to 100 per cent (Inco, 1998) yielded grades up to 7.5 per cent Ni, 6.6 per cent Cu and 0.3 per cent Co. The company considers the acquisition important to its near-term plans to take advantage of the current exploration market to acquire key prospective properties ideal for base metal and PGM exploration. The company plans further acquisitions in the immediate area. The company plans to have its geological team on the property within 15 days. The company will pay the vendors a total of 75,000 shares of the company's common stock, with 20,000 shares payable upon exchange approval, 25,000 shares upon first positive engineering report following the first phase of exploration work carried out, and the remaining 30,000 shares upon a second positive engineering report on a second phase of exploration work. NovaWest has agreed to set aside a 3-per-cent net smelter royalty in favour of Brian Fowler and Bert Applegath on the new claim units, half of which can be repurchased by the company for $1-million.