Great Western Minerals Group Announces Management Appointment

SASKATOON, SASKATCHEWAN -- (Marketwire) -- 06/05/12 -- Great Western Minerals Group Ltd. ("GWMG" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE: GWG)(OTCQX: GWMGF) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dave Murphy as Vice-President, International Marketing and Sales.

Mr. Murphy assumes responsibility for the marketing and sales of the full range of rare earth products from all GWMG operations including the Company's Steenkampskraal operation in South Africa, Steenkampskraal's associated production facilities, Less Common Metals ("LCM") and Great Western Technologies Inc.

He brings over forty years of experience to the position, having entered the rare earth industry with Johnson Matthey's monazite processing facility in the United Kingdom as a process chemist where he was instrumental in the development of metal and alloy production activities as the applications of rare earths expanded. Mr. Murphy progressed through Johnson Matthey from product management to the position of General Manager.

After joining GWMG's wholly owned subsidiary Less Common Metals in 2000 as Technical Director he was more recently promoted to the position of Commercial Director where he has had responsibility for sales, marketing and customer support for LCM. Within that position, he interacts, day in and day out, with companies that operate upstream and downstream across the full spectrum of the global rare earth industry.

Mr. Murphy holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from Nottingham University as well as a Diploma in Management Studies. He is a Member of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining.

GWMG President and Chief Executive Officer Jim Engdahl said, "The appointment of Dave Murphy to the position of Vice President, International Marketing and Sales is clearly a case of 'the right person at the right time'. Mr. Murphy's extensive experience, over the course of four decades in the rare earth industry, means that as GWMG is positioned to significantly expand its sales and marketing efforts over the entire array of rare earth activities, we are able to appoint someone with extensive industry experience and a very strong track record of success in moving GWMG into a global leadership position."

Great Western Minerals Group Ltd is an integrated Rare Earths processor. Its specialty alloys are used in the battery, magnet and aerospace industries. Produced at the Company's wholly owned subsidiaries Less Common Metals Limited in Birkenhead, U.K. and Great Western Technologies Inc. in Troy, Michigan, these alloys contain aluminum, nickel, cobalt and Rare Earth Elements. As part of the Company's vertical integration strategy, GWMG also holds 100% equity ownership in Rare Earth Extraction Co. Limited, which owns a 74% equity interest in the Steenkampskraal Mine. In addition to an exploration program at Steenkampskraal, GWMG also holds interests in four active Rare Earth exploration and development properties in North America.

Certain information set out in this News Release constitutes forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements (often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "expect", "may", "could", "anticipate" or "will" and similar expressions) may describe expectations, opinions or guidance that are not statements of fact and which may be based upon information provided by third parties. Forward-looking statements are based upon the opinions, expectations and estimates of management of GWMG as at the date the statements are made and are subject to a variety of known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or outcomes to differ materially from those anticipated or implied by such forward-looking statements.

Those factors include, but are not limited to, the construction, commissioning and operation of the proposed monazite processing facility and separation facility, mine refurbishment activities, reliance on third parties to meet projected timelines, commencement of production at Steenkampskraal, risks related to the receipt of all required approvals including those relating to the commencement of production at the Steenkampskraal mine, delays in obtaining permits, licenses and operating authorities in South Africa and China, environmental matters, water and land use risks, risks associated with the industry in general, commodity prices and exchange rate changes, operational risks associated with exploration, development and production operations, delays or changes in plans, risks associated with the uncertainty of reserve or resource estimates, health and safety risks, uncertainty of estimates and projections of production, costs and expenses, risks that future Steenkampskraal and region exploration results may not meet exploration or corporate objectives, the adequacy of the Company's financial resources and the availability of additional cash from operations or from financing on reasonable terms or at all, political risks inherent in South Africa and China, risks associated with the relationship between GWMG and/or its subsidiaries and communities and governments in South Africa, radioactivity and related issues, dependence on one mineral project, loss of key personnel, the factors discussed in the Company's public disclosure record, and other factors that could cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated. In light of the risks and uncertainties associated with forward-looking statements, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon forward-looking information. Although GWMG believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements set out in this press release or incorporated herein by reference are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to have been correct. Except as required by law, GWMG does not assume any obligation to update forward looking statements as set out in this news release. The forward-looking statements of GWMG contained in this News Release, or incorporated herein by reference, are expressly qualified, in their entirety, by this cautionary statement and the risk factors contained in GWMG's current annual information form available at www.sedar.com

CUSIP: 39141Y 10 3

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Contacts:

Great Western Minerals Group Ltd.

Dwight Percy

Manager of Investor Relations

(306) 659-4516
info@gwmg.ca


Great Western Minerals Group Ltd.

219 Robin Crescent,

Saskatoon, SK, S7L 6M8
www.gwmg.ca