Great Western Minerals Group Appoints Mine Manager at Steenkampskraal Rare Earth Project

SASKATOON, SASKATCHEWAN -- (Marketwire) -- 11/16/11 -- Great Western Minerals Group Ltd. ('GWMG' or the 'Company') (TSX VENTURE: GWG) (OTCQX: GWMGF) is pleased to announce the appointment of Kwaw Kabaah as Mine Manager at the Company's Steenkampskraal mine operation in South Africa.

Mr. Kabaah, who reports to David Kennedy, Chief Executive Officer of Rareco, GWMG's wholly-owned subsidiary, is responsible for the management, control and day-to-day operations at the Steenkampskraal mine.

Mr. Kabaah has extensive and diverse hands-on experience in the mining industry, including ore extraction and mining production operations, mine health and safety, and mining project work. He has worked with Johannesburg Consolidated Investment Group Mines, the DeBeers Group and African Rainbow Minerals' Black Rock Mine Operations. Additionally, he has worked with the South Africa Department of Mineral Resources, the government agency that regulates and enforces health and safety issues in South African mines.

With a post-graduate degree in Mining Engineering earned at the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa, Mr. Kabaah also holds a Mine Overseer's Certificate of Competency. His professional affiliations include the Engineering Council of South Africa and the South Africa Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.

Rareco Chief Executive Officer David Kennedy said, 'The appointment of Kwaw Kabaah as Mine Manager for Steenkampskraal is yet another indication of the ability of our Company to attract highly qualified and very experienced professionals to our team. In working with our Steenkampskraal group, Mr. Kabaah will undoubtedly make a very strong contribution to the success of the Steenkampskraal mine project.'

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 aluminium, 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 refurbishment activities and reliance on third parties to meet projected timelines, the results of the exploration program at Steenkampskraal, a resource estimate and commencement of production at Steenkampskraal, satisfaction of the conditions precedent with respect to GWMG's offtake agreement, receipt of all required approvals (including those relating to the commencement of production at the Steenkampskraal mine) and risks, uncertainties and other factors that are beyond the control of GWMG, 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 and the uncertainty of estimates and projections of production, costs and expenses. 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. 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) 659-4500


Great Western Minerals Group Ltd.

219 Robin Crescent, Saskatoon, SK

S7L 6M8
info@gwmg.ca
www.gwmg.ca