strategic partnership, page-25

There's a lot of negativity about management of EXT at the moment, with little cause or justification. I think many of the comments written above are overly harsh and certainly unjustified.

The regular reports given by EXT in the past was exceptional. I don't know of any other company that is that good. Harlee is right, there is a perception in the company that if they'd kept more below the radar then takeover speculation wouldn't have ramped up so early and Peter Mac would still have a job. So it is entirely possible that EXT will revert to what other companies normally do, which is a release every now and then.

Additionally, there has been a huge amount of extra work for management of late. In the last 12 months there's been a proposed tie-up with KAH, two JORC reports and one update, an entitlements offer, a warrants offer that required writing and lodging a prospectus, a listing on a new exchange, sourcing the right people to run a mine, as well as drilling results.

We now get as many drill results in a month as we used to get in a full year. These results have to be analysed, reported on, incorporated into the drilling program that identifies new targets, and passed on to the company that does the JORC estimates. The results also have to be readied for market release.

And all this is being done by a tiny office staff. They must be working flat out. A bit of leave for them is probably desperately needed.

Now we are coming up to the AGM. It is highly likely that they would like to report on a high note, so EXT have probably been delaying a few choice items so that they can release them in a big bang before the AGM. This helps in the PR stakes and will raise EXT's profile in the business pages, with positive reporting. As a shareholder, that's just what I'd like them to do.

So give them a break. If you still feel as negatively as some of the postings above, then call or write to the company with your views. At least give them the chance to respond. Anonymous griping on a web forum really isn't going to do much.