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SAS REPORTS 2011 FOURTH QUARTER AND YEAR END RESULTS WITH A RECORD FOURTH QUARTE
R AND YEAR OF, PRODUCTION, INCOME AND CASH FLOW



SAS reports 2011 fourth quarter and year end results with a record fourth quarter and year of, production, income and cash flow

SAS reports 2011 fourth quarter and year end results with a record fourth quarter and year of, production, income and cash flow



All dollar amounts are stated in Canadian dollars, unless otherwise indicated

TORONTO, Feb.

16, 2012 /CNW/ - St Andrew Goldfields Ltd.

(T-SAS),
("SAS" or the "Company") earned net income attributable to shareholders for the fourth quarter of 2011 of $12.9 million or $0.04 per share as compared to a loss of $0.2 million, or nil on a per share basis, for the same period last year.

Operating cash flow before repayment of the Gold Notes(1) in the quarter was $17.1 million or $0.05 per share, compared to $9.3 million, or $0.03 per share for the same period last year.

For the full year in 2011, SAS earned net income attributable to shareholders of $17.2 million or $0.05 per share as compared to a net income of $2.1 million, or $0.01 per share for the same period in 2010.

"We had a great fourth quarter achieving record production, record earnings and record cash flow," said Jacques Perron, President and CEO of SAS.

"We saw a steady increase in production and as expected, our mine cash costs in the fourth quarter reduced to under US$800 per ounce.

Holt continues to perform well, and we are on track to reach 1,000 tpd by the end of the first quarter.

We are committed to continue to improve at each operation.

We will grow our production on a quarterly basis to achieve our 2012 objective of 90,000 to 100,000 ounces of gold production while reducing our cash cost per ounce.

I want to thank our dedicated employees for their commitment to achieving success, and look forward to a promising 2012."

Q4 and ANNUAL 2011 HIGHLIGHTS

ACHIEVEMENTS  
Net income attributable to shareholders for the fourth quarter and 2011, of $12.9 million, or $0.04 per share, and $17.2 million, or $0.05 per share, respectively.

Adjusted net earnings
(1) for the fourth quarter and 2011 of $6.6 million or, $0.02 per share and $6.2 million, or $0.02 per share, respectively.

Record year of earnings with net income increasing by 56% over the previous quarter.
Produced 22,350 ounces of gold in the fourth quarter and 74,022 ounces during 2011, from three operations (Holt, Holloway and Hislop). A record year of production representing a 12% increase in gold production over the previous quarter, and a 5% increase over 2010.
Sold 23,368 ounces of gold during the quarter, at an average realized price(1) of US$1,690, and a total of 69,528 ounces of gold during 2011, at an average realized price(1) of US$1,592.

Earned revenues in the fourth quarter and 2011 of $40.4 million and $111.9 million, respectively.
An increase in gold sales revenues by 21% over the previous quarter, and 25% over the previous year.
Mine cash costs of US$772 per ounce and a royalty cost of US$137 per ounce, for a total cash cost per ounce of gold sold(3) of US$909 per ounce in the fourth quarter.


Mine cash costs for 2011 were US$960 per ounce with a royalty cost of US$120 per ounce, for a total cash cost per ounce of gold sold(3) of US$1,080.
Mine cash costs increased in 2011 due to the delay in start up at the Holt Mine and the transition in mining areas at the Holloway Mine, compounded by a high royalty cost due to the increase in the price of gold.

However, cash costs improved by 20% over the previous quarter in 2011, and are expected to reduce further throughout 2012.
Earned cash margin from mine operations(1) of $18.7 million in the fourth quarter, and $37.5 million for 2011. An increase of $6.7 million or 56% in cash margin from mine operations(1) when compared to previous quarter in 2011, as a result of the increase in throughput and an increase in ore grade. 
Operating cash flow before repayment of the Gold Notes(1) of $17.1 million, or $0.05 on a per share basis, for the fourth quarter, and $35.0 million, or $0.10 on a per share basis, for annual 2011. A record year of operating cash flow since the restart of mine operations in 2009, an increase of 58% over the previous quarter, and an increase by $9.1 million over the previous year.
Holt achieved commercial production at the beginning of the second quarter of 2011. Commenced commercial production at our flag ship mine, which saw progressive ramp up throughout 2011, from the initial 500 tonnes per day ("tpd").
Smoke Deep Zone at the Holloway Mine commenced production in October. Production commenced in the western portion of the zone and contributed approximately 18% of the Holloway mines throughput for the year. Development continues towards the eastern portion of the zone and production rates and ore grade are anticipated to increase in 2012.
Incurred total capital expenditures at the three operations of $8.6 million in the quarter, and $33.8 million for 2011. At Hislop, the Company spent capital expenditures of $10.7 million in 2011 and $0.7 million during the fourth quarter as the overburden stripping was substantially complete.

Ongoing mine capital is expected to be minimal.

Mine development and capital expenditures for the Holt Mine and Mill, and the Holloway Mine during the fourth quarter and 2011 were $7.9 million and $23.1 million, respectively.   
Finalized an updated resource estimate for the Taylor Project which was utilized as part of a pre-feasibility study outlining 173,000 ounces of probable reserves at the West Porphyry Zone Incurred $2.7 million in 2011 to advance the Taylor Project towards the pre-feasibility stage.

The Taylor pre-feasibility study outlines 985,000 tonnes at an average grade of 5.01 g/t Au for 173,000 ounces of contained gold in the West Porphyry Zone.

The results of the pre-feasibility study are being released concurrently with this press release.
In May 2011, the Company received a favourable ruling from the Ontario Court of Appeal concerning the Holt Royalty. Receiving this final judgement successfully removes the contingent liability which significantly improves the economics of the Holt Mine and the Companys value.
In May 2011, SAS employees celebrated 1 million hours worked without a lost time accident. The Company achieved a mine safety record, and continues to operate without a Lost Time Accident.

A summary of the 2011 Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves estimate as at December 31, 2011, are included as part of the Companys Management Discussion and Analysis for 2011, which is being filed today, February 16, 2012, and is available under the Companys profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com, and on the Companys website at www.sasgoldmines.com.

Holt Mine, Operations and Financial Review (see Operating and Financial Statistics on page 12)
In the fourth quarter, the Holt Mine ("Holt") produced 11,421 ounces of gold from processing 67,778 tonnes of ore at a head grade of 5.57 g/t Au, which was substantially derived from Zone 4.

Since the commencement of commercial production at the beginning of the second quarter in 2011, Holt produced 26,941 ounces of gold from a throughput of 188,872 tonnes at a grade of 4.74 g/t Au.

Mill recoveries in the fourth quarter and in 2011 of 94.1% and 93.5%, respectively, were at the expected level.

Mine development in the first half of 2011 was negatively impacted by a four month delay in ramp up of operations due to the limited availability of skilled manpower and equipment issues.

The implementation of an underground employee training program in the second quarter of 2011, coupled with improved equipment availability, resulted in a 36% increase in development productivity over the first half of 2011, and the mine currently has its full complement of skilled workers.

The mining rate during 2011 ramped up from the initial 500 tonnes per day ("tpd") in the second quarter, and continued to progress towards the anticipated steady state rate of production of 1,000 tpd expected by the end of the first quarter of 2012, which will positively impact unit costs.

During the second and third quarter of 2011, most of the production ore was derived from the C-103 Zone, which achieved lower than expected grade.

The head grade saw a steady increase during the last few months of 2011, as the C-103 Zone was depleted at the end of the third quarter, and the mine saw better development grade ore from Zone 4 coupled with production ore which was in line or better than the reserve grade of 4.34 g/t Au (as of December 31, 2010).

Holt achieved a cash margin from mine operations(1) of $12.1 million during the fourth quarter.

The mine saw a steady increase in throughput quarter over quarter; which led to consecutive decreases in mine-site cost per tonne milled(1) of $15 per tonne from the second quarter of 2011 to the third quarter, and another $11 per tonne in the fourth quarter.

In conjunction with the improvement in ore grade in the third and fourth quarters, total cash cost per ounce of gold sold(1) decreased by US$377 per ounce and US$292 per ounce, respectively.

The Company expects operating costs at Holt will continue to decrease as the mining rate increases towards its steady state levels.

Holt is expected to contribute approximately 50% of the annual gold production for 2012.

Holloway Mine, Operations and Financial Review (see Operating and Financial Statistics on page 13)
The Holloway Mine ("Holloway") produced 6,126 ounces of gold in the fourth quarter from three areas, the Lightning Zone ("Lightning Zone"), Blacktop Footwall Lower Zone ("BFWL"), and the Smoke Deep Zone ("Smoke Deep").

During 2011, approximately 45% of production was derived from Lightning, 37% from the BFWL, and in the fourth quarter, 18% from Smoke Deep.

Production was negatively impacted throughout 2011 due to the shift in mining from the BFWL and Lightning zones, while preparing Smoke Deep for production.

Ramp development at Smoke Deep was completed during the third quarter of 2011, and production commenced at the end of October 2011.

Mill recovery of 84.1% in the fourth quarter was slightly lower than anticipated due to the processing of graphitic ore from the BFWL and the slower leach kinetics associated with ore from the western portion of Smoke Deep, where initial production was derived from.

Gold sales for 2011 were 23,698 ounces or 61% lower than the 61,447 ounces of gold sold in 2010 due to the reasons mentioned above.

Cash margin from mine operations(1) for the fourth quarter and for 2011 were $4.1 million and $12.0 million, respectively.

Mine site cost per tonne milled increased by 14% from $86 per tonne in 2010 to $98 per tonne in 2011, which was attributable to a 40% decrease in throughput when compared to 2010, partially offset by the improved efficiencies in operating activities at the mine.

The Company expects mine site cost per tonne in 2012 will reduce as production rates at Smoke Deep continue to increase, and the mined ore grade improves.

Holloway is expected to contribute approximately 30% of the annual gold production for 2012.

Hislop Mine, Operations and Financial Review (see Operating and Financial Statistics on page 14)
The Hislop Mine ("Hislop") produced 4,803 ounces of gold in the fourth quarter of 2011.

The head grade for the Hislop Mine in the fourth quarter increased by approximately 15% from the previous quarter and 13% over 2010.

The ore grade mined continued to improve in the fourth quarter as mining progressed deeper and into the eastern portion of the pit.

Mill recovery in the fourth quarter of 83.0% was negatively impacted by processing a higher portion of ore that requires a finer grind.

Operations at Hislop were impacted since the second quarter of 2011, by the additional overburden removal and waste rock mining activities as a result of overburden slope failures during the year, and delayed stripping of the eastern portion of the pit.

Rehabilitation activities commenced in the third quarter and are now complete, and all overburden has been stripped.

Waste rock mining was reduced in the second half of 2011 but remained higher than expected due to the change in mining sequence required to accommodate overburden stripping activities.

The strip ratio for 2012 is expected to decrease to 3.8, which is lower than the life-of-mine strip ratio of 4.8.

Gold sales in the fourth quarter were 4,985 ounces, and 19,806 ounces for 2011, 87% higher than the 10,592 ounces of gold sold in 2010 (as the mine only commenced commercial mining operations in the second half of 2010).

Hislop contributed gold sales revenue of $31.2 million in 2011 as compared to $12.1 million in 2010, a 150% increase due to the increase in throughput and the improvement in ore grade as mentioned above, as well as a 39% increase in the average realized price per ounce of gold sold(1).

Mine site costs per tonne milled increased by 14% from $51 per tonne in 2010 to $58 per tonne in 2011, which was attributable to the additional waste rock mining activities mentioned above.

The Company expects the remaining life‐of‐mine mine site cost per tonne milled to remain closer to $59 per tonne.

The higher cost is primarily due to the complexity of the ore body, the rock hardness and the increased fuel costs.

Production cash cost per ounce of gold sold in the fourth quarter and 2011 was US$1,196 per ounce and US$1,272 per ounce, respectively.

The Company anticipates the cash cost per ounce of gold sold for the Hislop Mine during 2012, will remain at the level experienced in the fourth quarter of 2011, despite a lower strip ratio, as a consequence of the increase in mine operating costs mentioned above.

Hislop is expected to contribute approximately 20% of the annual gold production for 2012.

Taylor Project
As of December 31, 2011, the Company completed an updated resource estimate and calculation of mineral reserves for the Taylor Project ("Taylor"), as part of preparation for a Pre-feasibility study.

The study outlined mineral reserves for the West Porphyry Zone ("WPZ") of approximately 1.0 million tonnes at a grade of 5.45 g/t Au containing approximately 173,000 ounces of gold, included within measured and indicated mineral resources (which include the West Porphyry and Shoot Zone) totalling 2.6 million tonnes grading 5.42 g/t Au for 457,000 ounces of contained gold in the indicated category, and 1.9 million tonnes grading 3.96 g/t Au for 246,000 million ounces of contained gold in the inferred category.

Results of the Pre-feasibility study are being released concurrently with the financial information on February 16, 2012.

A National Instrument 43-101 compliant technical report will be available under the Companys profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on the Companys website at www.sasgoldmines.com on or before March 30, 2012.

Exploration Programs
The Company recently released its plans for its 2012 exploration program which will focus on targets that lie near the Holloway-Holt and Hislop Mines and which has an initial budget of $7.0 million.

Drilling has resumed on two targets, the Ghost Zone near Holt, and the Hislop North Project, and results will be released as they become available.

Capital Resources
SAS achieved a record year for cash flow from operations of $23.4 million since the restart of mining operations in the fourth quarter of 2009.

The Company ended the year with cash of $17.6 million, however, working capital decreased during the third quarter, and in the first nine months of the year, as a result of a four-month delay in the development of Holt, and the additional overburden and waste rock removal activities at Hislop.

These operational issues are now resolved, and cash flow from operations in the future periods is expected to improve.

The Company generated $37.5 million in cash margin from mine operations(1) and $35.0 million in operating cash flow before repayment of Gold Notes(1).

Conference Call Information
A conference call will be held on Friday morning, February 17, 2011 at 10:00 a.m.

(EST) to discuss the fourth quarter and annual 2011 results. Participants may join the call by dialling toll free 1-866-212-4491 or 1-416-800-1066 for calls from outside Canada and the US.

The Company will post accompanying power point slides for the call, please visit the website for more detailed information and any webcast links (www.sasgoldmines.com).

A recorded playback of the call will also be available via the website and will be posted within 24 hours of the call.

Qualified Person
Production at the Holt, Holloway and Hislop mines, and processing at the Holt Mill are being conducted under the supervision of Duncan Middlemiss, P.Eng, the Companys Vice President & General Manager, East Timmins Operations.

The calculation of Mineral Reserves and the Taylor pre-feasibility study was completed by the Company under the supervision of Pierre Rocque, P.Eng, the Companys Director of Engineering.

The exploration programs on the Companys various mineral properties are under the supervision of Craig Todd, P.Geo, the Companys Exploration Manager.

Messrs.

Middlemiss, Rocque and Todd are qualified persons as defined by National Instrument 43-101, and have reviewed and approved this news release.

Non-GAAP Measures
The Company has included the non-GAAP performance measures: adjusted net earnings (loss); operating cash flow before repayments of Gold Notes; average realized price per ounce of gold sold; total cash cost per ounce of gold sold; cash margin from mine operations; and mine-site cost per tonne milled throughout this press release, which do not have standardized meanings prescribed by International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS") and are not necessarily comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies due to potential inconsistencies in the method of calculation.

The Company believes that, in addition to conventional measures prepared in accordance with IFRS, the Company and certain investors use this information to evaluate the Companys performance. Accordingly, it is intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS.

Refer to pages 8-11 of this press release for a discussion and the reconciliation of these non-GAAP measurements to the Companys 2011 Annual Financial Statements.

(1) See pages 8-11 for non-GAAP Measures

The unaudited Balance Sheets, Statements of Operations and Statements of Cash Flows for the Company for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2011, can be found on pages 15-17.

To review the complete 2011 Annual Financial Statements and the Annual Managements Discussion and Analysis for 2011, please see SASs SEDAR filings under the Companys profile at www.sedar.com or the Companys website at www.sasgoldmines.com.

About SAS
SAS (operating as "SAS Goldmines") is a gold mining and exploration company with an extensive land package in the Timmins mining district, northeastern Ontario which lies within the Abitibi greenstone belt, the most important host of historical gold production in Canada.

SAS is focussed on developing its assets in the Timmins Camp with three producing mines and aggressive exploration activities across 120km of land straddling the Porcupine-Destor Fault Zone.

FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

This news release contains forward-looking information and forward-looking statements (collectively, "forward-looking information") under applicable securities laws, concerning the Companys business, operations, financial performance, condition and prospects, as well as managements objectives, strategies, beliefs and intentions.

Forward-looking information is frequently identified by such words as "may", "will", "plan", "expect", "estimate", "anticipate", "believe", "intend" and similar words referring to future events and results, including the Companys production budgets, and planned gold production levels at the Holt, Holloway and the Hislop mines in 2012; the improvement in throughput and reduction in unit costs at the Holt Mine; the improvement in the ore grade and production rates, and reduction in costs at the Holloway Mine; the improvement in the ore grade and the stabilization in costs at the Hislop Mine; the anticipated manpower levels at the Companys mining operations (and the ability to achieve same); the extent of exploration programs in 2012; the improvement in the Companys cash flow from operations; and the availability of a NI 43-101 technical report on the Taylor Project, and the timing thereof.

This forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information.

Factors that may cause actual results to vary materially include, but are not limited to, uncertainties relating to the interpretation of the geology, continuity, grade and size estimates of the mineral reserves and resources; unanticipated operational or technical difficulties which could escalate operating and/or capital costs and reduce anticipated production levels; the Companys dependence on key employees and changes in the availability of qualified personnel; fluctuations in gold prices and exchange rates; insufficient funding or delays or inability to raise additional financing on satisfactory terms if required; operational hazards and risks, including the inability to insure against all risks; changes in laws, regulations and the risks of obtaining necessary licenses and permits; changes in general economic conditions and changes in conditions in the financial markets.

Such forward looking information is based on a number of assumptions, including but not limited to the level and volatility of the price of gold, the accuracy of reserve and resource estimates and the assumptions on which such estimates are based, the ability to achieve capital and operating cost estimates, the ability of the Company to retain and attract qualified personnel, the sufficiency of the Companys cash reserves and operating cash flow to complete planned development and exploration activities, the availability of additional financing on acceptable terms if and as required and the level of stability of general business and economic conditions.

Should one or more risks and uncertainties materialize or should any assumptions prove incorrect, then actual results could vary materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking information and accordingly, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on this forward-looking information.

SAS does not assume the obligation to revise or update this forward‐looking information after the date of this release or to revise such information to reflect the occurrence of future unanticipated events, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.

A description of these risks and uncertainties are can also be found in the Companys Annual Information Form obtained on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

NON-GAAP MEASURES

Adjusted net earnings (loss)
Adjusted net earnings are calculated by removing the gains and losses, resulting from the mark-to-market revaluation of the Companys gold-linked liabilities and foreign currency price protection derivatives, one-time gains or losses on the disposition of non-core assets and expenses and significant tax adjustments not related to current periods earnings, as detailed in the table below.

Adjusted net earnings does not constitute a measure recognized by IFRS and does not have a standardized meaning defined by IFRS and may not be comparable to information in other gold producers reports and filings.

The Company discloses this measure, which is based on its Financial Statements, to assist in the understanding of the Companys operating results and financial position.

                                           
Amounts in thousands of Canadian dollars, except     Three months ended December 31,     Year ended December 31,
per share amounts           2011       2010           2011         2010
                                           
Net income (loss) per Financial Statements       $   12,921    $   (235)     $     17,173     $   2,090
Reversal of income and mining tax asset valuation
allowance
          (433)       -           (18,455)         -
Mark-to-market loss (gain) on gold-linked liabilities           (1,414)       2,010           3,347         6,630
Mark-to-market loss (gain) on foreign currency
derivatives
          (3,436)       (796)           3,869         (1,327)
Proceeds from insurance claim           -       -           (338)         -
Loss (gain) on the divestiture of non-core assets           (1,049)       -           304         -
Write-down of mining assets           -       -           300         263
Secured debenture participation fee           -       -           -         756
Adjusted net earnings       $   6,589    $   979     $     6,200     $   8,412
                                           
Weighted average number of shares outstanding
(000s)
                                         
  Basic           368,067       362,311           367,912         343,082
  Diluted           368,739       366,645           369,945         345,854
                         



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