March 20, 2017
Toowoomba councillor Anne Glasheen has been appointed chairperson of the Darling Downs-Moreton Rabbit Board.
The State Government announced the appointment on Monday.
Agriculture Minister Bill Byrne said councillors Duncan McInnes (Scenic Rim), Glenn Tozer (Gold Coast) and Gregory Olm (Chinchilla) had been re-appointed to the Board.
Councillors Janice Holstein (Lockyer Valley) and Joanne McNally (Southern Downs) are new appointments.
“Cr Anne Glasheen (is) the first female Chairperson of the Board,” Mr Byrne said.
The main role of the Darling Downs-Moreton Rabbit Board is the maintenance of the rabbit-proof fence which passes through the Darling Downs region.
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The History Of The
Darling Downs-Moreton Rabbit Board
When rabbits first reached Queensland in the 1880s from the southern states, a fence was built along the border in an attempt to keep them out.
Unfortunately, rabbits had already invaded some districts before the fence was complete, and some of the invaded rabbit fence district boards went bankrupt.
Many other sections of the fence soon fell into disrepair.
In 1930, all existing rabbit boards were abolished except for Leichhardt, Darling Downs and Moreton.
In 1963, the Leichhardt Rabbit Board closed and the Darling Downs Rabbit Board took over their 80km of fence, extending it west of Chinchilla.
The following year, the Darling Downs Rabbit Board and the Moreton Rabbit Board merged to become the Darling Downs-Moreton Rabbit Board.
The fence is now 555 km long and stretches from Mt Gipps in Lamington National Park in the east, to Goombi in the south-west where it connects to the Wild Dog Barrier Fence.
It protects about 28,000 sq. km within southern Queensland.
The rabbit-proof fence provides a unique form of protection against rabbits, and has successfully prevented the establishment of significant rabbit populations within its boundaries.
If rabbits are found within the board’s operational area, every effort is made to eradicate them.
