October 13, 2016
More than 150 current and former staff members joined invited guests and local farmers at the Joh Bjelke-Petersen Research Station last week to mark a century of Department involvement in Kingaroy.
The event celebrated the valuable contribution the Department’s scientists and researchers – working under a number of structures including the Department of Agriculture and Stock, the DPI, DAFF and now DAF – have made to the region over the years.
The Department’s involvement began in 1916 when it posted an officer to Kingaroy to provide advice to local dairy farmers.
Since then its footprint has expanded and contracted, but today there are more than 34 staff employed at the Research Station, involved in everything from peanut plant breeding to biosecurity.
Their work has helped ensure primary production has remained the single biggest industry in the region, and the biggest contributor to the region’s economy.
On Thursday, guests mingled and chatted with each another and former workmates swapped memories.
Anyone with an interest in agricultural science had plenty to occupy their time, from guided tours through the Research Station to browsing extensive displays that catalogued the highs (and occasional lows) of mastering farming in the South Burnett over the past 100 years.
There was also a special centenary birthday cake.
After the public function was over, former staff joined current staff for a barbecue lunch to reminisce about the many changes the area has seen through the years.
- Related article: Research Station Celebrates Centenary
