August 27, 2020
An historic “walkie-talkie” Stolzenberg peanut thresher is back where it belongs, under cover outside the Kingaroy Heritage Museum in Edward Street.
The thresher, built by George Stolzenberg, was used to thresh peanuts on local farms until the 1960s.
It was donated to the Heritage Museum by the Stolzenberg family and was positioned outside when the Kingaroy Information Art and Heritage Precinct was developed in 2005.
South Burnett Regional Council recently removed the wooden thresher so it could undergo necessary maintenance.
On Thursday morning, Council workers returned the thresher, with a fresh coat of paint to protect it from the weather,.
Museum volunteer Wilf Young said the Stolzie thresher was one of the first “walkie-talkie” threshers in the South Burnett.
Before this, a thresher was set up in the paddock and stooks were carted in wagons to the thresher to be processed.
“Walkie-talkie” threshers were pulled along by a tractor to each stook.
Peanuts were bagged on a platform which hung from the back of the machine (now removed).
A Council spokesperson said the was restoration project was funded through the 2019-20 Operational Budget.
Edward Street was briefly closed to allow the thresher to be manoeuvred back into position.
The Stolzenberg thresher is part a large collection of peanut machinery that is on display at the Kingaroy Heritage Museum, along with the history of peanut farming in the South Burnett.
- Related article: Thresher To Get A Makeover
