HERBERT River cane grower Tony Palmas was recognised by his peers recently when on his 70th birthday he received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Herbert Sugar Industry Acknowledgement Night.
Mr Palmas always wanted to follow in the footsteps of his father and become a cane farmer, so when the next door property came on the market in 1954 they acquired the block and he left veterinary science studies at the University of Queensland and came home.
However the Lifetime Achievement Award had little to do with growing cane, it acknowledged his untiring efforts in supporting the sugar industry and the community.
Mr Palmas devoted 24 years to being a member of the local mill suppliers committee, only resigning four years ago; he was a director of Canegrowers Mitre 10 for five years; on the Macknade Productivity Group for 10 years; co-founded the Hawkins Creek Mill Suppliers Branch in 1970 and was a member for 35 years; is a member of the local Drainage and Water Management Team; was a fire warden for the Hawkins Creek Rural Fire Brigade for 40 years; was a founding member of Landcare; has served on many other district committees such as Ingham Show Society and Tennis Association; is a life member Golden Plow and APEX; and the for the Bureau of Meteorology, the farm is a recording station for weather information.
*Full story in this week’s North Queensland Register, out now.