STORY OF THE CALLIDE VALLEY
The first luncheon address to the recently formed Biloela Rotary Club was
given by Mr John B. Evans, public accountant and secretary, Biloela, who
delivered a paper covering the history of the Callide Valley since the advent of
closer settlement.
Mr Evans, in opening, said in view of the fact that the financial turnover of the
Callide valley for the year ended June 30 last exceeded £1,350,000 and the
Callide Valley Closer Settlement Act did not come into operation until October,
1923. It might well be pondered how such an extraordinary result was brought
about. One of the main factors was the limitations of southern European
labour In the Northern canefields in the early 1920's and the migration of
approximately 600 Greek and Albanian nationals to the Dawson-Callide area.
This big influx of unemployed necessitated governmental action in respect of
relief, and the consequent exactment of the Cotton Expansion Production
Fund, administered for many years by Mr Peter Watson.
In 1931 when the fund was introduced, a majority of settlers were drawing
Government relief in the shape of monthly ration tickets, Biloela alone paying
out £1000 a month. The Cotton Expansion Fund ma a system at loans to
cotton growers repayable from their crops (if any). The price of cotton was
very low, but the fund proved to be the foundation of the dairying industry in
the Valley. The Greek and Albanian growers were leased land for a period of
one year if they felled scrub and for two years if they cleared the land ready
for the plough. By this means 193,000 acres of land was brought into
production. Of this, 100,000 acres was brigalow scrub which had to be felled.
The Cotton Fund ceased to function in 1943 when the State Agricultural Bank
became the governmental authority. Total advances to growers through the
fund were £342,500 and it was remarkable to note that when the fund was
closed only 4.1 per cent of the loan money had to he written off as
irrecoverable.
The low price of cotton and expansion of the dairying industry saw cottongrowing almost eliminated, but the recent favourable prices had again placed
the industry on a sound basis. In spite of the handicaps, perseverance had
had it reward in many cases. One Greek settler who arrived In Australia 14
yeas ago without capital had grown nothing hut cotton and was now owner of
three excellent farming properties on which cotton-growing and dairying were
combined. His success was entirely due to perseverance and hard work. In
recent years, a large number of farms have changed hands. Many of the
buyers coming from southern farming lands had brought with them superior
faming knowledge and modern machinery. The average rainfall for the 30
years up to 1950 was 30 in. but the last four years had been the best in the
history of the Callide.
BUTTER FACTORY
The Port Curtis Dairy Association built the Biloela butter factory in 1937 and
spent £9000 on extensions within three years. The first manager was Mr
Lebsanft (now in charge of the Monto factory), Mr Lionel Redman succeeded
him and is still in charge. The number of suppliers in June this year was 440
and the amount paid for cream for the year £700.000. The value of pigs sold
was £10,000. The factory employed 30 hands. A number of Callide farmers
consign their cream to the Wowan and Monto factories.
The Biloela CWA was responsible for the foundation of the hospital and until
the district scheme came in, the committee had great difficulty in financing the
institution. The doctor got £400 a year and the nursing staff consisted of
matron, one sister and probationer none of whom received award wages. Mr
Frank Heaton was the first secretary, (mostly honorary).
BEGINNINGS OF COMMUNITY LIFE
Continuing his address Mr. Evans said that many interesting stories were told
of the early days before the police station was erected in Biloela when the
resident constable bad to chain his charges to a log until their discharge. The
C.P.S. Office was established in 1935 with Mr Fred Manning as the Clerk. Mr
Manning rose rapidly in the Public Service and is now the organiser for the
Royal visit to Queensland. An agency post office first met the requirements of
the local people and as the population covered 1000 European cotton
growers, the mail was placed on the office counter in a heap and the
claimants sorted it and helped themselves and were well satisfied. Today
Biloela had a post office recently erected at a cost of £40,000, and its mail
was handled by a daily car service from and to Gladstone connecting with
trains north and south, an aerial service five days weekly and three trains a
week.
The Banana Shire Council, with shire office at Biloela, covered the Callide and
Dawson Valleys. It was first known as the Banana Divisional Board with Mr
Boer as first chairman at the opening meeting in 1880, and Mr Bracken, town
clerk. The present unimproved capital values within the shire totals £955,000,
embracing an area of 6100 square miles and a population of 8600, of whom
6000 resided within the boundaries of the Callide Valley. The number of
council employees was 96.
The Callide open cut coalfield was brought about by mineral leases being
granted to Mr. L. G. Niel and the company of Julien, Wood and Palnwell, on
June 13, 1945. The leases were now being worked by Messrs Theiss Bros.
The Queensland Coal Board had purchased 70,000 tons of Callide coal for
stock piling at Gladstone at a cost of approximately £189,000. Expenditure by
the State Government and local authorities on permanent works on the
Callide to Gladstone road was £611,800 to which must be added a further
£165,511 and on maintenance. The Commonwealth Government also
contributed an mount of £313,855 on permanent works.
In the early days of the settlement, the railway did not go beyond Rannes. On
April 16, 1926, the station at Biloela was officially opened with Mrs. Pettit In
chaise. She was now the station mistress at Goovigen. The outward rail
freight from Biloela for the year ended June 30, 1953, was 80,140 tons made
up of coal from Callide open cut colliery (exclusive of coal to Gladstone),
74,053 tons; cotton, 413 tons; general merchandise, 5629 tons; cattle,
approximately 10,000 head: pigs, 5000.
The QN Bank was the first trading bank to commence operations at Biloela in
1928, Mr Battle being the manager. The Bank of New South Wales opened in
1936 under the management of Mr. Stevenson. The Union Bank came in
1947 with Mr. Christianson in charge The turnover of £1,250,000 in the past
year was made up as follows: Payments to cream suppliers, £700,000; cotton,
wheat and sorghum growers, £300.000; cattle and pigs, £250,000. To this
must be added the premium paid for the leases of farming properties, of which
a great number were sold during the year. The number of motor vehicles
registered at Biloela exceeded 1800, while farm tractors, milking plants and
agricultural machinery would bring the value of mechanical units to over
£1,000,000.
Biloela’s first hotel licence was granted in 1929 to Martin Hansen (now of
Gladstone). After being held successively by Morgan and Arthur Hansen, the
licence was now conducted by Kevin Hansen, son of Martin, so that the Royal
had been in the family right through.
The speaker said the general prosperity had brought amenities to the
community, particularly Biloela and Thangool, in the shape of electricity and
water supply. It was expected that householders in Biloela would have water
laid on to their homes by the end of the current years. Some of the prosperity
of Callide industries was due to the presence of the American Army during the
war. They had created a heavy demand for meat, bacon and milk products at
a time when lack of shipping could have had a different result. As a
consequence of the activities of the American providers, prices of all
commodities rose and had bean maintained.
In Mr. Evans's opinion, however, it was the Cotton Production Expansion
Fund and the affluence it had on the dairying Industry that gave the Callide its
greatest impetus.
“Central Queensland Herald” 27 August 1953 p10
“Morning Bulletin” 20 August 1953 p9