A ripe first for Bowen
Front page news at the time was on Bowen producer Ted Kelly who hosted a field day demonstrating a mechanical tomato harvester.
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The event was held on his 60 acre property and featured the machine recently imported from the United States. Producers travelled from all over Queensland to witness what was a first for Australia.
The tomatoes were removed from the bush, sorted and washed in a completely automatic operation.
Interestingly Bowen was also the major exporter of tomatoes, according to figures by the DPI Delta Research Station.
Cowboy capital to go country-western
A proposal to enhance Charters Towers as the north's cowboy capital by hosting a country and western music festival was being examined by a steering committee.
Members were involved in studying the feasibility of presenting, in 1978, a festival devoted to the ever popular music genre.
Formation of the committee took place at the public meeting with many suggestions being offered. Among them that an invitation should be issued to a national celebrity, such as Slim Dusty, to attend and that the festival be held over a long weekend such as May Day.
Table Tennis on fire
It was all happening in Bowen this week with the town also home to a new table tennis building.
It was financed by an $11,000 state government grant and money raised by the association.
Fixtures were being played in the Church of England Parish Hall but the club hoped to commence the 1978 season in the new concrete brick structure.
It was built to house five tables initially with plans for expansion as the need arose.
A-grade winner at the time was Jim Turner with the club boasting 30 senior and 12 junior players.
Hughenden faces water woes
The town water supply in Hughenden was seriously taxed this week and there was talk water restrictions would be reimposed if household consumption couldn't be drastically reduced.
The shire clerk said when restrictions had been lifted some townspeople were leaving garden sprinklers running excessively.
Also read: Brad Paisley bound for Mareeba
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Lucy Kinbacher
Raised on a cattle property at Biggenden, Lucy Kinbacher has spent 10 years working across metropolitan, regional and rural publications in both Queensland and NSW. Lucy has been the editor of the Queensland Country Life and North Queensland Register since 2021.
Raised on a cattle property at Biggenden, Lucy Kinbacher has spent 10 years working across metropolitan, regional and rural publications in both Queensland and NSW. Lucy has been the editor of the Queensland Country Life and North Queensland Register since 2021.
