2 minute read
Birthday bash
BY RENEE CLUFF
Tully has commemorated 100 years since the Far North Queensland town was built on the sugar industry.
Thousands of people turned out to multiple events in Tully last month, to celebrate 100 years of the sugar town’s history.
The Tully Sugar Works Area began being built in 1924. A school and township homes were among the first buildings to be erected, after a parcel of land was set aside for what was then known as the Tully River Sugar Mill.
“When the mill started to be built, the town was built around it,”
CANEGROWERS Tully Chairman Bryce Macdonald reflected. “Back then, the Tully area was known as Banyan after Banyan Creek. The main town was originally surveyed at Rockingham, just to the south. Those plans were abandoned when the mill was built in the current location.”
Tully was officially gazetted as a town in 1925. Like the mill, it received its title from the Tully River, which had been named after Surveyor General William Alcock Tully. 1925 also heralded the town’s first sugar crush.
Special events to mark Tully’s beginnings and the 100 years since have included cemetery tours, a canecutters smoko, art and photograph exhibitions, an oral history project and a fashion parade showcasing a century of style trends. Also among the highlights were a soldout dinner dance and a street parade, which included a CANEGROWERS Tully and Mitre 10 (co-op) float.
“There was a fear factor that there would be more people in the parade than cheering them on in the streets but in true Tully form, the streets were lined from the Golden Gumboot to the school,” Bryce quipped.
It was a town reunion
“All the ticketed events were sold out well ahead of time. The celebrations were really well supported and everyone who was involved in organising the events and volunteering their time did a wonderful job.”
The celebrations will continue next year, when Tully Sugar Limited and industry partners, including CANEGROWERS Tully, officially mark the centenary of the first sugar crush. ‘Sugar Week’ will be held next May.
