Broadwater Sunshine Sugar Mill food recovery works on track for the 2024 crush

Flood recovery and mitigation works at Broadwater’s iconic Sunshine Sugar Mill are on track to be completed for the 2024 crush, thanks to assistance from the Australian and NSW Government’s Anchor Business Support Grant Program.

Today, the stacks which tower over the Sunshine Sugar Mill billow steam, but two years ago the future of the historic mill on the banks of the Richmond River was uncertain after the 143-year-old mill experienced its highest ever food level.

Broadwater Sugar Mill’s Operations Manager Ian McBean said at its deepest point there was three metres of water in the facility.

“All machinery, electrical switchboards and most outbuildings within that food zone were either destroyed or had to be repaired or replaced, leaving a $25 million clean-up bill,” he said.

Utilising $12.6 million in funding from the Anchor Business Support Program, Sunshine Sugar started the massive clean-up – front of mind were food affected cane growers and more than 80 staff that the company employs.

“Getting our factory up and running was critical to ensuring that those people had an income and dollars were fowing back in the community,” Mr McBean said.

“They [growers] had been signifcantly impacted by the food with 90 per cent of our growers having lost their homes and equipment.

“A number of our employees were impacted by the foods, they are still living in temporary accommodation now.”

Funding was frst used to remove mud from the plant and sugar storage facilities allowing work to recommission the massive crushing machines which power the mill.

“The critical works for us were getting the electrical switchboards rebuilt, installing new water tolerant modular buildings for offces and just cleaning the place up.”

Flood mitigation efforts have focussed on lifting important pieces of machinery, electrical switchboards above the one-in-one-hundred-year food level, while new modular offces stand above the 2022 food height.

One of the fnal tasks was installing a new molasses tank capable of storing 2,700 tonnes of product. This will replace the existing 3,000 tonne capacity tank which was lifted from its foundations by food water.

In 2022, Sunshine Sugar managed to crush an incredible 408 kilotons of cane at Broadwater.

Funded mitigation works are on track to be completed by this year’s crush, which is forecast to be around 350 kilotons.

The reduced cane volume this year is a legacy of the impact fooding had on the young cane in 2022.

Ian McBean is grateful for the assistance received from Government, saying it has been critical for getting their mill back to being operational.

“We are thankful and are sure this investment will pay dividends for the long-term food recovery of the farming sector in the Northern Rivers.”

The $59.3 million Anchor Business Support Grant Program is jointly funded by the Australian and NSW Governments and has assisted foodaffected large businesses in the Northern Rivers to recover, rebuild and resume normal operations sooner.

Recipients matched government funding dollar-for-dollar.

Count Down To The Kyogle Readers And Writers Festival

This year’s Kyogle Readers and Writers Festival kicks off this Friday 17 May and runs across Saturday 18 May. Centred around the KMI Hall and the Roxy Gallery in downtown Kyogle, the Festival features an array of talented writers including Melissa Lucashenko, Mirandi Riwoe, Jessie Cole, Michael Burge,

Tim Baker, Ellen van Neerven, Corey Tutt and many, many more. Special guest, Gardening Australia’s Costa Georgiadis, will be in conversation with Angela Catterns, talking about his latest book as well as his love for gardening. A smorgasbord of panels will discuss a range of topics including

Indigenous writing, gardening and gardening literature, writing as an outsider, towards a more ethical and sustainable society and the use of alternative therapies. Lovers of poetry are well catered for with a workshop on performance poetry as well as the Page and Stage Poetry event taking place at the Kyogle Golf

Club later on Saturday. The festival promises to offer something for all lovers of books, poetry and writing in all its varied forms.

Festival passes are still available for purchase online and tickets for single events will be available on Saturday at the Festival Box Offce in Stratheden Street.

For more information, head over to the website kraw.com.au

Queensland Leads the Way in Engineered Stone Ban, Sets National Example

Lung Foundation Australia has praised the Queensland Government for its decisive action in banning work with engineered stone effective from 1 July, eschewing any transition period. This bold measure aims to mitigate the risks associated with silicosis, a severe and often fatal lung disease affecting stonemasons, which recent studies show affects one in four workers in the feld.

Mark Brooke, CEO of Lung Foundation Australia, emphasized the signifcance of this move: "Queensland's immediate ban sets a national precedent, ending the use of engineered stone in manufacturing and installation of products like benchtops and panels from July 1st, without delay. This action is crucial in combating the silicosis crisis, directly linked to engineered stone, for which there is currently no cure."

As the number of silicosis cases is expected to rise sharply, Lung Foundation Australia has ramped up its support services. The charity offers free, confdential phone-based assistance through its Silicosis Social Work program and Silicosis Support Nurse service. These services provide vital support and information to those affected, covering everything from processing diagnoses to dealing with the disease's emotional and physical toll. Online peer support groups are also available for additional community support.

"Over the past fve years, we have advocated tirelessly to bring the dangers of silicosis to the forefront. We stand with the workers and their families who are demanding change," said Brooke.