THERE is a changing of the guard at Wilmar Sugar, with a 50-year veteran of the sugar industry handing over his position on the Burdekin.
As he heads into his 50th crushing season, Wilmar's Burdekin cane supply manager Peter Luke said there was not much he hadn't seen or done in the industry.
Mr Luke started his career as an office clerk at Kalamia Mill in 1970, and worked up the rungs to end up managing cane supply operations for one of the biggest canegrowing regions in Australia.
"Over the last five decades, I've worked in a number of different roles at Pioneer, Invicta and Inkerman mills in the Burdekin, as well as Victoria and Macknade mills in the Herbert, and I've seen a lot of change," Mr Luke said.
"There have been huge advancements in safety and technology.
"When I first started it was okay to come to work in shorts.
"Thankfully that's changed and there's now a big focus on safety and well being.
"The mills have become more automated, and technology like GPS, brake van and harvest management systems have improved cane supply and logistics."
As Mr Luke transitions into retirement, he has handed over his position to another industry veteran John Tait, who has moved north from Wilmar's Plane Creek Mill at Sarina.
Mr Tait has worked in the sugar industry since 1977 when he started as a juice boy at Mourilyan Mill, south of Innisfail.
He has worked in mills throughout Queensland and New South Wales - the last three years as Plane Creek cane supply manager.
Mr Tait said he was looking forward to the challenges of his new role.
"I've worked in multi-mill regions before, but the Burdekin is a bigger proposition, with more cane, more mills and more people to manage," Mr Tait said.
Taking up Mr Tait's former position as Plane Creek cane supply manager is Jim Kirchner.
Mr Kirchner, who lived and worked in the Mackay region for more than 20 years before moving to north in 2014 as Wilmar's Herbert cane supply manager.
Lindsay Wheeler will step into that position this season.
Mr Wheeler was previously the transport operations manager in the Herbert.
Previously, he worked in cane supply and logistics at sugar mills in Vietnam and Fiji.
The season will start for Wilmar at the Burdekin's Inkerman Mill on Monday, June 8, after wet weather delayed the crush by six days.
The Burdekin's other three mills, Pioneer, Kalamia and Invicta, will start the following day on Tuesday, June 9 as scheduled.
The Herbert mills are set to start a week later on Tuesday, June 16, with Plane Creek to follow on Tuesday, June 23 and Proserpine the last to fire up on Tuesday, June 30.
