Shire of Banana Queensland | |||||||||||||||
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Population | 14,291 (2018) [1] | ||||||||||||||
• Density | 0.50056/km2 (1.29645/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
Established | 1879 | ||||||||||||||
Area | 28,550 km2 (11,023.2 sq mi) [1] | ||||||||||||||
Mayor | Neville George Ferrier | ||||||||||||||
Council seat | Biloela | ||||||||||||||
Region | Central Queensland | ||||||||||||||
State electorate(s) | Callide | ||||||||||||||
Federal division(s) | Flynn | ||||||||||||||
Website | Shire of Banana | ||||||||||||||
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The Shire of Banana is a local government area located in the Capricorn region of Queensland, Australia, inland from the regional city of Gladstone. The shire was named after the first township in the region (Banana), which in turn was named for the burial site of a huge dun coloured bullock named 'Banana'. The council sits in the town of Biloela, which is the largest town in the Shire.
Major industries in the shire include coal mining, beef production, power generation, dryland cropping and irrigation cropping such as lucerne and cotton.
Banana Division was created on 11 November 1879 as one of 74 divisions around Queensland under the Divisional Boards Act 1879 with a population of 2155. [2] The name Banana does not relate to the fruit, but rather the area was named after a dun-coloured bullock called Banana. [3]
On 20 April 1881 part of Banana Division was separated to create Duaringa Division. [4]
With the passage of the Local Authorities Act 1902, Banana Division became Shire on Banana on 31 March 1903.
The shire's administrative centre was in Banana until 1930, when the building was physically relocated to Rannes. [5] In 1946, the shire headquarters moved to Biloela. [6]
On 15 March 2008, under the Local Government (Reform Implementation) Act 2007 passed by the Parliament of Queensland on 10 August 2007, the Shire of Banana absorbed the northern part of the neighbouring Shire of Taroom, including the town of Taroom itself, while the southern part was amalgamated into the Dalby Region (later renamed to the Western Downs Region).
The council has 3 offices: [7]
The Shire of Banana includes the following settlements:
Banana area: | North Taroom area: |
1 – shared with the Western Downs Region
Banana Shire Council operate libraries at Biloela, Moura, Taroom, and Theodore. [8] The council operates a fortnightly mobile library service to Banana (and Banana School), Baralaba, Goovigen (and Goovigen School), Jambin (and Jambin School), Mount Murchison School and Prospect Creek School. [9]
It has an abundance of natural resources, especially undeveloped coal deposits present in the Theodore, Moura and Baralaba area. Being a large supplier of methane gas, Banana Shire provides this huge resource for power generation and industrial use. Liquified Natural Gas pipelines are being developed presently in the region, which has also become the largest commodity producer in the Fitzroy Statistical Area. [10]
The chairmen of the division and shire have been:
Robert Staines | |
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Chairman of Shire of Banana | |
In office 1931–1937 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Teven, New South Wales | 25 June 1883
Died | 8 January 1937 53) Goulburn, New South Wales | (aged
Spouse(s) | Daisy Emelie (née Gibb) |
Children | 2 daughters, 1 son |
Education | Newington College |
Robert Staines was born on 25 June 1883 in Teven, New South Wales the son of Sarah Jane (née Crawford) and Joseph Staines. [16] He attended Alstonville Public School commencing in 1888 and Newington College commencing in 1901. [17] Staines married Daisy Emelie Gibb on 24 May 1911 at the bride's family home at John Street Stanmore, New South Wales. The union produced two daughters and a son. [18]
At the 1926 Queensland state election, he was the Country and Progressive National Party candidate for the Electoral district of Mount Morgan. Following that he was a candidate in the 1928, 1929 and 1931 federal elections unsuccessfully contesting the seat of Capricornia. [19] In 1928 when Staines first ran for Capricornia against Frank Forde from the Labor Party, Country Party ministers in the Bruce conservative coalition government were said to be confident of his ability to win the seat. Whilst mentioning this in coverage of non-NSW seats the Sydney Morning Herald ultimately considered Forde to be the likely winner. At the time Forde was the only non-conservative Commonwealth Queensland member of the House of Representatives and so Staines campaign was closely monitored by the press. [20] [21]
He served as Chairman of the Shire of Banana in 1931. [22] He was a member of the Rockhampton Harbour Board. [23]
On 8 January 1937, Staines was killed in a motor vehicle accident near Goulburn, New South Wales, and was survived by his wife, two daughters, and a son. [24] [25] At the time of Staines death Frank Forde, Deputy Leader of the Federal Parliamentary Australian Labor Party and future Prime Minister of Australia, said of him: "although opposed to me politically, I learnt to respect him for his manly qualities and for his inherent sense of fair play. He did not at any time descend to personalities, nor did he take an unfair advantage of a political opponent. He gave able service in local authority affairs in Central Queensland for a number of years. His ability and enthusiasm merited further promotion in public life; and he would have been in the State Parliament as member for Fitzroy if he had accepted the invitation of his party to run for the seat in 1930." [26]
Francis Michael Forde was an Australian politician who served as prime minister of Australia from 6 to 13 July 1945. He was the deputy leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 1932 to 1946. He served as prime minister in a caretaker capacity after the death of John Curtin, and is the shortest-serving prime minister in Australia's history.
Biloela is a rural town and locality in Shire of Banana, Central Queensland, Australia. It is situated 120 kilometres (75 mi) inland from the port city of Gladstone at the junction of the Burnett and Dawson highways. Biloela is the administrative centre of Banana Shire, which has an area of 15,729 square kilometres (6,073 sq mi). In the 2016 census, Biloela had a population of 5,758 people.
Banana is a small town and rural locality in the Shire of Banana, Central Queensland, Australia.
Moura is a small town and locality in the Shire of Banana in Central Queensland, Australia. It services the surrounding coal mining and rural activities. It is situated approximately 65 kilometres (40 mi) west of Biloela on the Dawson Highway, 186 kilometres (116 mi) west of the port city of Gladstone, and 171 kilometres (106 mi) south west of Rockhampton.
The Shire of Livingstone is a local government area located in the Capricornia region of Central Queensland, Queensland, Australia, to the immediate north and east of the regional city of Rockhampton. The shire, administered from the coastal town of Yeppoon, covers an area of 11,758 square kilometres (4,539.8 sq mi), and existed as a local government entity from 1879 until 2008, when it amalgamated with several other councils to become the Rockhampton Region. The Shire was re-established on 1 January 2014 following a successful de-amalgamation referendum in 2013.
The Shire of Balonne is a local government area in South West Queensland, Australia, over 500 kilometres (310 mi) from the state capital, Brisbane. It covers an area of 31,104 square kilometres (12,009.3 sq mi), and has existed as a local government entity since 1879. It is headquartered in its main town, St George.
Theodore is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Banana, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census the locality of Theodore had a population of 438 people.
Baralaba is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Banana in central Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Baralaba had a population of 314 people.
Callide is an electoral division in Queensland, Australia.
Taroom is a town in the Shire of Banana and locality split between the Shire of Banana and the Western Downs Region in Queensland, Australia. At the 2016 census, Taroom had a population of 869 people.
The Shire of Duaringa was a local government area in the Capricornia region of Queensland, Australia. Duaringa Shire covered an area of 18,201 square kilometres and had a population of 6,744 according to the 2006 census. On 15 March 2008 the shires of Duaringa, Emerald, Bauhinia and Peak Downs were amalgamated to form the Central Highlands Region.
The Shire of Mount Morgan was a local government area located in the Capricornia region of Central Queensland, Queensland, Australia, about 20 kilometres (12 mi) south of the regional city of Rockhampton. The shire, roughly the region surrounding the former gold mining town of Mount Morgan, covered an area of 492.0 square kilometres (190.0 sq mi), and existed as a local government entity from 1890 until 2008, when it amalgamated with several other councils to become the Rockhampton Region.
The Shire of Taroom was a local government area in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia, along the Leichhardt Highway to the north of Miles. The shire covered an area of 18,644.5 square kilometres (7,198.7 sq mi), and existed as a local government area from 1879 until 2008, when it was dissolved and split between the new Western Downs Region and the Shire of Banana.
The Shire of Barcoo is a local government area in Central West Queensland, Australia. In June 2018, the shire had a population of 267 people.
The Shire of Diamantina is a local government area in Central West Queensland, bordering South Australia and the Northern Territory. Its administrative centre is in the town of Bedourie.
The Shire of Burke is a local government area in North West Queensland, Australia. The shire lies on the south coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria and abuts the border with the Northern Territory. It covers an area of 39,864 square kilometres (15,391.6 sq mi), and has existed as a local government entity since 1885. The major town and administrative centre of the shire is Burketown. The shire and town are named in honour of ill-fated explorer Robert O'Hara Burke. The Gangalidda name for Burketown is Mungibi meaning ‘little Island’ for the fact that flooding in the wet season often isolates the town.
Western Downs Region is a local government area in Queensland, Australia. The Western Downs Regional Council manages an area of 37,937 square kilometres (14,648 sq mi), which is slightly smaller than Switzerland, although with a population of 34,467 in June 2018, it is over 228 times less densely populated.
The Aboriginal Shire of Woorabinda is a local government area in Central Queensland, Australia.
Mount Murchison is a rural locality in the Shire of Banana, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census Mount Murchison had a population of 149 people.
Lawgi Dawes is a rural locality in the Shire of Banana, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census Lawgi Dawes had a population of 144 people. It contains the neighbourhood of Lawgi, a former town.
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Coordinates: 24°23′52″S150°30′40″E / 24.39778°S 150.51111°E