Community & Business
15 October, 2025
Growers support Tolga Museum
A WELCOME donation has come the way of the Tolga Historical Society when the Far North Queensland Peanut Growers Association recently wound up their organisation and donated their remaining funds to the society.

The association was a long-term industry body composed of local farmers to ensure the needs and concerns of North Queensland growers were raised originally with the Peanut Marketing Board of Queensland – later to become the Peanut Company of Australia.
When PCA was purchased by The Bega Group, the new owners stated they would only deal directly with individual growers and so the growers’ organisation went into recess.
The association’s bank accounts were deemed inactive, and the funds were seized by government.
However diligent work by the last executive members – treasurer Paul Ciranni, secretary Zane Micola and chairman Roger Pezzalato – managed to get the more than $11,000 in funds back and then donated it to the Tolga Historical Society.
The peanut grower funds along with a generous gift from Tableland Maize Growers, owners of Ruby the steam engine, will go a long way to finishing the shed for “Ruby”.
Ruby came from the old Atherton Maize silos and was a feature at the Silo Shopping Centre until it was removed. It will soon have a new home at the Tolga Museum.
“The Tolga Historical Society is very grateful to receive these funds as we expand our museums agricultural displays and local history” society treasurer Mick Carr said.
The Tolga Historical Society is always looking for new members to join its ranks of hardworking volunteers.