The beginning of the Sugar Cane industry in the Walkerston area was 1869, when cane was grown and supplied to Pleystowe Sugar Mill. The first sugar crushing season at Pleystowe was in 1872.
Sadly, to the dismay of many, Pleystowe Mill was closed down forever in October 2008 - after 139 years, then being the oldest…and many would say – the best - Sugar Mill in Australia.
In 2010, a few of the staff of the old Pleystowe Mill came up with the brilliant idea that it would be great with a Pleystowe Millworkers reunion. The ‘get-together’ has become, with an increasing number of attendees every year - so popular that it is now a ‘locked in’ yearly event.
The first twelve years the event was coordinated by two well-known Pleystowe Mill identities – Jim Ross and Bob Dolan. These two then handed over to, as they stated, ‘the younger generation’ in 2022 - of Mark Gayton and Ian Ritchie.
The ‘Pleystowe Mill Reunion’ is now a well-attended yearly event happening on the Wednesday of the third week of April. The 2025 Reunion – which was held recently, was – once again – very well supported with over 80 people attending.
Once again, it was a terrific reunion with work colleagues and friends catching up with one another – there was even a few people who had not seen each other for nearly fifty years.
So many memories and so many friendships still going strong, or indeed, rekindled after quite a few years!
Contributed by Bente McDonald
Smiles, stories and sweet memories – attendees reconnect at the 2025 Pleystowe Mill Reunion. Photo credit: Bente McDonald
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