“Eddie was an institution in the north Queensland timber industry. He was from the old school of sawmillers and could look at a log and tell you the best he was going to get from it. He was always gracious with his time, but he didn’t suffer fools gladly.”
Rod McInnes, a former CEO of Timber Queensland, was paying tribute to his old friend Eddie Gray who died this week aged 87.
Established in 1936 in the sugar town of Proserpine, Grays Timber, Trusses and Frames was an extraordinary Queensland business that adapted to changing times, setbacks and triumphs to remain a great Whitsunday achievement.
The business was started by E.H. Gray in a shed behind the family home in Proserpine. Eddie started working at the sawmill in 1953 when he was 16, taking over his father’s job as manager in 1975. His sister Jeanette joined the sawmill in 1988 following a career as a radiation therapist at a time that saw the end of sustainable harvesting in the region.
Eddie learnt the business from the ground-up. His knowledge of timber was never challenged, and he travelled extensively in Papua Nes Guinea and the Solomon Islands regularly to keep his industry knowledge and contacts up to date.
Working at the sawmill for more than 29 years, Jeanette knew the business inside and out, following every order from origin to completion and ensuring total customer satisfaction.
Together, brother and sister saw many changes in the sawmill’s history. The 1980s were a particularly busy time along with the growing tourism industry in the Whitsundays and development on Hamilton Island when demand for timber was never higher.
Eddie completely remodelled the mill which became one of the most efficient automatic sawmills in Queensland.
In the 1990s, harvesting restrictions in north Queensland made sawmill operations harder to continue. The family ceased logging and began importing timber from Papua New Guinea and the business continued to manufacture trusses and frames.
In 1993, the family built a sawmill in Charters Towers which operated for 13 years before being destroyed by fire.
But increased red tape and workplace health and safety regulations made running the business difficult so the decision to leave the business in 2016 left the family with “mixed emotions” after 80 years as a family concern.
In retirement, Eddie Gray enjoyed more time to pursue his woodturning hobby. His grandfather, father and uncle were all cabinetmakers.
“It’s sort of in the blood to still make things out of wood,” he said at the time.
Eddie Gray is survived by his wife Betty, sons Scott, Matt and Ross, eight grandchildren, four great grandchildren, and sisters Margaret, Jeanette and Jenny.
