Hyne Timber is one of Australia’s largest producers of structural timber products, a leader in preservative treatments and a long-time supplier to the construction industry. But did you know it also has a rich history in championing women’s suffrage?
To coincide with International Women’s Day – celebrated on Saturday, March 8, Wood Central spoke to Katie Fowden, General Manager for Corporate Affairs and Stakeholder Engagement, who said Richard Hyne, the first generation of the Hyne family responsible for establishing the National Saw Mill on the banks of the Mary River, also put forward the first bill in Queensland to allow women the right to vote.
In addition to establishing Hyne’s first mill in 1882, Mr Hyne, in 1878, also served as Maryborough’s mayor before representing the region as its member in the Queensland Parliament. “In 1890, Mr Hyne put forward the first bill to give women the right to vote. If it passed, Queensland would have been the first Australian jurisdiction to extend suffrage,” according to the Mayors of Maryborough. “It would take until 1905 for a bill to be successful.”
In 2022, the Hyne Group—which now processes 1.1 million cubic metres of Australian logs every year and includes Hyne Timber, Xlam, Rocky Point, and Hyne Pallets in its stable—celebrated its 140th anniversary.
“Indeed, 140 years is a significant milestone and one worth celebrating,” according to James Hyne, a fifth-generation family member, who spoke to Wood Central contributor Jim Bowden and a long-time friend of the family. “Hyne has joined a league of famous brands – we are officially as old as Bushells tea, Allen’s confectionary, Drizabone and Akubra.”
- To learn more about Hyne Timber’s history, click here for Wood Central’s special feature from January 2023.
