Colin Boyce (Flynn, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In June, Theodore celebrated 100 years since electricity to the town was turned on, and governor Matthew Nathan started the first water pumps. The Theodore Centenary Celebrations provided a fun-filled weekend packed with exciting events, live entertainment and an opportunity to celebrate the town's rich history and vibrant community spirit. The theme of the centenary celebration was 'sensing the past, enjoying the present and focusing on the future'.

The power station was built in Theodore to power the town and the water pumps to provide water to the irrigation areas around the region. The town of Theodore was built on the assumption that the Nathan Gorge dam would be built to expand the huge agricultural potential of the Dawson Valley. But this was not to be. Now, 100 years on, the Nathan Gorge dam has still not been realised.

Theodore was named to honour former Queensland premier Mr EH Theodore. It is a local tale that the town was architecturally designed by Walter Burley Griffin in the early 1920s before he went on to design Australia's capital city, Canberra, where we are today. I would like to congratulate everybody involved in the Theodore Centenary Celebrations. It's a terrific milestone that the whole community should be proud of.