Latest news with #FarNorthQueensland
ABC News
3 days ago
- ABC News
Petford youth camp founder Geoffrey Guest takes the stand in historical child abuse trial
The founder of a Far North Queensland youth camp has denied ever being violent with or sexually assaulting a child in his care, as he stands trial accused of six historical sex offences. Warning: This article contains details of alleged child abuse that some readers may find distressing. Geoffrey John Guest, 98, has pleaded not guilty to one count of unlawful carnal knowledge, four counts of unlawful and indecent dealings, and one count of repeated sexual conduct against a child under 16. The alleged offences took place in the 1970s. On Monday, Mr Guest was in the witness box for the first time to give evidence in the Cairns District Court. Opening the prosecution's case, defence counsel Kelly Goodwin described Mr Guest as someone who was "obsessed with helping people". Responding to Mr Goodwin's questions, Mr Guest told the court how he began caring for "wayward youth" at Petford station after he would go fishing with them. "Before I knew it, I had big mob there, six, seven, eight kids just turned up," Mr Guest said. The jury heard of the numerous awards the accused had received, including an Order of Australia Medal and Federation Medal, both related to his services to youth. Mr Guest told the court of his unstable upbringing, saying he was taken from his Aboriginal mother as a baby and adopted out as a child. He said he had received no formal education and was physically beaten, and told the court this had made him caring towards others. "You've heard evidence in this trial that you were violent," Mr Goodwin said. "That's incorrect, that's not the way I handle people," Mr Guest responded. Mr Guest regularly noted he had "long-term memory loss", for which he had been receiving treatment over the past several years. Last week, the court heard from four prosecution witnesses, including two men who were teenagers in Mr Guest's care around the same time as the complainant. They told the court they saw Mr Guest "flog" the alleged victim. A former partner of the complainant also gave evidence that he had told her of the alleged abuse after he saw Mr Guest appear on a TV program. During cross-examination, Crown prosecutor Nicole Friedewald questioned whether Mr Guest was ever alone with the alleged victim. "You were there alone with [the complainant] at times?" Ms Friedewald said. "Often," Mr Guest confirmed. Ms Friedewald asked whether he ever had "sexual urges". "I would've because I'm a normal person," Mr Guest said. Ms Friedewald alleged Mr Guest would use the complainant to satisfy those urges. As Ms Friedewald questioned Mr Guest on whether he had committed the alleged offences, the 98-year-old rejected each accusation as either "wrong" or "incorrect". Mr Guest founded the Petford Youth Camp in the late 70s, and it ceased operation in 1999. The defence case is expected to include 11 witnesses, many whom attended the Petford camp. Mr Goodwin said each witness would provide evidence of Mr Guest's character, including that he was "respectful", "gentle and talented" and had compassion.
ABC News
3 days ago
- General
- ABC News
Parents fight for independent democratic school Darlingia to reopen
When it was time for Deborah Schiel Zaini to choose a school for her son, she wasn't convinced a demand-avoidant child like hers could thrive at any of the available options. "As a teacher, I could see there were a lot of demands waiting for him at school," she says. "He was either going to shut down or lash out and be the naughty kid that got into trouble all the time, so he needed something different where there weren't so many demands." So, armed with experience from her career in the classroom, she founded a school. Initially run out of a small art deco building on the outskirts of Innisfail in Far North Queensland, Darlingia Forest School was to be "a home away from home where children can run around barefoot if they want". "We were a democratic school while we were operating and we were hoping to be a democratic school again," Ms Schiel Zaini says. In her words, that's a school where "children have real voice and choice about their learning". "There's encouragement but not coercion, and if kids didn't want to do a particular task, we didn't force them," she says. "We didn't keep them in at lunchtime; we didn't send it (work) home with them to do at home. "We'd try and figure out why the child doesn't want to do that particular piece of work." Ms Schiel Zaini said the approach helped struggling children "heal". "Those were the school refusers and children being bullied at school, or struggling for whatever reason, and then there were some other families who wanted this type of education from the get-go," she said. But despite enrolments growing to more than a dozen children, the Non-State Schools Accreditation Board shut it down in June 2024. Ms Schiel Zaini and the parents who believe the school changed their children's lives have been fighting ever since to help it reopen. Tara Garozzo, whose two youngest daughters attended Darlingia, recalls how "we all cried and cried and cried" when the school had to close partway through the school year. "It was just a treasure, and it was taken away from us, just so abruptly," she says. "I loved that they were able to take their time to find where their interests were. "We'd all sit down around the table for morning tea and we got to talk about what our approach to the day might look like." Laura Austin, her partner and three children were travelling up the Queensland coast with plans to head to Western Australia around the time Darlingia was opening. When COVID-19 border closures and the wet season struck, they got a rental in Innisfail and stuck around, enrolling their children in the fledgling school. Three years on, the family is still in town, the children having found their groove at Darlingia before it closed. "It was like watching a flower bloom for the first time," Ms Austin says. Part of Darlingia's philosophy was for students to spend two full days a week outside the classroom. Ms Austin says one of the school's strengths was that parents were allowed to join the students on these outdoor lessons to see their experiments and projects first-hand. Ms Schiel Zaini says one of the weekly excursions was to somewhere in nature, like the beach, rainforest or swamps, where they would do English, maths and science lessons. "And then the other excursion would be to town, so getting to know and love our small town, Innisfail, so hopefully when they grow up, they don't leave the town like a lot of people do," she says. The outdoor mode of learning was part of what brought Darlingia unstuck in its fresh application to reopen this year. The school ran afoul of the Non-State Schools Accreditation Board (NSSAB) during its first year of operation, when an inspection found failures to comply with accreditation criteria. The school made some changes in response to a show cause notice, but not enough to convince NSSAB that its governance and finance arrangements were up to scratch. Darlingia appealed against NSSAB's 2022 decision to revoke its accreditation at the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) but after waiting almost two years for an outcome, it was unsuccessful and had to close. In an 18-page decision seen by the ABC, NSSAB set out its reasons for refusing to grant Darlingia accreditation in May this year. They included "significant risks with [its] proposed approach of obtaining blanket consents from parents at the beginning of each year to take children off-site". NSSAB's other potential concerns included: The refusal has left Darlingia with two options — launch another appeal at QCAT or submit a fresh application for accreditation. But time is not on their side, and Ms Schiel Zaini has had to rent out the rooms of her school to artists, turning the building into a creative hub. "I've been knocked down too many times," she says. Darlingia's board is instead hoping to negotiate a pathway to accreditation by showing it can satisfy NSSAB's requirements. "We can have all this stuff, and mitigate every concern they have, or we can show evidence of everything they think is missing, literally within less than a few days," Darlingia chairman Michael Ha says. "I would hope that a governing body always has an open and equitable process for everybody that's fair, that's transparent, that's clear," he says. "We don't want to have to reapply and waste another six months because ultimately, it's the students who are going to miss out. "We're not the lone wolf here and what we're doing — it's been done so many times." In a statement, a spokeswoman for NSSAB said legislation restricted its ability to comment publicly on individual applications and assessments. However, NSSAB said it had provided Darlingia's board "with significant support to assist it to be compliant" before cancelling its accreditation in 2022. QCAT concurred in its 2024 ruling that upheld NSSAB's decision, finding it had "exhibited an extraordinary degree of patience" and that it was not its obligation to be an ongoing advisor to the school. Darlingia is one of four proposed independent schools in Queensland to be refused accreditation since the start of 2021. In that time, NSSAB has approved 22 of the 34 accreditation applications it has received, while three were withdrawn and five remain under consideration. Mr Ha, who is deputy principal of Toogoolawa — an independent school on the Gold Coast for boys who have struggled to fit in at mainstream schools — says he has "no worries about [Darlingia's] financial viability once the school operates". "[We're] keeping it at a relatively low student number," he says. Darlingia proposed to run its entire program on the base government funding independent schools receive, with consideration to be given to charging parents a small fee for meals provided to students. Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek recently met with Mr Ha, Ms Schiel Zaini and local state MP Shane Knuth, who has backed the school's bid to regain accreditation. Mr Knuth, from Katter's Australian Party, says he is "just absolutely impressed" with the school's approach and parental involvement. "We asked the students, 'If your parents said to you that you don't have to go to school tomorrow, would you stay home?" he says. Mr Knuth said it was "very unfair" for NSSAB to judge Darlingia's accreditation application based on its first iteration at its former school campus. Mr Langbroek said legislation prevented him from intervening in accreditation decisions. "But I will work with the Darlingia School applicants to obtain answers to the questions they have around the Non-State School Accreditation Board's processes," Mr Langbroek said. A spokesman for the Department of Education said it was working with stakeholders, including NSSAB, to implement accepted recommendations from a review of accreditation criteria for non-state schools. For now, the parents of about 20 prospective Darlingia students have made other arrangements for their children's education, including homeschooling or enrolling at another independent school. Independent Schools Queensland, the peak body for non-state schools, has been contacted for comment.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Aussie families flock to remote campground in search of $10,000 treasure
Aussie families are flocking to a remote campground with the hope of unearthing their very own treasure. During peak tourist season, Simon Harrison, who manages O'Briens Creek Campground in Far North Queensland, said it's not unusual for gleeful travellers to run up and show him the potentially valuable gemstone hidden in their hand. 'You get the disappointment where they think they've got something, and then you get the ones where they've got a real good treasure,' he told Yahoo News. Every year, the campground near Mount Surprise attracts thousands of visitors from around the country and overseas with the lure of possibly discovering a valuable stone in the designated nearby fossicking area. 'People start turning up over Easter… when the weather starts getting cooler, then you get all the fossickers coming out because they don't want to be digging in the heat,' Simon said. Since taking over the job in 2017, Simon said he's watched 'the demographic of the park change from fossickers only' to lots of young families with 'camper trailers and kiddies'. 'They can do their yabbying and all the kids have got all their little paddle boards,' he told Yahoo. And for the price of a night's stay and a one-month fossicking licence — which costs just under $10 for an individual and $13 for a family — they can have a crack at unearthing a pricey piece of history. Man's 'very rare' find at famous campground after digging for six hours 🧍♂️ Gold prospector's incredible find in 'remote' Aussie bush: 'Amazed' 💎 Man's incredibly rare discovery in Aussie dirt after wild weather Aussie campers make 'fantastic' discoveries after heavy rainfall While there are 'good finds' every year, the campground manager revealed travellers had recently made several 'fantastic' discoveries. 'We've had really good rains the last four years so there's been a lot of movement in the creek,' he explained. 'Your money stone here is aquamarine. It's rarer than the others, but there's some good aquamarine finds.' One of the most valuable stones he has seen so far was a 96-carat aquamarine that was 'perfectly clear, perfectly coloured', and worth roughly $10,000. However, the main stone that visitors are chasing is topaz. 'O'Briens Creek is known for the big blues that you can get here, and the different quartz. We get smokey quartz, we get citrine, we get amethyst.' But for Simon, the real prize is the people. 'You get the good experiences with the people. I get the joy of being able to see the stuff as it comes in, and then I post it [online] so everyone else can see it.' Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
ABC News
6 days ago
- ABC News
Platform Perfection
Jerry takes a ride on the 130-year-old Kuranda scenic railway, winding his way through Far North Queensland's world heritage listed rainforest. This area is in the wet tropics, and it's the world's oldest rainforest - home to over 1200 species of flowering plants. Jerry's here to see the celebrated tropical gardens at Kuranda railway station, renowned for their eclectic collection of jungle jewels. Station master Glen Currie first worked at Kuranda 30 years ago. He loves working at the greenest station in Australia and say it's great to get the compliments from the customers about the gardens. He says he's only an amateur gardener, but the pandemic meant the staff had extra time for the garden in anticipation of welcoming back customers. His favourite plant is the King Fern ( Angiopteris evecta ) on platform 2, that's been there for decades. Jerry says the size of the base shows how old it is. It's even bigger brother sits at the station entrance. Jerry says this species is older than the dinosaurs, and this particular plant is as old as the railway itself. Jerry meets Leanne Roods-Smith, who has been at the station 35 years and is the Operations Coordinator. Her favourite area of the station has stands of Heliconias, Cordylines and ferns. Jerry says this garden is a great example of what does well in north Queensland. Stationmaster Glen has asked Jerry for some expert advice on Kuranda's maidenhair ferns, which are looking a little shabby. Jerry says they always put on a flush of growth and then fade and shrivel each year. He can see the new flush is about to come through, so it's time to be brutal in anticipation. Jerry prunes off all the current, dying foliage, and Glen is a little shocked! Jerry recommends a teaspoon of dolomite watered in to aid the bounce back. Glen promises to send a photo of the response. True to his word, Glen sends the photo, and the maidenhair is looking better than ever. 'This garden is a must see, where the destination is just as important as the journey' says Jerry. KING FERN Angiopteris evecta TORCH GINGER Etlingera elatior LOBSTER CLAW Heliconia rostrata cv. CORDYLINE Cordyline fruticosa cv. MAIDENHAIR FERN Adiantum aethiopicum
ABC News
10-07-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Bega's 100 per cent Australian peanut butter continues despite processing plant closure
Bega Group says it will continue to produce 100 per cent Australian-grown peanut butter despite closing two processing plants in Queensland. The company announced yesterday it will wind up facilities in Kingaroy in the South Burnett and Tolga in Far North Queensland over the next 18 months. Chief executive Pete Findlay said the company would buy processed peanuts from another food manufacturer. "There's another processor in the Kingaroy region, so we will look to transact with that processor," he said. Mr Findlay said that when Bega Group purchased the Peanut Company of Australia in 2017, it was operating under "sustained financial pressure". "It was facing a fairly rocky future. We thought that we might be able to turn the business around," he said. But even after investing $15 million on plant improvements and lifting production from 8,000 tones to 25,000 tonnes, he said it never became profitable. "It's meant that we've incurred tens of millions of dollars of losses over that time," he said. Mr Findlay said the existing processor in Kingaroy had the capacity to produce the amount of product Bega needed to keep its 100 per cent Australian peanut butter on the shelves. Mark Young is the third generation on his family farm in Kingaroy; his great-uncle and grandfather Ben and Harry Young were known as the fathers of the region's peanut industry. Mr Young said it marked the end of an era. "It's a 100-year-old iconic business. I don't believe it ever needed to close," he said. "It had a brand label that was very well supported, had very, very loyal growers and it had very, very good people working for it. Mr Young's daughter, Kristy, who also works on the family farm, said the closure was devastating. "Generations before me have worked so hard to build this industry, and it feels like it's just been swept under the rug," she said. Mr Findlay said this year's crop was still being cleaned and shelled, and processing would continue at the site until its closure in December 2026. "We also need to give farmers a chance to think about what they want to do next season," he said. About 130km north of Kingaroy, the harvest has just finished at Ben Rackemann's peanut farms in Coalstoun Lakes. Most of his crop is sent to Kingaroy's other processor, Crumptons, and he expected peanuts to remain in his rotation next season. "I have a fair bit of confidence with Crumptons," he said. "I don't know about the entire industry, but I'm hoping that we will still have a certain amount of peanuts within that rotation." His wife, Stephanie, said her family had always considered the peanut industry to be relatively stable, but now it was clouded in uncertainty. "There have been some conversations over the past 12 months … it really changes how we are going to do things." While Mr Rackemann was optimistic about his operations, he was worried about what Bega's closure could mean for consumers. Last week, Coles recalled its home brand 1kg jars of smooth and crunchy imported peanut butter. Traces of aflatoxin — a type of toxic mould — were detected in jars dated best before 05/02/2027 that had been sold online and in stores nationally. "It's getting harder and harder to buy Australian peanut butter," Mr Rackemann said. "They are definitely out there, so I would urge everyone to go and buy [Australian peanut butter]." While the contaminated peanut butter had no connection to the Bega Group, Mr Findlay said there were stringent testing processes for all the food they produced. "We spend a huge amount of money on appropriate lab testing … we take quality incredibly seriously," he said. "It helps that we're producing the product here in Australia." In Far North Queensland, peanuts have been part of the rotation for farmers on the Atherton Tablelands for more than 90 years. Known for putting nitrogen back into the soil, peanuts are popular with sugarcane growers. Claude Santucci from Mareeba said peanuts improved soil health, cane quality, and yield. "[I'm] really disappointed and saddened to hear the news," he said. "If we're going to lose a peanut industry on the Tablelands, that will have an impact on some of these cane growers." Mr Santucci said corn and potato growers would also be affected, and it would not be easy to replace peanuts. "Soybean is probably going to be the most important crop or notable crop to replace peanuts," he said. "I'll certainly have to look at other options now, and it's not going to be very easy to do that either. "Peanuts were really nice crops to be growing."
