Discovering research- : an intriguing aspect of Pleystowe Mill research

As is often the case with research, the quest for the answer to one question can uncover a myriad of other distractingly interesting issues. During research into the history of Pleystowe Mill at Mackay, one such particular situation occurred. It was surprising to discover that so many of the significant players in the fledgling Mackay sugar industry had come to the district via the sugar industry in other parts of the world. Even more astonishing was that this immigrant knowledge and expertise did not prevent many of those crises already experienced in those other parts of the world from occurring in Mackay. Something of a ‘sugar rush’ occurred during the early years of the Mackay sugar industry. Immigrant sugar industry experience arrived via the West Indies, Java and Mauritius. Lucrative employment opportunities awaited such men on local plantations. An effective ‘overseas’ network appears to have developed in the district. Anyone with any sugar experience immediately became an ‘expert’. This expertise did not avert from Mackay many of the previous crises and turmoils of those longer-established sugar industries. Prima facie, it appears that overriding economic considerations were at fault. However, such issues as colonial prejudices and geographic isolation also were potential contributors. This aspect of Mackay’s sugar industry begs further research … one day!