When CSR Screwed my Parents

Sugar cane came to the Lower Clarence early in the period of White Settlement. My great-great-grandfather John Marsh built the first sugar mill on Palmers Channel. The mill has long passed into history with milling for the district being based on Harwood Island for as long as I remember.

Sugar is part of my family history. It was an important part of my parents’ farm economy, as it was and continues to be to communities on the Clarence, Richmond and Tweed rivers of Northern NSW. Each river has its own sugar mill, and these were owned and operated by the Colonial Sugar Refinery (CSR) until in what could only be described as an act of bastardry they abandoned the sugar industry on the Northern Rivers in the 1970s. Closure of the three mills would have devastated these communities.

CSR diversified into asbestos mining in 1948, operating mines at Winttenoom, WA, that exposed workers and others to asbestos levels thousands of times above that allowed by regulation at the time. In a 1988 court ruling against them the ‘judged ruled that CSR acted with 'continuing, conscious and contumelious' disregard for its workers' safety …’ (Wikepedia). I will leave you to draw your own conclusions about this company and its morality.

The communities of the Northern Rivers owe Don Day, the member for first Casino and later the Clarence, in the Wran Labor Government of the day an enormous debt. Don, who married Dad’s Cousin Marie Davis, took on CSR and saved the industry. With his leadership the farmers formed a cooperative that now runs the three mills – The New South Wales Sugar Milling Cooperative.

Sugar harversting on my parents' farm

 There is something appealing in the idea of cooperatives. Companies like CSR exist solely for the benefit of their shareholders who may have no interest whatsoever in the community in which the business operates. The communities of the Northern Rivers were obviously only economic units that could be chewed up and spat out when their usefulness to the company ceased. Cooperatives on the other hand exist for the benefit of their members. In the case of the NSW Sugar Milling Cooperative, they are based in the local community that they rely on and service.

We have been holidaying in the Macksville region for over 10 years. Until the last couple of years the main supermarket in town has been operated by the Nambucca River Co-operative Society, which also operates a clothing store and service station. Woolworths has recently moved into the area which has bought some competition but we continue to do most of our shopping in the well-stocked co-op store.

I have done virtually no research on the topic. Like all things human the concept will have its flaws. But I do believe we need to look for alternatives to the prevailing economic model that sees distant shareholders with no real interest in local communities that are able to use then as pawns in the quest for ever increasing profits.

And if you want an alternative to CSR, buy Sunshine Sugar, fully Australian owned and the profits go directly back to the local community.