For over nine decades, Binna Burra Lodge has had close relationship with the National Parks Association of Queensland (NPAQ). During the Great Depression days of the 1930s, they we founded by the same people.
That symbiotic link continue today as illustrated in the preamble to the constitution of Binna Burra Lodge which states:
Incorporated on 3 March 1934 as Queensland Holiday Resorts Ltd, the Objects of the company in the prospectus were stated as: ‘The Company is being formed with the objects set out in the Memorandum of Association and in particular to provide tourist facilities and accommodation in beauty spots throughout the State of Queensland, and as far as possible to assist in preserving such in their natural state for future generations in accordance with the ideals of the National Parks Association of Queensland’.
This philosophy of protecting, conserving and presenting the natural environment continues. Binna Burra is a place for the meaningful connection between nature, culture and heritage, built from the legacy of the founders and past generations of stewardship of this Cultural Landscape via this social enterprise with an environmental focus.
In April 1930, conservationists Romeo Lahey and Arthur Groom led the formation of NPAQ as Australia’s first dedicated conservation organisation. This meeting to consider the formation of NPAQ was chaired by Henry Richards (1884-1947), Foundation Professor of Geology, University of Queensland and UQ Deputy Chancellor (1944-46). He served two terms as President of the Royal Society of Queensland and in the 1920’s played an important role to bring scientific research to the Great Barrier Reef. He was also one of the many professional leaders and early conservation leaders who became one of the original 90+ shareholders of Queensland Holiday Resorts (Binna Burra Lodge) in 1934, following the testing the first camps at Binna Burra in summer 1933.
Another of those present for the NPAQ formation in 1930 was Professor Ernest Goddard (Professor Biology at The University of Queensland from 1923 to 1948) who was elected as one of the inaugural Vice Presidents.
Professors Richards and Goddard were among those who also started a long history of connection between Binna Burra Lodge and Universities. Henry Richards attended the first ‘test camp’ in June 1933 and again over the 1933-34 Christmas period to arouse enough interest and finance in order to establish a company that was to purchase land from George Rankin, a First World War veteran and local dairy farmer, in order to establish a lodge on Mount Roberts and give the public access and facilities to enjoy and appreciate the Lamington National Park.
Since the beginnings, both the NPAQ and Binna Burra have fought to conserve national parks across Queensland. – something they each still continue today by advocating to expand protected areas and national parks throughout the state.
The modern era symbiotic relationship is now illustrated in a creative two minute video that will play on the public screen inside the Binna Burra Tea House to encourage visitors to not only appreciate Woonoongoora (Lamington National Park) but think more widely about the importance to support the conservation needs of all national parks across Queensland.
In other activities in the symbiotic relationship over almost a century of linkages between the two organisations, Binna Burra Lodge Chair, Steve Noakes, recently retired as a Councillor and Vice President of the NPAQ. The NPAQ Romeo Lahey Memorial Lecture honours the principal founder of the NPAQ who remained NPAQ President for more than 30 years and was instrumental in convincing the Queensland Government to declare many of the national parks throughout the State which were gazetted up to the 1970s.
In 2021, Steve Noakes delivered the 19th Romeo Lahey Memorial Lecture, titled: Issues for QLD’s national parks from 1930 to the Black Summer Bushfires 2019/2020
You can support NPAQ today by becoming a member (discounts apply for Binna Burra Shareholders). Or donate at NPAQ.org.au
You can watch the new collaboration video here:
