Legends of Queensland's rich and varied business landscape have been honoured with a permanent place in the Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame.
The 2015 inductees are: 'Napoleon of shipping' Benjamin Wickham Macdonald; the state's largest aged care provider Blue Care; historic flour empire Defiance Flour and its matriarch Ellen O'Brien; fifth generation family-run sawmill Hyne Timber; aircraft industry pioneer Sir Lawrence Wackett; and iconic Queensland newspaper The Courier-Mail.
Now in its seventh year, the Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame is a joint initiative between QUT Business School, State Library of Queensland and the Queensland Library Foundation. It celebrates those organisations and individuals who have enhanced the state's reputation and economy.
The half dozen business leaders from past and present were inducted into the Hall of Fame by The Honourable Quentin Bryce AD CVO during a black-tie gala event at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre last night (THURSDAY JULY 30).
They include the man regarded as the father of the Australian aircraft industry, Sir Lawrence Wackett, who flew, designed and built aircraft during the First and Second World Wars.
Ellen O'Brien, another inductee, was a 19th Century Irish migrant and widowed mother of 10 who ran the Defiance family flour empire that remains a household name today.
QUT Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Little said the 2015 inductees had demonstrated the remarkable resilience and innovation that were typical Queensland traits.
"Their extraordinary stories of enterprise span the state and add to the rich tapestry that is Queensland's business history," he said.
"These considerable contributions made across various industries all helped shape the development of this great state and they will forever be valued and remembered."
State Librarian Janette Wright said the Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame ensured the businesses and individuals who had played vital roles in the state's business landscape would be recognised and remembered.
The Hall of Fame space resides within State Library of Queensland, while the digital story collection is available online at www.halloffame.slq.qld.gov.au
The inductees into the 2015 Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame are:
•Benjamin Wickham Macdonald
•Blue Care
•Ellen O'Brien and Defiance Flour
•Hyne Timber
•Sir Lawrence Wackett
•The Courier-Mail
TWITTER: Follow #qldhof
Media contact:
Rob Kidd, QUT Media, 07 3138 1841, rj.kidd@qut.edu.au
After hours, Rose Trapnell, 0407 585 901
