Pomona Butter Factory (former)

DETAILS

Alternative NamePage Furnishers P/LPage FurnishersDescription
The Page Furnishers factory is a result of the incorporation and expansion of the original Pomona Butter Factory building during the 1970s. Originally constructed in 1919, the Pomona Butter Factory closed in October 1970. In 1971, the furniture factory belonging to Page Furnishers Pty Ltd, opposite the butter factory, burnt down and while it was being rebuilt, the Page family rented the Butter Factory as its temporary premises. In 1974, Page Furnishers Pty Ltd bought the Butter Factory, and extended the building to accommodate their operations.

Dairying commenced in the Pomona area in the early 1900s. Two dairy co-operative companies competed for the cream from Pomona and Cooran farms: Wide Bay Co-operative Dairy Association and the Caboolture Co-operative Dairy Company, with cream transported by rail. The Caboolture Dairy Co-operative Association advertised in the Noosa Advocate from 1917 urging dairy farmers to co- operate ‘in their own interest’. In 1919, the Caboolture Dairy Co-operative opened the Pomona Butter Factory.

The dairy industry in the Noosa Shire, and elsewhere in south-east Queensland, started to decline after the end of World War Il, and with the number of suppliers decreasing, a decision was made to close the factory in 1970, but, for a short time, it continued to serve as a collection point for cream bound for Caboolture.

The Page family, founders of Page Furnishers Pty Ltd, has a long and distinguished connection with Pomona and the wider district with Herbert Page’s two sons, George and Bob, joining him in the business until they enlisted and served in the Australian Army during WWII. George Page re-joined his father in the furniture factory after he returned from Army service and was managing director after Herbert Page retired in the 1950s. George Page’s son, Allan, started work in the furniture factory when he left school in 1968. Bob Page branched out in his own motorcar business, as Page Motors in Factory Street, where he also employed local people, until his retirement in 1984. The Page family’s businesses have made a significant contribution to the development of the Pomona economy and provided employment opportunities for the local community.Address20, Factory Street, Pomona

Photograph

Pomona Butter Factory, Factory Street, Pomona, 1919

Pomona Butter Factory, Factory Street, Pomona, ca 1919

Pomona Butter Factory, Factory Street, Pomona, ca 1920

Vintage car, Factory Street, Pomona, ca 1931

Article & Manuscript

Page Furnishers Factory - Local Heritage Register Place Card

Pomona Butter Factory (former) - Local Heritage Register Place Card

Business

Page Furnishers

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LocalityPomonaFamilyPage FamilyBusinessPage FurnishersHeritage ListingNoosa Local Heritage Register

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Pomona Butter Factory (former)