Sustainable timber harvesting with WA Timber Products

At an investiture ceremony some time back, the Governor struck up a conversation with Sean Hersey. Sean spoke of his family business, WA Timber Products, and its 30 plus year history in Western Australia. That conversation led to an invitation to visit.

When the price of feed skyrocketed and the worth of a fattened pig plummeted, the husband and wife team of Jim and Anne Hersey closed their piggery and turned the shed into a timber mill. Now a booming business, the WA Timber Products company has been an institution of the Dwellingup area since the late 1980s.

Now run by their two sons, Todd and Sean, the company supplies big and small businesses across Australia, including delivering around 10,000 survey pegs to the mining industry every day. They choose to focus on sustainable timber harvesting, with 100% of every log utilised – even the wood dust is turned into something of use. Alongside their strong family values, they focus on the protection and preservation of old wood forests throughout Western Australia.

During the tour, the Governor met many of the workers, all of whom were only too happy to express the many uses of wood and the obvious pride they had in their work. Many of these labourers were Indigenous or people living with disabilities. During a quick coffee break, the Governor had a few words to say, “I don’t know how you produce the numbers you do. It’s in-human. You must be the most efficient workers in the state!”

Channel 9 Cross

The Governor appeared live on Channel 9 News weather cross with Scherri-Lee Biggs to discuss the Ultimate Backyard Cricket match. He encouraged all who are able to support the fight against childhood brain cancer by making a donation to the Pirate Ship Foundation.

During the filming, the Governor was presented with a Middle Stump to be used during the match, decorated by Whadjuk/Tainui Indigenous Artist Julianne Wade. The artwork tells the story of how the black swans gained their colouring. The Middle Stump Aboriginal Artwork initiative represents an Acknowledgment to Country to the First Nations People and has become an important cricket tradition.

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