UQ Gatton Gold Medal honours distinguished graduate

UQ Gatton Gold Medal honours distinguished graduate

The Honourable Keith De Lacy, whose 15-year State Parliamentary career included service as Treasurer of Queensland for the whole term of the Goss Government, has been honoured with the UQ Gatton Gold Medal for 2000.

The Medal recognises his distinguished service to Queensland and its primary industries in various parliamentary, public and private roles.

Mr De Lacy accepted the award at a lunch following the inaugural meeting of the UQ Gatton Strategic Advisory Group, a high-level group advising the University's Vice-Chancellor on key issues affecting development of the UQ Gatton campus.

He has a Diploma in Agriculture from Queensland Agricultural College (now UQ Gatton) and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Queensland. He also has an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from James Cook University.

Born in Cairns and raised on his parents' tobacco farm in the Mareeba district, Mr De Lacy had a variety of occupations after leaving College in 1959.

He sharefarmed with his father before drawing his own farm in an irrigation ballot with the Tinaroo Dam Irrigation Scheme, and sold it to work as an underground miner at Irvinebank in North Queensland.

He then spent eight years in Papua New Guinea, first as an agricultural officer and then as Principal of the Highlands Agricultural College in Mt Hagen.

Back in Cairns, he and his wife bought a newsagency and he worked concurrently as an international agricultural consultant before entering Parliament in 1983 as Member for Cairns.

As Treasurer of Queensland from 1989 to 1996, Mr De Lacy's responsibilities included involvements in drought policy, the Rural Adjustment Scheme and the Queensland Industry Development Corporation (QIDC).

He retired from politics in 1998 and has since been involved with the business sector and community activities such as chairing the Salvation Army Red Shield Appeal in Cairns since 1999 and as a director of the Cairns International University since its launch in 1998.

For more information, contact Moya Pennell, UQ Communications (telephone 3365 2846).