Last week the Tablelands dairy community lost one of its finest gentlemen. Gavan Doull was a dedicated dairy farmer, a QDO District Councillor and an all-round good bloke killed in a tragic on-farm accident.
While he was a fourth generation dairy farmer on the Tablelands (Gavan's great-grandfather was Charlie Belson, one of the farmers who developed the dairy industry up on the Atherton Tablelands), Gavan was a qualified engineer for whom the love of the land was always his first passion.
Gavan grew up at Upper Barron and Peeramon and went to school at Upper Barron State school then Malanda primary and high schools. He attended James Cook University in Townsville 1973 -77 and graduated with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering.
He worked for a short while in Sydney as a civil engineer but soon returned to the north where he worked with a builder in Townsville building spec homes in the new suburbs developed in the 1980s. He then worked at the wind tunnel at JCU Townsville, researching the stress elements associated with wind effects on buildings during cyclones and other major weather events. Later he worked for Roche in Townsville.
Gavan's lifelong family association with the Tablelands dairy industry and his love of the land, had him return to the farm in 1994.
Gavan was a QDO District Councillor, spent time on the Johnston River Integrated Catchment Management Committee and the Weed and Pest Advisory Committee to the Council. He also was a member of Malanda and Lake Eacham and North Johnstone Landcare Associations and participated in and was passionate about the dissemination of information through the Small Farms Field Days.
If Gavan had any flaw, it was his punctuality. We often used to joke that we'd give Gavan a time an hour ahead of any meeting start, just so he would be on time. While he only lived a few hundred metres from where the QDO district council met, he would always still manage to turn up after the meeting started.
Given his other more endearing traits, his tardiness was something we all forgave him for.
Gavan was a methodical and considered man. I recall Gavan coming back with a very detailed response to a question I had asked weeks before, but only after he had well and truly pondered the problem and had thought about his answer.
When Gavan gave his opinion, it was worth listening to.
Gavan was particularly passionate and protective of the natural beauty and diversity of the Tablelands and a lover of all animals. As well as being a dairy farmer who loved all his charges, he was also an apiarist and a chook man.
Mad keen on all sports, Gavan could be found around the farm listening for the scores as he worked. While I'm not sure when he had time, Gavan also regularly played hockey with a local team.
Gavan was a loving husband of 38 years to Jeanine and father to Brett 37, Jason 35, Helen 31 and the late Simon. He will be remembered with love by his mother Shirley, his brothers and sister - Rodney, Pam and Lindsay and their families.
Gavan always had time for his colleagues and mates in the dairy industry. His tragic death has rocked our small dairying community where he will be sorely missed.
On behalf of QDO and all our members, our thoughts and prayers are with Jeanine and the family at this very sad time.
