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Dover and Sons
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24 Macquarie Street
BOONAH QLD 4310
About Us
As one of Queensland's oldest farm machinery companies, Dover and Sons pride themselves on their long standing service to the agricultural community.Samuel Dover arrived in Cooktown in 1888, and his first son was born at Port Douglas in late 1889. After a failed enterprise to grow bananas up the Daintree River and set up a dried banana industry he eventually arrived in Boonah to set up and manage a creamery at Coulson in 1891, moving the creamery to Boonah where he later built the Fassifern Valley's first butter factory for Howes Bros in Church St. and managed it. During this time in Boonah he set up business as Farmers' Exchange utilising a small shop in High St, opposite the now Cultural Centre, as an agency for Howes Bros (produce agents of Brisbane) and agencies for agricultural implements, cream separators and refrigeration plants.
Reference is made by J.R. Dover of an office conveniently adjacent to the railway station in Park St. This was assumedly prompted because of its proximity to the railway station and the fact that son James became active in the business. Maize was the popular grain in those days and it is recorded that he would (with other grain merchants) meet the farmers" wagons at the outskirts of town buying their grain and paying in cash as soon as loaded on rail wagons so that the farmers could purchase their supplies before returning to their properties.
With the arrival of a brother-in-law (Glanville) his business moved to what is since referred to as the Guardian Building in Chuch St which was part of an extensive shop complex he built jointly with CWL Heiner of Ipswich. This site saw a significant advancement in sales of produce and turnover, and the involvement of his son James Randolph Dover as manager. Oil engines were imported from England (perhaps arranged during his 1910 visit) and sold under the name of "Victor", The report that some were lost when the ship was sunk by enemy action gives an indication of dating..
The innovation of an electric light power plant under the building supplied power for the School of Arts and other buildings at the southern end of town.