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In 1894 the Isis Central Sugar Mill was registered as a company
by a group of determined shareholding cane growers - their challenge
was to raise funds to build a new sugar mill.
After two unfavorable valuations of the shareholders' assets
and opposition from the competing CSR Childers Mill, in 1896 the
Government approved the building of a new Mill at the cost of
£26,000. The deeds for the Shareholders' holdings were then
mortgaged to the Government to raise money for the clearing of
land, construction and a narrow gauge rail line. Walkers Limited
were contracted to build the mill.
The construction of the Isis Central Sugar Mill was completed
and the first crush commenced on Tuesday 7 September 1897. The
result - 7763 tons of cane crushed and 810 tons of raw sugar produced.
Shareholders received the price of 10 shillings per ton for their
cane.
It took 25 years of self sacrifice before the farmers owned the
mill and had their title deeds returned. At this time the Mill
was crushing 52,958 tons of cane and producing 5,963 tons of sugar.
The years that followed the establishment of the Isis Mill proved
to be very competitive for the mills operating in the district.
The pressure to perform was compounded by rising labour costs
and economic depression.
In 1933 CSR's Childers Mill (the last mill besides the Isis Mill)
was forced to close down, making Isis Mill the only mill
left to serve the whole of the Childers district. By 1934 production at the Mill had doubled.
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