When I’m out and about in Gladstone, my lovely wife and friends are well aware of my choice of funky, bright and colourful shirts. Those shirts were “somewhat unique” and have copped a few jibes over the years, as well as starting a few conversations.

As we rummage through the Christmas leftovers, most of us don’t have to think too hard about our next meal. But have you ever wondered how food production can keep up with the rapidly growing world population?

Coming into the Christmas period I thought it is a good time to reflect on road safety. Last year over 12 days of the Christmas holiday period, 38 families across Australia were shattered; losing loved ones to the road toll.

Ok…I know that’s a pretty heavy question for this time of year when most of us are thinking about such important matters as the Melbourne Cup, the looming Christmas break and how quickly the year has disappeared.

At QER, we’re proud to celebrate the achievements of our people, not just in the workplace, but beyond it. This month, our colleague Mel Haggarty published her first solo book “Quiet Achievers: How to be seen and heard so you stand out.”

It’s that time of year again when we undertake a seasonal hazard reduction burn here at QER’s New Fuels Development Centre.

Recently we hosted a visit of US Navy Personnel to QER’s New Fuels Development Centre. Their ship called into Gladstone on the way to the international defence exercise “Talisman Sabre”

We’re fortunate to live in Central Queensland. Walking my dog Borris at dusky recently, I felt a slight chill despite the clear skies and setting sun.

Ecofest is one of our town’s biggest family days out, held annually at the beautiful Tondoon Botanic Gardens. Thankfully we dodged the rain and the weather was great…..

Although the top step of a step-ladder is probably my limit, I’ve always admired climbers. They are up there on their own, facing a difficult challenge and drawing on their own resources.

This year, the Gladstone Community Musical was Mamma Mia, and Tony our site technician and a huge ABBA fan, was eager to be my +1 for the opening night. What a spectacular production it was! The talent on display was truly incredible, and I couldn’t help but laugh as a tall bearded man enthusiastically sang along to the ABBA hits. It was a sight to see!

My son works for a local resources company. He loves his job and he’s proud of the quality of his work, and the contribution it makes to his company, to his State and to his Country.

Like many Gladstonians, I’ve been enjoying writer/director Taylor Sheridan’s latest offering – Landman. Perhaps it’s because I can relate to Tommy Norris – the brave and ruggedly handsome oil industry manager.

Well, 2025 has arrived! Christmas is now but a past memory and some of us will no doubt be busy planning goals for the year ahead.

It’s that time of year again when we all start looking towards the festive season. Racking our brains about what to buy loved ones and what to eat for Christmas lunch.

We recently recognized the need to expand our team due to additional research and development work. We are lucky enough to have some fantastic talent around Gladstone.

Footy finals season got me reflecting on how powerful it is when a team just clicks. Of course, the top teams have some very talented individuals but somehow when a team is truly a team, they are magically able to make 1+1=3

It’s been a while since we’ve seen this much muscle around the QER carpark! We were recently very pleased to host a couple of skilled and dedicated groups at our New Fuels Development Facility

Just like me, I imagine there are a lot of people cheering on the Aussies at the Olympics. I still find it fantastic that such a small population of people can provide so many champions across many different sports on the world stage.

This coming week is NAIDOC week. In the Gladstone area where most of QER’s activities are centred, the First Nations Bailai, Gurang, Gooreng Gooreng and Taribelang Bunda peoples are the traditional custodians.