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Vale livestock industry veteran Sid Parker

Highly respected and well-known livestock industry veteran Sid Parker has passed away on January 6 at age 88

The Northern Territory transport industry has paid tribute to live cattle export industry veteran Sid Parker who died yesterday.

The 88-year-old was one of the founding members of the Northern Territory Livestock Exporters’ Association (NTLEA) and spent more than 50 years in the livestock industry helping develop Australia’s live cattle export trade to South East Asia.

He died of natural causes.

Northern Territory Cattlemen’s Association (NTCA) Executive Director Luke Bowen says Parker played a critical role in the development of the beef, live export and logistics industry, including the introduction of road trains.

“He has been a central figure across a range of areas of industry over the years up until the day he died,” Bowen says.

“He was involved in the management of large aggregation properties and a number of other corporate and internationally-owned operations which ran a large number of cattle over large distances.

“That includes the development of the live export industry which relied upon efficient logistics from paddock to market in other countries by air or sea.

“He was one of those people that were part of the fabric of the Territory in northern Australia and was a very steadying influence – a very solid, reliable, honest and well-regarded influence in the industry.”

Bowen says many people had benefited from Parker’s knowledge and skills that he brought to the industry.

“His legacy continues through many of the leaders in the industry that have been influenced positively by Sid’s work and his life.”

Northern Territory Road Transport Association (NTRTA) Executive Officer Louise Bilato says Parker was well-known in the industry for his generosity and commitment to making the Territory a better place to live in.

“He was a hard but fair man, pretty much everyone over 60 knew Sid Parker in the Territory,” Bilato says.

NTLEA CEO Ben Hindle says Parker’s loss leaves a “massive gap” in the industry.

“He was firm but fair and his views and opinions were well respected,” he says.

A funeral service will be held at the St Mary’s Star of the Sea Catholic Church at 90 Smith Street in Darwin on January 14 at 9.30am.

 

 

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