Business Hunter 140th 

Business Hunter recently celebrated its 140th anniversary in style, with a lunch for nearly 400 members, local chamber representatives, VIPs and regional stakeholders featuring Premier Chris Minns as guest speaker. Business Hunter started in 1886 as the Newcastle Business Chamber and, with a few name changes over the years, has served the region continuously as the voice of business and industry since. It has also enjoyed an affiliation with Business NSW for several decades. Reflecting on that legacy, Premier Minns highlighted the importance of Business Hunter as an advocate for the region to government. Business Hunter President Glenn Thornton told the audience that the organisation has always understood that success isn't just measured in economic statistics and its advocacy has always been about more than business – it’s been about the future of the Hunter.

Premier Minns was upbeat about that future in his speech and subsequent Q&A. He spruiked the economic benefits that will flow from his recent announcement about returning train building to the region, as well as stating his confidence that the Hunter’s strength in ‘hands on’ jobs like manufacturing will fortify it against the full impacts of AI disruption on the workforce. He also spoke about the importance of retaining a strong mining sector and tapping natural gas resources while we continue to build strength in the renewables sector, noting that NSW was ‘mid-build’ on its new-energy economy. 

The Premier was presented with a print of Aboriginal artist Saretta Fielding's painting How Coal was Made, which draws on an Awabakal Dreaming story about the creation of coal in the region. Saretta was on hand to participate in the presentation of what was regarded as a particularly fitting gift given the profound role coal has played in shaping the history, identity and prosperity of the Hunter. Guests received a specially labelled bottle of gin form Earp Distillery - a company whose forebear George Frederick Earp was at the inaugural meeting of business leaders in 1886.

The event also served as a premiere for the first in a series of posts on Business Hunter’s history that have been created as part of a collaboration with Jacob Ure from the popular Our Past social media platform. The first went live on the day, with the others to roll out over coming weeks. You can follow along on here, and watch the first video here.