Canegrowers’ Paul Schembri retires, reflects on 40 years in sugar

The legendary Mr Sugar retires this month after four decades in the industry. Read about his remarkable legacy and what inspired him to trade in public life for the thing he loves most.

Known as ‘Mr Sugar’, Queensland Canegrowers chairman Paul Schembri retires this month after 39 years in an industry he has loved and fought for.

“We’ve been here for 150 years and I see no argument to suggest why we couldn’t be here for another 100 years,” he said.

He cites a world population boom to 10 billion and a genuine commitment from government to build biofutures and bioenergy industries on the back of sugar as key reasons for optimism.

“I think we’re in an age now where the government really is determined to make the sugar industry a foundation stone of those industries,” he said.

“I think there’s an opportunity for new income streams.”

Canegrowers Queensland chairman Paul Schembri.

For Mr Schembri, a life in sugar was a natural path.

His grandparents immigrated to Australia from Malta and established the family farm near Farleigh in the late 1920s.

The farm remains in family hands and Mr Schembri said he had a wonderful childhood in the cane fields.

“The word that comes to mind is freedom,” he said.

“Freedom to roam, swim in creeks, walk up and down mountains.

“It was a dream.”

Mr Schembri’s mother Mary took over the farm following the tragic death of his father and Mr Schembri credits her grit and determination as a source of inspiration.

“I owe everything to my mum,” he said.

“She was determined to keep the farm.”

The generational link to canefarming continues.

Mr Schembri’s son Paul Joseph contract harvests about 35,000 tonnes across the region, despite a terrible motorbike accident that left him a paraplegic.

“I doubt whether there are too many paraplegics driving harvesters in the global sugar industry,” Mr Schembri said.

“It seems to be in the DNA.”

In his four decades in the industry, Mr Schembri has witnessed dramatic technological changes in farming practices, from the use of satellites to precision agriculture, alongside shifts in the regulatory framework governing farmers.

He said some of the changes had improved things, “but a lot of the changes haven’t necessarily been for the better”.

Canegrowers Queensland chairman Paul Schembri meets with Dawson MP George Christensen and Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Dan Tehan at a shed talk on February 9, 2021. Picture: Heidi Petith

As Canegrowers chairman from 2013-2022, he lists the federal code of conduct as one his proudest achievements, but one he is quick to share with others.

“We ensured that farmers had a seat at the table in terms of influence around marketing and also for the contractual outcomes that we had reasonable bargaining power,” he said.

He also cites the battle to stave off a proposed sugar tax as a big win.

“We fought tooth and nail,” he said.

“(The sugar tax has) been diabolical for those industries around the world.

“I was pretty proud of that.”

Canegrowers CEO Dan Galligan has praised Mr Schembri’s cultural impact.

“Paul’s impact on the culture of Canegrowers has been profound,” Mr Galligan said.

“He has brought about a sharpened focus to how we consider and service our members with passion and integrity.

“Through his work he has gained respect from growers on the international, national, state and local stage.”

Mr Schembri said he would miss the “colour and the passion” of the men and women he represented and worked with over the decades.

“The people are passionate,” he said.

“They are very proud of their industry, they’re very proud of what they do.”

Though retiring from the public arena, Mr Schembri is not retiring from his life as a farmer, something he still loves deeply.

Mr Schembri says the smell of burnt cane is “deeply embedded” in him. Picture: Contributed

“Any canefarmer will tell you that they like what they do, there’s a real sense of enjoyment when the young plant cane comes out of the ground,” he said.

His decision to retire was inspired by a return to his farm during the Covid era.

“Last year, you would be down working the farm, you might start at five or six o’clock and then at 10 o’clock you pull up under a tree,” he explained.

“Birds are chirping in the trees, it’s nice and quiet and you have a sandwich and a cup of tea and that’s really something you enjoy.

“It’s where I came from.”

When Mr Schembri talks about the deep memories within him, it is clear why he has earned the moniker Mr Sugar.

He talks about the smell of burnt cane and cane coming through the ground and “reaching out to the sun” as unforgettable parts of his life.

“It’s something that is embedded in you.”

Originally published as Canegrowers’ Paul Schembri retires, reflects on 40 years in sugar