Flo Bjelke-Petersen: back on her feet and taking things in her stride

GOOD news from Kingaroy. It's most famous exponent of the art of pumpkin scone making, Florence Bjelke-Petersen, is as sharp as ever at age 91.

GOOD news from Kingaroy. It's most famous exponent of the art of pumpkin scone making, Florence Bjelke-Petersen, is as sharp as ever at age 91.

Campbell Newman discovered this when she leapt to the defence of her late husband in The Australian, taking the LNP leader to task for buying into the debate over Joh's record during a campaign whistlestop in Kingaroy last Thursday.

In fairness to Newman, he was responding forthrightly to a question from our man, Jared Owens, on whether Joh's government was corrupt. Absolutely, he agreed - the Fitzgerald inquiry had said so.

Unfortunately for Newman, Bob Katter, who served as a minister under Joh in the 80s, disputed his version of history and accused him of spitting on the great man's grave.

Joh jury foreman Luke Shaw - credited by Lady Flo for saving her husband from jail at his 1991 perjury trial, and who now works for Katter - demanded that Newman apologise to her.

As the ever gracious Lady Flo commented, she's been taking these things in her stride for the past 60 years of involvement in politics at her late husband's side and as a senator for the National Party.

She's back on her feet after a little trouble with her back and gets around with the aid of a walker. “My doctor did say you can't uncollapse a disk, you put up with it,” she said, stoically.