Gulf Savannah Development’s  Ernie Camp said he was thrilled that Minister for Agriculture Barnaby Joyce, Senator Matthew Canavan and Senator James McGrath had accepted an invitation to launch the GSD office.

Mr Camp said that the launch promised to be a very social occasion with mayors and chief executives from the six shires in the Gulf attending along with industry leaders and many members of the original committee who formed in the 1970s. While many will still be celebrating the Melbourne Cup, the leaders of the Gulf region will be joining Mr Joyce, Senator Canavan and Senator McGrath in the new GSD office at 60 Landsborough Street.

The Shire of Carpentaria generously donated the office earlier this year to give GSD a base of operations in the region.

The launch will be held in Normanton at 4pm on Tuesday, November 4, with a display of memorabilia collected over the last 40 years and a morning tea at 10am.  

The Gulf has changed greatly in the last 40 years.  

In the mid-’70s, leaders of the community came together to form the Gulf Local Authority Development Association with the intention of sealing the last part of the Gulf Development Road connecting Normanton to Cairns.

Over the years GLADA has transformed into GSD and undertaken many projects to develop the Gulf including the recently built Bib Loudon Bridge east of Georgetown.  

It is believed that GLADA/GSD holds the title for the longest running economic development organisation of its type in Australia.