The Crossing Theatre was packed on Tuesday as hundreds gathered to pay tribute to the late Paul Kahl MBE, OAM, a man who played a pivotal role in fundamentally changing the landscape of agriculture in the Namoi Valley and the northwest.
He left a legacy of achievements in local, regional and national spheres.
The memorial service was a celebration of Paul Kahl’s life.
His family was joined at the service by many friends and colleagues, some of whose connections with Mr Kahl spanned decades, from many areas of Australia.
His significant accomplishments and his life of challenges, adventures and service were recalled.
Mr Kahl, who passed away in Narrabri on January 22, 2015, at the age of 96, arrived in Wee Waa in 1960 to investigate and subsequently play the key role with his business partner Mr Frank Hadley in the establishment of the modern Australian cotton industry.
Their drive and enterprise, underpinned then as now by world class agricultural scientists at Myall Vale research station, built the foundations of the Namoi Valley cotton industry.
The success of the new industry was soon replicated in the Macquarie Valley, the Gwydir Valley and Border Rivers, and continues to expand.
The memorial service, led by Wee Waa Anglican Vicar Reverend Bernard Gabbott, was addressed by family members, with Mr Kahl’s son James delivering the eulogy, and former deputy Prime Minister John Anderson and Mr John Howes who worked alongside Mr Kahl from the earliest days at Namoi Cotton Co-operative as the cotton industry and its successful processing and marketing infrastructure was created.
“He made the cotton industry what it is today,” Mr Howes said.
Mr Dennis Lowder, Wee Waa, representing the RSL, spoke of Mr Kahl’s active service as a bomber pilot in World War 2.
A full obituary for Mr Kahl will be published in a future issue of The Courier.