Australia’s oldest 100% Australian farmer owned dairy co-operative, and the last operating dairy co-operative in Australia, has officially turned 130. Norco honoured the milestone with a week of celebrations within its local communities.
School milk program returns to Lismore
To mark this historical milestone in its heartland community of Lismore, Norco brought back the famed school milk program offering free milk for all primary schools and students in the Lismore region for one day only – its official birthday on Thursday June 5.
Free milk giveaway for Wyrallah Road Public School students Henry, Avayahi, Kaegan, Anne-Marie, Billie in Lismore.
Amid conversations and advocacy efforts to revive the national school milk program, Norco delivered thousands of milk bottles to participating schools, paying tribute to its heritage and the region where it all began back in 1895.
Norco CEO, Michael Hampson said that the team at Norco could not think of a better way to honour its history and that of the industry, while giving back to its heartland community and saying thank you for 130 years of support.
“To honour the milestone, it felt only natural to give back to the next generation in this way, while at the same time helping to educate about the great health benefits of fresh milk,” he said.
Time capsule ceremony on the Gold Coast
The year Norco was founded (1895) also marks a prominent time in Australian cultural history with Banjo Paterson – the famous bush poet – first composing Waltzing Matilda; a song so synonymous with Australian culture it’s now considered the nation’s unofficial anthem.
To celebrate 130 years of agriculture and Australian culture, on the Gold Coast Norco partnered with neighbouring school, A.B Paterson College – whose namesake is also a tribute to Paterson’s enduring legacy and his profound connection to the Australian bush and its people – in a series of commemorative activities.
While its acclaimed choir sung Waltzing Matilda, senior school students from the College buried a time capsule on the grounds of Norco’s milk factory in Labrador, capturing a moment in time to share with future generations.
“We thought this was perfect way to truly capture the significance of this milestone, while paying tribute to Norco’s original vision and values,” Mr Hampson said.
Norco was formed when a group of 40 farmers gathered in Clunes near Byron Bay to discuss how they could come together to secure a better future for the farmers of the region.
Honouring this vision, students from A.B Paterson College were asked to document their own hopes and dreams for their future, thoughts that can be unlocked and reflected upon at Norco’s 150th birthday.
A message of thanks
Andrew Wilson, a fourth-generation farmer who has been supplying Norco for almost three decades, reflects on the birthday milestone and comments how genuinely proud he and his family are to be part of the oldest and last operating dairy co-operative in Australia.
“Being a Norco dairy farmer is more than just producing great dairy. It means being part of a 100% farmer-owned co-operative that backs its farmers and supports its local communities,” he said.
“It’s a great source of pride for not only me, but my whole family and we truly appreciate anytime someone chooses to buy Norco, because when they do, every cent goes back to support farming families like ours, and for that we are genuinely grateful,.”
Today, with 281 active members on 188 dairy farms in northern New South Wales and southeast Queensland, Norco employs approximately 800 people across five production facilities, two corporate offices and 25 rural retail stores that operate as far north as Bundaberg to as far south of the Hunter region in NSW.
