I would say the Redlands Research staion is the premier research station in Queensland
Larry Cooper of the Redlands Research Facility retired on January 15 after 50 years of service with the Queensland government.
Those years represented a dream for Mr Cooper to work in agriculture after spending school holidays on family farms.
"It's hard to put 47 years at the station into words," he said. "I've seen the highs and the lows.
"The worst was when they made redundant 25 of the 28 agri science research group in 2012.
"Now the station is in as good a state as it's ever been. I would say it's the premier research station in Queensland."
He started with the Primary Industries Department in May 1970 as an entomology cadet at the Applethorpe Research station on the southern downs, after a brief stint in the Lands Department.
Mr Cooper, 67, of Alexandra Hills, said he worked mostly with apple and stone fruit pests and vegetable crops.
It was during this time that the first research into biological control of mites in pome and stone fruit started.
In 1973 Mr Cooper began a 47-year stint at the Redlands when he was appointed to the research site, where he researched vegetable pests, particularly brassicas, fruit crops and study into fruit fly in passionfruit.
In the 1980s, he mastered data analysis on punch cards, programable calculators and early modems, and soon began running computer workshops for staff.
In the 1990s, he worked with lifestyle horticulture and became involved in the detection and monitoring of biosecurity incursions of melon thrip, papaya fruit fly, western flower thrip and later fire ants.
In 2001, Mr Cooper accepted a role as acting facility manager and eventually became manager of the newly-built crop development facility at Redlands.
During his career, he was involved in the development of Lifestyle Horticulture Industry's internet presence, an ACIAR project in brassica pest management with China, an AFL sports field project on quality and safety of sports fields, peplin research where a weed was turned into a crop for use as a gel for skin cancer in 32 countries, the development of DAF's first app identifying pests in ornamental crops and set up the Queensland crop development facility.
Mr Cooper's successor Shane Holburn said Mr Cooper left the research station as a thriving facility.
