Ag headquarters blown up

The Sir John Carling building, head office for the federal agriculture department from 1967 to 2010, was blown up today.

A company from Idaho was paid $4 million to place explosives that imploded the 11-storey building on the Central Experimental Farm.

The building was deemed unfit because asbestos was imbedded throughout.

Meanwhile, a much older K.W. Neatby building, erected on the Central Experimental Farm in 1937, is still in use, housing the Eastern Cereal and Oilseed Research Centre.

I guess that tells you all you need to know about the ranking of agriculture ministers and their minions compared with scientists and their technicians.

I worked in the Sir John Carling building from early 1968 until late 1974.