It is with sadness that we say farewell to a true champion of the Queensland Timber Industry this week. Victor Gersekowski, owner/director of Vic’s Timber – a cypress pine sawmill at Cecil Plains in the Western Downs region of Queensland. Cypress pine is a conifer native to Australia – Callitris glaucophylla. Sources: Timberbiz, Melissa Syme
Vic Gersekowski always had the cypress blood running through him, with grand-father Dick Gersekowski starting the business, carting cypress logs in the 1940s. The sawmill at Cecil Plains was bought by the family in 1959, with father Noel building much of the equipment. Tragically the sawmill burnt down in 197 however,Noel rebuilt it in just six months.
Vic inherited the sawmill in 1981 after his father passed away. In 1999, he revamped the business and became the driving force behind Vic’s Timbers.
In Vic’s words, “It is such a unique timber, hard wearing, durable, termite resistant. It has the durability and hardness of a lot of hardwoods, and yet it has a knotty appearance like pine.” The family started off selling boards into the Sydney market, but as times changed, their focus turned to selling house framing and flooring into the Queensland market.
Always looking for new opportunities and value adding, they invested in kiln drying and developed new customers overseas selling specialty products. Dressed timber into Japanese markets was a real winner.
You may not have always agreed with Vic, but you knew where you stood, and he was always up for a good argument.
Vic’s passion for the cypress pine industry was well known and he most definitely lived and breathed it. He was keen to share his knowledge and experience, and always had a positive outlook for the timber industry. I was a forester based at Dunmore near Cecil Plains in the 2010’s and had the privilege of knowing Vic for several years.
Farewell Vic – you made a great contribution to the timber industry and to Queensland.
His funeral will be held at Cecil Plains on June 11 at 12 noon.
