Rockhampton Mayor Margaret Strelow, who also chairs the QREX Management Committee, said this gesture highlighted the extent to which Rockhampton had changed in the past five years.

“Until about 2002 service from Rockhampton, which has a well-deserved reputation as the nation’s beef capital, was mainly centred on primary production,” she said.

“This perception has changed substantially in the intervening five years with the resource industries joining primary production as the two main focuses for Rockhampton’s service industries.

“As the boom which the city is presently experiencing has been driven by this new alignment, QREX is an important event as it will emphasise Rockhampton’s role as a resources services centre.”

Strelow was joined by Queensland Resources Council chief executive Michael Roche in outfitting the bull statue with its new hard hat.

Central Queensland University vice-chancellor Professor John Rickard and Tony Cullen, general manager of Rockhampton Tourist & Business Information, decorated the bull with a sash outlining the dates of the expo which will be held on May 23-26, 2007.

Strelow said QREX would be built around four sectors of the resources industry in which Central Queensland played a significant global role. These were mining, especially coal mining, energy generation, water and light metals processing.

She said QREX would reinforce Rockhampton’s position as the major service centre for these sectors in the southern Bowen Basin and an alternative service centre for plants and operations in the northern Bowen Basin.

The expo will include the following features:

International Conference on Resourcing for the Future

Gala industry dinner

Trade expo

Educate and Inspire Centre

Industry tours

Seminars and workshops

Hypothetical on ‘Who’s Keeping the Lights in 2050?’

Skills competitions

Supply chain networking

Training and demonstrations

Watch International Longwall News for onsite coverage of the event during May.