The forerunner of the Hinchinbrook Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Tourism Inc. was the Ingham Chamber of Commerce. Though there is absence of formal records it is recorded in newspaper reports as early as 1907 that members of the Ingham Chamber of Commerce attended the Sugar Conference held in Townsville in February of that year. One of the delegates, William Canny, was both a member of the Chamber and a member of the Victoria Farmers’ Association.
In this early era the interests of the association included, sugar field labour, a need for a State Farm, a road over the range to Ewan, a scheme for settling cane cutters on small blocks of land on the Stone River reserve and the need for ‘police protection’ at Lucinda. Though a small group, six attended a meeting in the Shire Hall in November 1915 for instance, their interests were far ranging. Later these interests included aspirations for the construction of substantial buildings of concrete or brick in the town of Ingham, a central mill for the upper Herbert at Longpocket, and objection to the council selling shire tram lines to the Colonial Sugar Refining Company (CSR).
Prior to the destructive flood of 1927 the Chamber was already suggesting that radio could be of great use for warning and keeping residents informed during times of crisis. Unfortunately, given the degree of loss of life during the 1927 flood, commercial radio did not come to Ingham until 1931. Membership numbers were recorded as being 62 in 1953 but declined markedly after that and there were concerns that the Chamber would fold. Records indicate that the Chamber reformed in the early 1960s.
