A group of enthusiasts who are keen to preserve the mechanical history of the Burdekin region and beyond have received a boost of nearly $10,000 under the Liberal National Government’s popular Stronger Communities Programme.The Burdekin Machinery Preservationists have been hard at work preserving machinery which dates back to the 1920s and it was a pleasure to recommend them for funding of $9,576.I met up with members of this group such as Alf Shand, Keith Battley and Tony Little to name just a few, on the weekend to see what they would achieve through this funding boost.These enthusiasts are preserving some of our sugar milling history and have diesel engines, alternators and switch gear which played a major role in the operation of the Kalamia and Inkerman mills in the Burdekin District.