The "Champion" maize husker, sheller and bagger.

My Aunty Janet spotted this at the 2019 EKKA. The "Champion" maize husker, sheller and bagger.

It was invented by my Great Grandfather Friedrich (Fred) Richter and patented in 1908. Fred was a carpenter turned farmer and self-trained engineer of Teviotville SEQ. His knowledge of farming, combined with his training, enabled him to perfect the machine which allows corn cobs to be fed into it in a variety of ways, a vast improvement upon the old-fashioned type and husking by hand.

For a number of years Fred Richter's machine was exhibited at the Brisbane National Exhibition (later becoming the EKKA) in the early 1900s and here it is again over century later and still in working order.The output of Husker reached well over 100 machines per annum. Fred Richter became well known throughout Queensland as the inventor of the corn-shelling machine and rapidly found favour among the farming community of this State.

Other inventions of Fred’s were a broom millet hackler and a pulping machine for stock fodder. His workshop near the Teviotville railway station is a well-known landmark. The business was taken over by his son. My Grandfather Harold Richter and later by my Uncles Graham and Snow Richter.

Fred’s farm on which his home stood was on a hill adjacent to the Teviotville railway station and was commanding one of the finest views in the district. In turn the handsome villa residence formed one of the landmarks for many miles.

The holding of 100 acres of the rich red soil was used by Mr Richter for the cultivation of his own maize fOther inventions of Fred’s were a broom millet hackler and a pulping machine for stock fodder. His workshop near the Teviotville railway station is a well-known landmark. The business was taken over by his son. My Grandfather Harold Richter and later by my Uncles Graham and Snow Richter. Fred’s farm on which his home stood was on a hill adjacent to the Teviotville railway station and was commanding one of the finest views in the district. In turn the handsome villa residence formed one of the landmarks for many miles. The holding of 100 acres of the rich red soil was used by Mr Richter for the cultivation of his own maize for dairying purposes.or dairying purposes.