Community
23 December, 2025
Vale farmer Steven Destro
LONG-time Babinda canefarmer Steven (Stefano) Destro, who featured in the December 10 issue of The Observer, has died, aged 75.
Canegrowers said he was the devoted husband of Rose (Rosalina), the much-loved father and father-in-law of Mark and Nicole and Paul and Trudy and the cherished grandad of Brooke and Cara.
“To many in the district and the wider cane community, he was also a trusted friend, mentor and collaborator,” a Canegrowers’ spokesman said.
Born in post-war Italy, Mr Destro migrated to Australia in 1955 as a young boy whose parents were determined to seek a better life.
“He embraced that new beginning with characteristic grit and gratitude,” the spokesman said.
“Steven, with his childhood sweetheart Rose by his side, not only built a thriving farming enterprise but a legacy for his descendants,” he said.
“At heart, he was always a family man: resilient, generous and deeply proud of the life he’d created.
“The Destro’s multi-site farming enterprise today comprises more than 300 hectares across eight farms, operated in close collaboration across three generations.
“Steven was also renowned as an exceptionally skilled mechanic and engineer with a commitment to industry and innovation – from contract harvesting and planting to more recent work in bagasse value-adding.”
Mr Destro’s funeral service has been held, followed by burial at Babinda Cemetery.
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