The Makers Workshop and the Granite Roll

Peter Schnackenberg Senior Mechanical Engineer-Paper, Burnie Mill.

The granite roll was part of the original B10 machine supply in 1962, and was made by Walmsley’s in their Bolton (near Manchester) Works, UK, from stone quarried in Scotland.

Originally, the roll weighed 12 tonnes, but is now a little less as over its 47 years of life; it had some 50mm ground off its diameter. It is seven metres long and 750mm in diameter.The roll was the top roll in the first press and was loaded with some 250 pounds per lineal inch against the bottom roll to form a nip through which the felt with the wet sheet passed. The sheet follows the granite roll as it exits the nip and is then pulled off the roll as it continues on to the second press and dryers. As it passes through the loaded nip, water is taken from the wet sheet by the felt to dry the sheet.

Granite is a composite rock comprising a matrix of quartz, mica and feldspar; and has good properties in that the surface contains lots of pores where the mica is present. Capillary action causes the water to cling to the roll, making it easy for the damp sheet to peel off the surface without breaking.

Unfortunately, this roll had developed a crack and had to be condemned and replaced with a more modern roll with an engineered ceramic surface to replicate the properties of the original granite. B10 has a second granite roll which is currently inservice, and will be retained as an emergency spare.

The Big Roll A Recycling Initiative

How do we dispose of a fractured granite roll? This was the question raised recently about B10 paper machine’s first press top roll which needed replacing and disposal. Karen Pascoe (Environmental Specialist Tasmania) and Peter Schnackenberg (Senior Mechanical Engineer Burnie) provided tis good news story

It’s often a case of being at the right place at the right time. Originally it was felt that the fractured granite roll would need to be taken to the Burnie rubbish disposal site, but with a few ‘phone
calls, we not only found a much nicer home for the roll; we also took the recycling message to the max!

As you may be aware, The Makers Workshop at Burnie is in the final stages of construction. This building incorporates Creative Paper within a newly developed tourist precinct. A few ‘phone
calls were made, a picture of the machine roll was sent to the Burnie City Council, and within a couple of days, landscaping plans were adjusted to include the machine roll.

Tasmanian Paper is delighted that the roll could form part of the ‘street art’ in this precinct. The added bonus is that it has been placed near the southern entrance of the Makers Workshop, with maximum
visual exposure from passing traffic.

This is a win-win situation for everyone. Not only do we recycle - to the benefit of the community of Burnie - something which we can no longer use, but tourists can also share in our heritage.

Following completion of the area, a plaque will be placed near the roll explaining its use and history. Queensland has the Big Pineapple; well Burnie now has the Big Roll!

The technical drawing of the Granite Roll Assembly may be viewed at the Makers Workshop on request

Text and images Courtest of "Tas Paper Tasinews." issue 328, Oct-Nov 2010

The new Makers Workshop of Burnie.

Sunday the 9th of November 2009 Burnie unveiled its new Makers Workshop.
At times a controversial project that attracted criticism at the cost, its appearance during construction, and just general lack of information displayed by those who didn't know the facts.
Its cost of around Au$5.35 million on completion belied what the actual cost to the rate payers really was. The figure in round figures was $850,000 of which some $450,000 was the insurance pay out for the catastrophic fire that destroyed the original building which was heritage listed. Further more wasn't the size of the new project that arose from the ashes some two years later.

It is an interpretation centre, where enough information is available to whet the appetite of the visiting tourist, and it is the tourist it is aimed at as a marketing opportunity. It houses retailing of mementos, information about local crafts people, displays by these "Makers", the new home of Creative Paper, elements from the Pioneer Village Museum including the original Town Hall Clock in full working order, the Paper mache people, and as a major addition the first underground loader built by Dale B Elphinstone some 25 years ago just to name something of what you can expect to see. Included is the Visitor Information Centre manned by competent volunteers who can offer advise on what to see, and where to find it, plus other information on Tasmania in general.
So accept an invitation to come and have a browse through this new facility, you will be amazed at what is there.
Consider these calculations.
Total cost to the community of Burnie $850,000Assuming that Burnie has 9000 rate payers, cost to each rate payer = $94.44. Now let us go another step and calculate the cost to each member of the community, man woman and child. Burnie's population of 19000 in round figures = $44.74 per head of population. Now let me take you one step further and reduce the figure by $450,000 paid out by the insurance received from the fire in 2007, again in round figures divided by the 9000 rate payer = $44.44 each. Divide again by the number of citizen of the municipality = $21.04 per head of population. A small impost for a public asset.
Some members of the community say that it will never pay for itself. I have yet to see any community funded project ever pay for itself whether it be a Town Hall, Arts & Function Centre, or in this case the Makers Workshop, but it will most certainly will be a public asset, and one the people of Burnie can be justifiably proud of in the foreseeable future.
Quoted from the Burnie City Council media release 12th March 2009.
"BURNIE'S HISTORY HEART OF THE MAKERS WORKSHOP HUNDREDS of items showcasing Burnie s history are at the heart of the new Makers Workshop at West Park.With construction underway, the Burnie City Council s $5.35 million development will be one of the first of its kind in Australia.Project graphic designer David Lancashire has selected more than 200 items from the Pioneer Village Museum, which will support almost 40 stories depicting Burnie s history.Burnie Mayor Alvwyn Boyd said Mr Lancashire was amazed at the resources available and praised the Burnie community for its dedication to preserving its history. David said that there were very few communities that have done such a fantastic job of preserving its history, Mayor Boyd said.We have had and continue to have residents who go above and beyond the call of duty to showcase, protect and advance their city. Through the Makers Workshop, people just like this will be showcased and remembered through a significant collection of photos, objects and multi-media.The interpretative displays will come under eight major themes including Commerce and Industry, People and Pioneers, Global Connections, Agriculture and Environment, Innovators and Entrepreneurs, Paper and Paper Making, VDL Company and Port and the Pioneer Village Museum. Through these categories more than 40 different stories will be told.The facility will also have museum standard showcases and it is hoped that significant items from the State collection relating to Burnie s history can be sourced to form temporary exhibitions at the centre, Mayor Boyd said. He also said the facility would also provide locals and visitors with the unique opportunity of viewing the activity pods, which will act as studios for local artists.We've already had a number of local artists keen to get involved, Mayor Boyd said. "This will provide them with the opportunity to showcase their talents to a large, changing audience on a daily basis." There will also be paper-making activities, a gallery, café and a retail area, with the centre due for opening in October this year."
As a Volunteer at this new facility I can see nothing but benefits to the business houses of Burnie, tourism in the region, and dollars rolling in where the planners expected.
The Pioneer Village Museum Street Scape looks like getting a new lease of life (thank goodness) as this facility runs very close to the hearts and souls of the Citizens of Burnie. To see it closed would be equated to murder. It is the history of Burnie in the making from "Campsite to City" to quote the late Kerry Pink's book title. (If you haven't read it, ask for a copy of it from the Tasmanian State Library)

Lacos Cheese, and Hellyer Road Distillery, Emu valley Rhododendron Gardens, Ainsleigh Gardens, Guide Falls, The Alpaca farm at West Ridgley will all be beneficiaries of what we can offer in our beautiful little city. The cruise ship passengers can't all be wrong. We just do not appreciate what we have in our "Patch of Paradise".

Now a question for those of you who are going to visit the Makers Workshop.

What is the significance of the 127N on the wall, what does it stand for?

If you are a past employee of the APPM, Australian Paper, Paperlinx, or as it is now known as Tasmanian Paper and know the answer, please do not post a comment with its meaning.

It is interesting to note that the original underground loader is in pristine condition. I have been told on good authority that when Dale Elphinstone was asked if it could be put on display as is, he refused unless it was looking brand new. What you see is months of work by his tradesmen fitted with new tyres, sandblasted and resprayed with epoxy enamel, new lights and drivable. Such is the man and his machines. A true "Maker" of Burnie.

As can be seen in the photo, the kids just love it.

Artists and Crafts people featured:

Jan Marinos. Paper maker and textile artist.

Darren Simpson. Paper maker.

Dean Jupp. Paper maker.

The three above mentioned can be seen at Creative Paper's workshop.

Kit Hiller. Painter and Print maker. Some of Kit's work can be seen hanging in the complex.

Rick Eaves. Photographer - Image maker.

Obie. The master image maker.

Maria Perez-Pulido. Violin maker.

Greg Ling. Wood craftsman and instrument maker.

Pam Thorne & Ruth Rees. The Paper people makers. Look around you when you enter, their work will amaze you.
Janine Morris. Fibre artist and basket weaver.

Maudie Bryan. Glass artist and ceramic artist.

Anne Dunham. Glass artist and art teacher.

Mary Lewis. Glass bead maker.

Susanne McArthur, The Milliner. Hats and Fascinators for all occasions.
From time to time Artists will have the opportunity to display their work in the Makers Workshop area. An example of this was the Digital Painting exhibition of 19 year old Penguin artist Jessica Turale who's exhibition opened Friday evening of the 13th Of November 2009. A very talented young lady.

Now while you are in the Makers Workshop feel free to ask for travel advise, places of interest to visit, and accommodation in the Burnie area. The Volunteers are well trained to assist you in making the correct decisions that will make your stay in Burnie one to remember.

Now that you have been around the displays, it's time to sit and relax with a coffee of your choosing in the Cafe area. Consider sampling the fine locally made pastries, or perhaps something else on the ever changing menu, Having been served, view the sights from the deck or though the plate glass windows. The views will astound you, take advantage of what you see and take photo's to remind you of the time you spent at the Makers' Workshop

7th August 2011 Notation added:

For the past few months there was much talk of National Foods the owners of the "Lactos" Cheese factory on Surrey Road Burnie spending big dollars to upgrade their plant. This has now been confirmed, plans submitted to the Burnie City Council for building and enviromental approval. A part of the up grade is the eventual closing of the onsite Cheese Tasting and retail shop. So now negotiations are talking place to relocate to the only place it should go to - "The Makers' Workshop".

One can only hope it is up and running before the next Cruise Ship season beginning in October 2011. I'm sure that this will be an added attraction to what is becoming an icon of Burnie. Whether you love it or hate it (the building), it is what is in the heart of it that counts, the people who work as Makers, volunteers, and paid staff that counts.

Makers Workshop. 2 Bass Highway, Burnie, Tasmania. 7320

Explore the possibilities, we did and still are.

I don't think I've heard it better explained than this.

'Well you see, Norm, it's like this . . . A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members. In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Now, as we know, excessive intake of alcohol kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. And that, Norm, is why you always feel smarter after a few beers.'

BUT DON'T DRIVE A CAR, THAT CAN BE FATAL!

This needs no introduction

Go to this URL if you need the advice, genlemen be warned you are in danger.

http://www.giftmonger.com/acatalog/Bed_Snake_Bat.html

THE PROGRESSION OF TEACHING MATHS AS TIMES CHANGE

TEACHING MATHS IN 1970 A logger sells a truckload of timber for $200. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit?

TEACHING MATHS IN 1980 A logger sells a truckload of timber for $200. His cost of production is 80% of the price. What is his profit?

TEACHING MATHS IN 1990 A forester sells a truckload of timber for $100. His cost of production is $160. How much was his profit?

TEACHING MATHS IN 2000 A forester sells a truckload of timber for $200. His cost of production is $160 and his profit is $40. Your assignment: Underline the number 40.

TEACHING MATHS IN 2005 A forester cuts down a beautiful native forest because he is selfish and inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the preservation of our old growth forests. Your assignment: Discuss how the birds and possums might feel as the logger cut down their homes just for a measly profit of $40.

TEACHING MATHS IN 2009 A forester is arrested for trying to cut down a tree in case it may be offensive to Muslims or other religious groups not consulted in the felling license. He is also fined $200 as his chainsaw is in breach of Occupational Health and Safety legislation as it deemed too dangerous and could cut something or someone. He has used a chainsaw for over 20 years without incident however he does not have the correct certificate of competence and is therefore considered to be a recidivist and habitual criminal. His DNA is sampled and his details circulated throughout all government agencies. He protests and is taken to court and fined another $200 because he is such an easy target. When he is released he returns to find environmental protestors have cut down half his wood to build a camp on his land. He tries to throw them off but is arrested, prosecuted for harassing a minority group, imprisoned and fined a further $200. While he is in jail the environmental protestors cut down the rest of his wood and sold it on the open market for $200 cash. They also have on leaving a barbeque of possum and native hen and depart leaving behind several tonnes of rubbish and asbestos sheeting. The forester on release is warned that failure to clear the fly struck tipped rubbish immediately at his own cost is an offence. He complains and is arrested for environmental pollution, breach of the peace and invoiced $12,000 plus GST for safe disposal costs by a regulated government contractor. Your assignment: How many times is the forester going to have to be arrested and fined before he realises that he is never going to make $200 profit by hard work, give up, sign onto the dole and live off the state for the rest of his life?

TEACHING MATHS IN 2010 A forester doesn't sell a truck load of timber because he can't get a loan to buy a new truck because his bank has spent all his and their money on a derivative of securitised debt related to sub-prime mortgages in the USA and lost the lot with only some government money left to pay a few million dollar bonuses to their senior directors and the traders who made the biggest losses. The logger struggles to pay the $2400 road tax on his old truck however, as it was built in the 1970s it no longer meets the emissions regulations and he is forced to scrap it. Some Muslim loggers buy the truck from the scrap merchant and put it back on the road. They undercut everyone on price for haulage and send their cash back home, while claiming unemployment for themselves and their relatives. If questioned they speak no English and it is easier to deport them at the governments expense. Following their holiday back home they return to the Australia with different names and fresh girls to exploit and start again. The forester protests, is accused of being a bigoted racist and as his name is on the side of his old truck he is forced to pay $2,500 registration fees as a gang master. The Government borrows more money to pay more to the bankers as bonuses are not cheap. The parliamentarians feel they are missing out and claim the difference on expenses and allowances. Your assignment: You do the maths.

TEACHING MATHS 2017 أ المسجل تبيع حموله شاحنة من الخشب من اجل 100 دولار. صاحب تكلفة الانت=D 8ج من الثمن. ما هو الربح له؟

Recipe for financial ruin - Guaranteed.

It is the month of August 2009, on the shores of the Black Sea . It has been raining, and the little town looks totally deserted. It is tough times, everybody is in debt, and everybody lives on credit.

Suddenly, a rich tourist comes to town. He enters the only hotel, lays a €100 [Euro] note on the reception counter, and goes to inspect the rooms upstairs in order to pick one.
The hotel proprietor takes the €100 note and runs to pay his debt to the butcher. The Butcher takes the €100 note and runs to pay his debt to the goat herder. The goat herder takes the €100 note and runs to pay his debt to the supplier of his feed and fuel. The supplier of feed and fuel takes the €100 Euro note and runs to pay his debt to the town prostitute that in these hard times gave her services on credit. The prostitute runs to the hotel and pays off her debt with the €100 Euro note to the hotel proprietor to pay for the rooms that she rented when she brought her clients there. The hotel proprietor then lays the €100 note back on the counter so that the rich tourist will not suspect anything.
At that moment, the rich tourist comes down after inspecting the rooms and takes his €100 note after saying that he did not like any of the rooms and leaves town.
No one earned anything. However, the whole town is now without debt and looks to the future with a lot of optimism.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how the United States Government is doing business today.
BELIEVE IT OR NOT!

So you reckon you know cricket history eh?

The following item is courtesy of Ireckon.net and is posted as shown in its entirety. There are a myriad of myths about relating to the "Ashes" that gets the Aussies and Poms all fired up each time the series is played, either in Australia or the UK. Why else would the "Balmie Army" trapise half way around the world to support the mediocre team of recent years.

"i reckon - - - - but i’m no authority

The Ashes urn is not a trophy!

by Mathew on August 5th, 2009
Whenever Australia wins or retains the Ashes, people call for “the urn” to be sent home with the team, believing it to be a trophy. It’s an understandable assumption, but the urn’s history shows that they are incorrect.
Most cricket fans know the story – after Australia beat England in an 1882 test match, a mock obituary appeared in The Sporting Times “in Affectionate Remembrance of English Cricket”. The final line of the obituary reads, “The body will be cremated and the Ashes taken to Australia”. Thus began one of the most enduring sports legends.
The obituary was a great joke, and English captain Ivo Bligh (later to become Lord Darnley) declared that he’d regain “the Ashes” when England toured Australia in 1882-83. He referred to “the Ashes” several times during the tour, and the Australian media ran with it. The term then fell out of use for twenty years before being cemented by English captain Plum Warner when he published How We Recovered The Ashes in 1903.
The Ashes legend was forty-five years old when the general public became aware of a certain urn. The following poem, appearing in The Cricketers Annual in 1925, indicates as much:
So here’s to Chapman, Hendren and Hobbs,Gilligan, Woolley and Hearne:May they bring back to the Motherland,The ashes which have no urn!
(For the record, England was thumped 4-1.)
In 1927 Florence Bligh, widow of Ivo Bligh, gave the Marylebone Cricket Club a small terracotta urn that had been given to her husband some years prior. Although the details are disputed it is believed that a group of Victorian women, picking up on the “ashes” term used by the media, awarded him the urn after England’s series victory in 1883.
The urn was a personal gift to Bligh, and was later a personal gift to the MCC. It is known as the “Darnley urn” to distinguish it from other, less celebrated urns that have surfaced over the years.
The Darnley urn was kept in the Long Room at Lord’s until 1953, when it was moved to the MCC Museum at the same ground. Its prominence has led many to assume that the test series is named for it alone, and they believe it to be the trophy. The Ashes, however, are metaphorical. It is an idea created by The Sporting Times, and one which grew in stature as it collected more stories. The Darnley urn is just one of those stories.
No doubt there are those who would read this and say, “so what?” Despite the history, they would claim that the Darnley urn has come to represent the Ashes for most people and should therefore be considered a trophy. I do not agree.
The urn is delicate and belongs in a museum so that it can be correctly maintained. The MCC respected the wishes of the Australian public and created a large replica trophy of Waterford Crystal to award to victorious teams. If we must have a trophy, this is more suitable than a 125-year-old terracotta artefact.
I don’t understand the attraction to trophies. I believe that the idea is more compelling than a trophy could ever be. The death of English cricket! What a notion! Since 1882 we’ve been playing tests to either regain England’s honour, or to rub her nose in it some more (depending on whose side you’re on). How simply marvellous. I doubt I’ll convince many of my fellow Australians to come around to my way of thinking; we’re too fixated on the physical, on ownership, on possession. If people know the history, though, we can debate these last points alone." Worth reading was it?

Well how about a little trivia to go with it.

Titled "A little known fact about cricket."

The first testicular guard was used in cricket in 1874 and the first helmet was used in 1974. It took 100 years for someone to realize that their brain could also be important ...... Post a comment, all welcome.

Oh wahat ever will they think of next?

Let's face it. How many times have we all seen lizards that have lost all or at least a part of their tails? I must admit that I have wondered how it happened, and now I know. They are players of Extreme sports. BUNGEE JUMPING! Talk about a sick sense of humour.

My mate Tony's explanation of Time Dilation

This should help clear things up. [Maybe]

The twin paradox: Is the symmetry of time dilation paradoxical?
It all makes sense now, although the diagram might also help.
Scientific explanation:

Time Dilation; It turns out that there's a scientific and logical explanation for why people (mostly men) spend so much time in pubs and only get home in the early hours of the morning.
The reason for this odd behaviour is based on Einstein's famous Relativity Theory. It works like this: it is a well known fact that the more you drink, the faster you move. After about 8 beers (or 4 double brandies & coke, etc), you're moving at close to the speed of light, and this is where Einstein enters the picture.
According to his Relativity Theory, any body moving at, or close to the speed of light, undergoes Time Dilation, i.e. time for you in the pub passes slower than for an observer outside the pub.
Complicated calculations have shown that the pub becomes a type of time machine:- for every half-hour spent inside the pub, something like two hours pass outside the pub.
A typical situation is: "OK guys, it's 8 O'clock, I'm gonna surprise the family and get home early!!" However, the moment this person steps outside the pub, the time travel effect is negated by negative radiation from the environment, and he/she then goes: "WTF??!!?? - why is it so quiet?? Holy S****!!! It's half past one!! WHAT HAPPENED THERE???!!??" .....and the answer, of course, is Time Dilation!!
I have tried to explain this to outside observers, but up until now nobody (except fellow time travelers) has been able or willing to understand the sound scientific basis of this phenomenon.
Please forward this to all fellow known time travelers - maybe we can prove this theory by sheer, overwhelming force of numbers.

G'day,

Just thought I'd look in on you.

I see you are doing bugger all as usual!

Now you can get on with the job that you are supposed to be doing.

Now who's fault is it?

A man in a hot air balloon realised he was lost. He reduced altitude and spotted a woman below.
He descended a bit more and shouted, "Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago but I don't know where I am?" The woman replied, "You're in a hot air balloon hovering approximately 30 feet above ground. You're between 40 and 41 degrees north latitude and between 59 and 60 degrees west longitude". "You must be a mathematician" said the balloonist .
"I am," replied the woman, "How did you know?"
"Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is probably technically correct, but I have no idea what to make of your information and the fact is, I'm still lost. Frankly, you've not been much help at all. If anything, you've delayed my trip." The woman below responded, "You must be in management."
"I am," replied the balloonist, "but how did you know?"
"Well," said the woman, "you don't know where you are or where you're going. You have risen to where you are, due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise, which you've no idea how to keep, and you expect people beneath you to solve your problems. The fact is you are in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but now, somehow, it is my fault."

Does this sound familiar?

This one must ring a few bells!

[ Click on the image for full size viewing.]

Dedicated to all of my senior friends, all of whom are over fifty years of age.

None of which are worth talking to till after 10:00am of a morning and at least two cups of coffee and the odd slice of hot toast with butter and vegemite have been consumed. If you are not Australian, you wouldn't appreciate the unique flavour of the product that puts "a rose in every cheek."

-:Please feel free to sing along:-

"We're happy little Vegemites
As bright as bright can be.
We all enjoy our Vegemite
For breakfast, lunch, and tea.
Our mother says we're growing
stronger every single week.
Because we love our Vegemite.
We all adore our Vegemite.
It puts a rose in every cheek!"

The character above is typical of one person I know well who isn't nice to know before 10:00am. He needs all our love, devotion, and inspirational motivation poor bugger.

Islamic Demographics By 2050

Watch this before they take it off the web!
And this is happening in Australia. If we take notice, then our young people have a lot of "home work" to do. To late for me to start work on it.
Look at this before it gets removed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-3X5hIFXYU

Today's Inspirational Message

Never piss off a man
that owns a backhoe !

Mumbai calling! - New World Survey.

Image of a typical Indian Call Centre

NEW WORLD SURVEY Last month a world-wide survey was conducted by the UN. The only question asked was:- "Would you please give your honest opinion about solutions to the food shortage in the rest of the world?"
The survey was a huge failure because of the following:
In Eastern Europe they didn't know what "honest" meant.
In Western Europe they didn't know what "shortage" meant.
In Africa they didn't know what "food" meant.
In China they didn't know what "opinion" meant.
In the Middle East they didn't know what "solution" meant.
In South America they didn't know what "please" meant.
In the US they didn't know what "the rest of the world" meant.
And Finally........................... In Australia they hung up because they can't understand an Indian accent.
Now let us all have a chuckle over that.

THIS IS EXCELLENT. (Thanks to Ma'am Dragon) you can all check it out.

This video was made in the Antwerp , Belgium Central (Train) Station on the 23rd of March 2009.
. . . with no warning to the passengers passing through the station, at 08:00 am a recording of Julie Andrews singing 'Do, Re, Mi' begins to play on the public address system.
As the bemused passengers watch in amazement, some 200 dancers begin to appear from the crowd and station entrances.
They created this amazing stunt with just two rehearsals!

ENJOY........

Click here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EYAUazLI9k&annotation_id=annotation_72265&feature=iv

Just how long are you going to live?

Oh my goodness gracious me, what a shocker this one is.

I invite you all to take a long hard look at your life style because the advancing years hold some reminders of what you should be doing, not what you have been doing

Now that I have frightened the pants off you, take a gander at the URL that I have posted.

http://www.sonnyradio.com/realage.html

The 1992 dispute that stopped a city.

The image is of Burnie taken in May 1992. Note the lack of smoke from the paper mill at South Burnie. [Click on the image for a larger size.]
It is funny how your memory is prompted by comments by other people, or an item that appears in the print media. But now I am going to comment on the strike action that took place in Burnie beginning in March 1992.
So what started it in the first place? Simply the unannounced virtual sale of APPM to Amcor some months earlier for $416 million dollars. Amcor required the workforce down sized and were not prepared to be seen as the "bad guys" after the debacle of the take over of Smorgon Paper prior to the transfer of titles. North Broken Hill had to do the "dirty work" and create a situation that would suit the purpose, so the scene was set for a showdown and a test of strength. The trouble is if you read between the lines union personalities were just as much involved as the company. One only has to look where some of those personalities are today.
The "Pulp" as it was known was the biggest employer in the region at the time and was also set on a confrontational battle with the on site unions over the training of non union operators at the boiler plant. Out of that disagreement came the sacking of eleven boiler operators on the 8th of April. Prior to that in March Associated Pulp and Paper Mills [APPM] owned by NBH advised that all above-award agreements would be abolished as of April 12th.
Here was a situation reminiscent to the debacle at Robe River, Western Australia dispute earlier on, again instigated by North Broken Hill Peko the owners of APPM and the unionists recognised this.
Now the fight really started from the 13th April. Things escalated from there by May the 12th it was a complete walk out, what followed was the sacking of 1100 striking workers. Gates locked. Picket lines were set up at all entrances to the Burnie Mill and the perimeter fences patrolled by unionists. Yes there were strike breakers who managed to get through. A carpenter who knew the boundary fence line like the back of his hand, and a fitter and turner who was a migrant from Poland who had been involved with the strikes in Gdansk, a man who had the desire to work no matter what.
Then there were the APPM Staff who were employees that were not involved but had right of passage to work as normal. As time went on these people including myself, were subjected to name calling and innuendo. I recall one unionist calling out to me accusing me of having two jobs. The fact was my wife was running a business of her own and collectively the income was less that what that unionist took home for the previous year. More over she could not be seen to favour either those on strike, or those opposed to it if her business was to survive. He and I now look back on it all and laugh about it, but it wasn't funny at the time.
While all this was going on it became blatantly obvious that there was more to this strike than the issue of the initial sackings. To me it was a carefully orchestrated strike that the company had to have. Why do I say that?
Mobile phones were in their infancy and it was an analogue system. With that came the UHF programmable scanners. A watchman at the main gate had one, and knew that I had one as well. So a phone call to my office informed me that some very interesting phone conversations could be monitored from Union officials, TV reporters, and on occasions by Company representatives. Meanwhile the rank and file unionist were being fed with inflammatory information to keep them on the boil.
These conversations made interesting listening especially the rubbish that the ABC TV, and Richard Carlton [Nine Network] were feeding through to the networks. Some of the language used by male and female journo's was so choice, I wouldn't repeat it here, but a bullock driver would have been put to shame.
The Maritime Union [MUA] and Transport Workers Union [TWU] joined in, plus Forestry workers. The company imported a group of Kung Fu exponents "Ninja Turkeys" from Victoria all dressed in intimidating black and they were lucky to get out of Burnie unscathed. The Police were requested to clear a path for the entry to the Mill site, but took a more conciliatory position so as to not inflame what was becoming a nasty situation. Yes there were the odd skirmishes and arrests but no charges laid. APPM had attempted to import paper from the USA that was never to be unloaded in Tasmania due to MUA and Transport Workers Union action.
Three months later it all ended on Wednesday the 10th of June. To some degree it appeared that Ferguson had sold the strikers out, yet both sides claimed a win. At the end of the day APPM achieved its goal with the exit of union demarcation lines, and the advent of multi-skilling using less employees and getting the same output. The cost to the local economy was horrendous. It had the effect of destroying family relationships, some of which are still evident 27 years later.
It is reported that in 1992 figures, the strike cost APPM $15 million in lost production, and workers $3.5 million in lost wages. All this for the strike that had to take place.
Later on the 13th September 1993 NBH-Peko announced that APPM had been sold to Amcor, renamed Australian Paper and so history of a changing industry continues to where today it if fighting to survive.
Australian Paper as it was then known as in 2001 sold off all paper merchant operations that they originally wanted in 1993 by Amcor. With that a new name emerged listed as PaperlinX and Australian Paper became the paper making Division.
Lack of capital investment and stuck with paper mills it didn't want the inevitable happened, Monday December 6th 2009 it was announced that the Paper Mill at Wesley Vale was to close on or before the end of March, No4 Paper machine at Burnie like wise shut down, and if there was no sale made of what was left, it faced certain closure by June 30th, 2010.
In the meantime it was announced 17th February 2009 PaperlinX it had sold the business to Nippon Paper Group but did not include the Tasmanian operations. This sounded the death knell of a once proud and vibrant industry that was the life blood of the region from Wynyard to Port Sorell.
It will be with a heavy heart when I walk out of the gate with my tools for the last time 55 years after I started there as an apprentice on January 15th, 1955.
Since then Burnie has re-invented its self. Parks and gardens. A changed street scape, new sporting facilities being built and the "Makers Of Burnie" complex built. No longer is it the polluted industrial city of the 1990's. Nor is it reliant on an industry with 1100 employees that has now shrunk to just over 300 in Burnie.
Rumours have it that there was creative accounting that excluded the Tasmanian mills from the sale to Nippon Paper. The shifting of debts from a mainland mill to the Tasmanian operation, but this may well be hearsay as the rumour mills run riot. However, generally where there is smoke, there is a fire.
An interesting question was posed to me about what happened to some of the personalities involved in the 1992 dispute.
Peter H Wade, FCPA, FAICD. Chief Executive Officer APPM, employed by NBH-Peko as Managing Director, faded in to history after the dispute and sale of APPM was completed. One can only assume that he followed NBH-Peko in mining, retired in 1993. Reappeared as a Director of the Commonwealth Serum Laboritories in 1994 and Chairman in 1999. No further information is available.
D B (Don) MacFarlane. BSc. Appeared as the head of Amcor's paper division in 1994. Managing Director 1996.There is not much else known about him.
Ken Henderson. Batchelor of Engineering (UTAS) APPM Burnie Mill Manager, went to Melbourne and faded into history.
David Birt. Pulp Mill Engineer, the would be truck and semi-trailer driver went shortly after the dispute. Now believed to be in New Zealand.
Tony Purdie. Became mill manager for a short time, then he disappeared.
Phillip Boon. Left the Electrical Trade Union ranks to become a Safety Officer, then he to disappeared from sight.
Mick Clarke. I believe was in the HR Department, departed and was last heard being involved with the Giant Steps Autism facility at Deloraine.
Mervyn Saltmarsh. APPM Personnel Officer, another who didn't make the cut and he to disappeared off the radar.
Shayne Michael Murphy. CFMEU organiser, became a two term Federal ALP Senator for Tasmania but didn't last as he jumped ship to stand as an Independant in 2001 over the regional forestry issues and failed to win a seat in the 2004 election and his term ended 30 June 2005. He is now a part of a consultancy firm based in Tasmania.
Ken Bacon. Was a former member for Bass and Tourism Minister in the Tasmanian Parliament came out of the Transport Workers Union.
Mike Grey. Union Organiser at the time of the dispute, is often heard on ABC talk back radio supporting the proposed Gunn's pulp mill on the Tamar River.
Martin Ferguson AM. MHR. ACTU President in 1992, is now a Labor Minister for Resources and Energy and also Tourisim in the Rudd Federal Labor Government. First elected in the electorate of Batman in 1996.
Brenton Best. MHA. At the time of the strike was arrested but not charged. At the time was an organisor for the FED&FA union, In 1994 representative of the Trades Hall Council. Elected as an Alderman to the Devonport City Council, and then elected to the House of Assembly in Tasmania in 1998.
The media crews:
Richard Carlton. Died of a heart attack at Beaconsfield, Tasmania covering the mine rescue story 7th May 2006.
Judy Tierney. ABC Radio and TV. Married and I believe retired.
Even today graffiti can be found around the paper machine area as reminders of the strike of '92. So the graffiti questions still remain to be seen at the "Pulp".


MUA Members picketting the MV Anthos April 1992 at the Burnie port

Ken Bacon State Organiser of the TWU, Capt Mike Boss-Walker [Harbour Master] Inspector Roy Fox [Tasmnaia Police] discussing Port laws re the Anthos protest.

"Where were you, when the battle for Burnie was on?"

"What side were YOU on June 4th 1992."

" Last one out, turn off the lights.

If the Paper mills closed tomorrow, Burnie will survive. New employment opportunities will present themselves and life will go on. Closure would be a sad event for the city that grew in the shadow of the "Pulp".
I must hasten to say that included now, is the sister mill at Wesley Vale. It also had a cloud hanging over it, and will now become alittle bit of history in the district. One can't help but wonder about the creative accounting that may have been done to get a sale for the Victorian Mill at Maryvale and the New South Wales mill at Shoalhaven. Could it have been that to make them look good, that the Tasmanian operation now known as Tasmanian Paper, a huge liability? I guess we will never know the full story.

What we do know is if the mills close, that the clean up of the site will be one very costly project with mercury contamination in the old cell plant building, not to mention the dozens of buried polycarbuoys of mercury will all have to be removed from the site to lord knows where. Added to that is the vast quantity of asbestos roof and wall cladding originally estimated to be 40 acres or 18 hectares in area. The Original boiler plant is another area riddled with asbestos, so the cost of demolishing the Burnie Mill site would run into many millions of dollars, and no one is prepared to suggest a figure.

North Broken Hill directors saw fit to strip the company of capital estimated to be around $100,000,00 to prop up an ailing mining industry in the late 1970's early 1980's and it was all downhill from there with little or no capital investments made to improve paper making plant and therefore production. Amcor didn't help either, they were more interested in buying the huge marketing arms of APPM because they didn't have any worth mentioning. Today the ACCC wouldn't sanction a monopoly. So Paper House, Dalton Fine Papers, and Tomassetti changed hands along with the Tasmanian mills that were just an added hindrance for the money they forked out. So after a short period of time they just progressively started shutting down plant and equipment at Burnie, and started selling off property. APPM's parent company, North Broken Hill-Peko, were to retain its forestry and export woodchip operations in Tasmania. APPM will continue to supply wood to the Burnie and Wesley Vale mills. This contract ceased after a short period, and NBH-Peko sold it Forestry interests to Gunns Ltd.

It has been an interesting journey through life, and at least I can look back on the good times and laugh about the characters who called "The Pulp" their second home.

One can't but wonder if there is yet another dispute brewing with a possible sale of the two paper mills reminiscent of the 1992 debacle, or is there a Knight in Shining Armour like perhaps Norske Skog weighing up options of converting to newsprint? However, it is obvious that it would never happen. That is was not as silly as it sounds when you think about it. The only saving grace being that Burnie became a cleaner city, a city to be proud of.

In 1985 APPM commissioned Ms. Tess Lawrence to write anecdotal history of of the company celebrating its 50th anniversary, 1936 - 1986 this publication was distributed to every employee as a keepsake. For those of you who still have a copy, re-read it and relive the times past. I certainly have and well remember some of the characters who have passed through.

My family moved from Penguin 15 kms east of Burnie in November 1984, and all the family members live with in a short distance of our home. Does that say something for this city of ours?

Post script .
Since I posted this story, PaperlinX has finally announced the closure of the Wesley Vale paper mill and also the closure of No4 paper machine at the Burnie mill, sometime between Christmas 2009 and March 2010. The No 10 machine at Burnie will continue to produce paper pending a sale of the plant. If no sale is achieved by June 2010, it to will close and the site remediated ending a saga begining in the early 1930's.

The Australian electorate must be mad when they elect people of the calibre of many who have "graced" the corridors of our parliaments. Many who had their origins as rabble rousers and trouble makers. Many didn't survive more than one or two terms as controversy followed them where ever they went, and will continue to do so.

Now we are into April 2010, and still no sign of an impending sale being finalised. Maintenance to the remaining paper machine at Burnie is on the back burner with Maintenance days postponed indeffinately. The end result is that the rumour mill is running riot with many plausible scenarios put forward. June 30 2010 looms as a dark spectre on the industrial horizon of Burnie, will the Asian Company buy. or just walk away? The way things appear with only a matter of weeks till June 30th, they won't be walking away but running ending as a sorry saga of mismanagement by previous owners since APPM sold their soul to NBH Pty Ltd in the 1960's

See the related article.

Why was the Blue Oval used as a hyphen?

I used the term "Hyphen" in a literal sense. The first Ford Vehicle to grace our garage was a Mk I Cortina the replacement for what was known as the Ford Consul manufactured in the UK. It was a good vehicle in its day and originally arrived in Australia some time in 1962 and updated to MkII in 1966. I bought the first of these cars in 1964 and was surprised at the performance of the 1200cc motor. Strangely, and perhaps due to the fact that we were building a house and our eldest child was due in June of that year, it and all the subsequent Ford range never saw any trick bits bolted onto them.

The second of the Cortina range came a few years later as a MkII. This one had four doors and a 1500cc motor but at least we could get two infants into the car with out breaking our backs.

Then the Ford Falcons replaced the ever reliable Cortinas. A 1964 XM was followed by a Falcon XP Station Wagon which was fitted with extra security by way of a red short haired dacshund by the name of Fred. Family could get in and out of that car, no problem, but let anyone else get in the car before a family member, Fred would meet them snarling with barred teeth.

Next came a XY Falcon and the die was caste to become a Ford family only to be broken with the purchase of a Leyland P76 V8 when another stage in my motoring life came into play the the Ford badge reappeared in the form of a Ford Falcon XE "S" pack in 1984 then a Ford Telstar, a rebadged Mazda 626 in 1987. I must say that these were the primary family cars. Scattered in amongst them were others that were used as work hacks, a Datsun 1200 coupe, a Baja VW Beetle that was a spin off from the Dune buggy days.

Two more Fords followed this time brand new ones a 1994 EB Series 2 Falcon, and the last being a Ford Laser in 2002.

Then came employment at a mining site and a second vehicle was needed so a Toyota Corona S/Wagon came into service, then was stolen out of a company car park in broard daylight. Three weeks later it was found in a school yard where it had been stripped. The remains were sold and a 1989 Toyota Camry began a new life for a period of three years, but it and the Laser didn't offer the comfort for both my good wife and I on long trips, and one had to go. The household financial adviser said that the Laser would stay, and the Camry would be sacrificed. She how must be obeyed prefers to drive a manual geared car hence her decision.

Enter the 2002 BA Series Falcon and what we had missed since 2002 was evident after taking possession of it. A well serviced car with full history now lovingly refered to as the "Gold Wing" with apologies to Honda Motor Cycles, but Falcons in real life do have wings. This one being no exception to that rule in life.

If I retrace my steps a few years "Hildegarde" the 48/215 series (FX) Holden was a project prior to 1970. It was to be the last of the Hot Holdens to pass through my hands the first being in 1960 when a FC Holden got the spanners thrown at it. But the financial adviser found that she couldn't handle it whilst expecting our first born in June 1964. Enter the Ford Cortina Mk.I mentioned at the top of the page.

When the 48/215 (FX) Holden was sold the kids balled their collective eyes out. They loved that car and the fun times we all had in it.

Beetle Mania. What is it about the humble VW Beetle?

In recounting the years of mobility, something always drew me towards the ugly duckling of cars, the Volkswagon. It has been termed by its detractors as "Hitler's Revenge" but was designed by Ferdinand Porsche under instruction by the "Fuhrer" to produce a peoples car, and that is exactly what happened.

The initial car was produced at Wolfsburg Germany in 1938 but with the advent of the second world war the factory was used to produce war type vehicles and it wasn't till 1946 that the humble beetle started to appear in any great number. For the full story, please visit the following site address. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen

I used to ask the question. "Who in their right mind would buy one of those?"

• A car with an engine in the tail end behind its gearbox.


• A petrol tank over you legs and feet.


• A car whose motor was different being a flat 1200cc horizontally opposed four cylinder air cooled arrangement. They only went into motorcycles.


• Strange torsion bar suspension and swing axle at the rear, and spring leaf torsion bar beam at the front. But it all worked and was simple.

Well the answer was simple. They were reasonably cheap even in Australia, they were reliable and if something went wrong, easy to fix. A good mechanic could drop a motor out of one in less than half an hour, put it on a work bench or stand then proceed to do what ever was necessary if the repairs couldn't be done in engine bay.

Now to my involvement. I bought the first of them a 1956 model which I kept for a period of twelve months as a second car, then traded it in with a '64 XM Falcon on another car. A few years later I was able to acquire two written off wrecks. One was severely damaged at the front, and the second looked like a bulldozer had hit it in the rear. When I arrived home with the first one My wife looked at in horror, but said nothing. A few hours later I arrived home with the second and this time I was told my pedigree.

Three months later and a lot of work, day and night, we ended up with a beautiful beetle. What was originally a 1200cc motor had grown in capacity to 1750cc by using an aftermarket Empi big bore kit, a mild camshaft, "Holley Bug Spray" inlet manifold and carburettor, and tuned length extractor exhaust system. It went really well but the engine seemed to want to do more than the miserable 3800RPM's. There was definitely something wrong.

After talking to a number of people, not to mention reading heaps of American VW magazines, I discovered the the cam in the VW distributor had one lobe out of whack with the other three. It was designed to create bounce of the distributor points arm when it rotated at a certain rev range. Now Mr Bosch made and sold a replacement distributor known as the "Bosch 090" that eliminated that problem and allowed the motor to rev its heart out. This then produced another problem, and one that could be very costly. The crank shaft was not counterweight designed. If you could to fit one of those, 7500RPM's wasn't an unusual top limit. Over rev the engine and it would explode into the best load of shrapnel in town. Old Ferdinand Porsche knew what he was doing. Here was one big difference between VW and Porsche engines and there were others as well.

Suffice to say I heeded the advise from the magazines and took fine care not to take the motor over 5000RPM's.

Then the arguments started as to who was going to drive the beetle Joan or I. If that wasn't bad enough the kids argued as to who was going to ride in the space behind the back seat sitting over the engine. The VW of today is now an upmarket make; and sadly is no longer a working man's family car. The VW of today is now an upmarket make; and sadly is no longer a working man's family car.

By this time a new interest reared it head and it was time to move on. The VW was sold sadly, but there was money to be made from the sale that funded the next venture. Dune Buggies . . . . . . . . . . . But that is another story.

Now look at VW today, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nd5WGLWNllA