Rising through the ranks of the Mill

• Branxholm’s Wayne McLaughlin worked at the Branxholm Mill for 40 years.

By Daisy Baker
June 03, 2020

When Wayne McLaughlin first walked through the doors of the Branxholm Sawmill in 1959 at 15, it was a very basic and old-fashioned mill.

Over the next 40 years, Mr McLaughlin got a taste of all facets of the business, eventually taking over as the owner, modernising the facilities and cementing the mill’s future.

When he started, he spent his days cutting sides for apple cases, which was the one product they made 52 weeks of the year.

It was here that he met his wife Wendy, who would wrack the sides out after Mr McLaughlin had cut them.

“I always say that we got paid to do our courting at work,” he laughed.

“We went to Winnaleah school together but didn’t know one another then – she was a Branxholm girl and I was from Pioneer.

“We worked together for about five years before we got married.”

Mr McLaughlin went on to be the benchman, carted the timber, was the bush manager for several years and then became the general manager in 1975.

When French’s bought the mill in 1984, Mr McLaughlin was moved to Scottsdale as the general manager of French’s Enterprise.

“The only valuable thing in these softwood sawmills was the allocation and I knew that’s what they had their eyes on.”

Concerned about the future of the Branxholm Mill, Mr McLaughlin knew something needed to change.

“I walked into the boss’ office while he was on the phone and passed him a sticky note on which I’d written ‘I’ll buy Branxholm off you’,” he said.

“He came out a few minutes later, laughed and said I had six weeks to get the money.

“I went to the Commonwealth Bank in Scottsdale and borrowed $1.2 million and I took over on Christmas Eve 1988.”

With no assets, it was a big gamble but it was one the McLaughlins were willing to take if it meant the Branxholm Mill had a better chance of surviving.

Six months into owning the business, all of the waste was still being burned and Mr McLaughlin thought there had to be a better use.

“I went over to Legerwood butter factory and said ‘why don’t you use wood chip rather than coal to fuel your burners?’,” he recalled.

“They said they would if they could get a guaranteed supply.

“I drew up a contract and decided to put a chipper in. I went back to the same bank manager and said I wanted another quarter of a million dollars. In 18 months that paid for itself.”

Mr McLaughlin said much of his success came back to the great staff he had working for him.

When interest rates went through the roof and times were getting tough, he called his staff in for a meeting.

“I said ‘I don’t know whether we are going to make it through but I’ll try and make things as good as I can’,” he said.

“I said ‘if you’re prepared to stick with me, I’ll give you five per cent of the gross profit at the end of each financial year split between you’.

“That was the best decision I ever made in my life. Production went up and I think that was the difference between success and failure.

“We didn’t know if we’d make it but they needed a share of the success if we made it. If you share your wins with the workforce, the workforce will make the wins for you.”

He said he used to enjoy getting up each morning and going to work and wanted the same for his workers.

“I would say to all the staff, ‘if you get up on the morning and hate coming to work, don’t come. Find something else you love to do and want to spend your time doing’.”

In 1998, Mr McLaughlin sold the Branxholm Mill to one of his major customers in Victoria.

He said he has watched on with great joy as the Mill has gone from strength to strength in the years since.

In his retirement, Mr McLaughlin enjoyed several overseas trips with his sons and wife before she passed away.

These days Mr McLaughlin still lives a mere 500 metres from the mill, in the house he and his wife built 50 years ago, and still sees many of his former employees.

His days are now filled with golf, gardening and his beloved pacers, that he watches train every weekend and goes to see their races when he can.

His advice to others is to be willing to have a go and not be scared to make a mistake.

“If opportunity knocks, open the bloody door! That’s something I tell a lot of people.”