Days at the Pulp brought to life
By KIRSTY BENNETT Aug. 9, 2012, 10:41 a.m.
STORIES FROM THE SHOP FLOOR: Pete Hay, author of the book, Last Days of the Mill, to be launched tomorrow. Picture: Grant Wells.
FOR 60 years, Burnie and its pulp mill were joined at the hip.
That's according to The Last Days of the Mill author and former Wynyard resident Pete Hay.
Mr Hay will launch his new publication at 3pm tomorrow at the Burnie Regional Art Gallery.
Since the mill's closure in 2010, Mr Hay has interviewed numerous employees about their time on the shop floor.
The book provides a rich illustration of the long- running institution and the reader feels as though they are a part of the "Pulp family" through the insanely funny stories of the men and women who spent the better part of their lives at the Burnie Pulp Mill.
Mr Hay relays a trove of dramatic, tragic and comical stories throughout the publication, insisting his interviewees were "natural- born poets".
"I was always surprised at how brilliantly they used language. Their stories were always told through a spontaneous use of extraordinary imagery," he said.
The stories of the shop floor are also brought to life by highly acclaimed animation artist Tony Thorne, who entered the mill on its final day of operation with a sketchpad and camera in tow.
Together they recreate the mill's history, from the dramatic strikes in 1992 until its closure.
Mr Hay encourages anyone with a love of Burnie's history or the pulp mill to come along to the launch.
"It would be nice if the whole of Burnie turns up," he said.
"The mill constructed everyone's lives, whether they realise it or not."
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