The Chaff

Images From The Manildra Group Website

MillTown

 

Manildra and the Mill have a cast iron relationship . The town thrives because of the Mill . The Mill thrives because of the town .

One can't do without the other , and more often than not it works perfectly .

The Canola Mill is a different story however and I'm fed of people asking me about the smell . I explain the Flour mill doesn't smell . It's the new kid on the block , up the road . The Canola Mill is the culprit .

The problems are being solved anyway  , and at the end of the day , it's not a totally unpleasant smell . Try having a rubbish dump pong or a sewage works smell wafting over your place of residence .

Still the Canola Plant does do some good , it employs the blokes who left the mill years ago . Like a retirement home for ex-mill employees . Hello Bobby , Haz and all the rest . Just kidding guys !

Back to Manildra, the village that helped launch a virtual Multinational .

John Hartog

 

There I was driving to Byron for a short holiday . The kids and I were on the outskirts of Gunnedah . I decided to stop for five minutes outside Namoi Flour Mill and scout a suitable place where I could throw some tacks down . Just to slow down John Campbell's team in March . 

While I was lurking outside I spotted A Man in White . I ambushed him and quickly took a photo . His name is John Hartog and he is the production manager of Gunnedah  . Welcome to the Chaff .

100% Australian Owned

Privately owned by the Honan Family .

No pesky shareholders worrying about their dividend or how they are going to extract their pound of flesh from the workforce .No slash and burn . No smarmy corporate types swarming all over us trying to rationalise the workplace .

Just steady leadership year after year . We don't know how lucky we are .

Bomaderry Flour Train 1992

Photo by Paul Jones 1992 .

Not The Chaff

 

Sorry don't know the photographer , tried to find a name to no avail . I found the photo in amongst a wonderful collection of photos of Orange . This looks just like my pantry . I could have taken this !

Manildra Usa

Manildra Group USA

Manildra has earned a worldwide reputation as "The Leader" in vital wheat gluten, native and modified wheat starches, specialty wheat proteins and alcohol. This status has been achieved by delivering timely and personal service to our clients. Our pride in service and quality products have brought us our success and stands as a singular commitment to our customers that we strive to to completely satisfy everytime.

Dependable, quality products and service are more than goals at Manildra. They are the core values that have led our company on a very successful journey that began over a half-century ago in Manildra, New South Wales, Australia. Since that time, we have created a truly global organization with major production facilities in Australia, Thailand, and the United States, as well as offices throughout the world...Additionally we are proud of the fact that we are on the leading edge of research and development of new wheat-based products for the food industry.

Manildra’s historical half-century:

• 1952 – Began operating with a single flourmill in New South Wales, Australia. This flour mill is still a major supplier of flour products in Australia.
• 1970 – Opened Australia’s largest wet milling complex in Nowra, New South Wales.
• 1972 – Purchased a flourmill in Gunnedah, New South Wales, increasing our milling capabilities.
• 1974 – Launched our U.S. operation in Kansas City, Missouri to market Australian wheat products in North America.
• 1979 – Opened a wheat starch and vital wheat gluten manufacturing facility in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This provided a solid base for expanding our North American marketing efforts.
• 1985 – Expanded the Nowra plant, creating one of the largest wheat starch and vital wheat gluten facilities in the world.
• 1988 – Created the Manildra Energy Corporation. Expanded our U.S. operation by acquiring an ethanol production facility in Hamburg, Iowa. This plant positioned Manildra as a supplier of high-grade alcohol to the food and chemical industries and alcohol by-products for the feed industry.
• 1989 – Formed Manildra Harwood Sugars in Australia in conjunction with New South Wales Sugar Milling Co-operative Limited to refine sugars.
• 1994 – Built a starch and gluten plant.
• 2000 – Opened a state-of-the-art modified starch production facility, in Hamburg, Iowa, to meet the needs of both our food and industrial customers. Began production of isolated wheat proteins as a substitute for soy isolates, sodium caseinate and egg extension.
  
  
  NB I copied the above from Manildra USA on the web .

Neville Yeatman

In any enterprise it is prudent to pay respect to our elders . Here is Neville a much respected General Manager in the days before John Campbell  . One day I wish to go through the Mill Museum with Neville because he put it together . I should have by now ,,,,,,,,,the youth of today I dunno !

This company has been built on the back of the rail lines . The moment our flour is made , it is whisked off to the docks , as soon as starch is milled then it goes to Nowra for Ethanol . We have our own crew of train drivers and this bloke is one of them . I don't know him but he always says good morning with a smile on his face which is good enough for me .

Gunnedah Shunter

This is part of a series of photos I found on the internet taken by a proper photographer . They are only thumbnails and cannot be enlarged .

Travelling to Byron

Ever since I started working at Manildra I have made trips to Byron Bay to see my daughter . Many trips trying to find the friendliest way across the Dividing Range . One of my other kids hates the curvy mountain roads because they make her sick so I have settled on the least curvy route between Glen Innes and Grafton . This means we travel through Gunnedah which is always surreal because I can see all the starchies and wheat wagons along the rail line as if I was back at work at Manildra . I nearly get out of the car and start milling .

After crossing the Mountains we eventually arrive into Broadwater where Sunshine Sugar Mill reigns supreme . The stink is way worse than the Canola mill let me tell you . We later encounter Harwood sugar mills which I believe are also owned By the Honans . I feel like I am in a universe dominated by Dick Honan . Thankfully I arrive in Byron where even McDonalds have not been able to penetrate and I feel safe . For the moment anyway . Will Dick find me ?  I hope not . I am on holiday .

Manildra Group website

Interesting to browse through the official Manildra website . The number of products and interrelated companies is eye opening especially when viewed in map form where you can see various Countries that have a Manildra presence . It's well worth the effort to go through the different pages on the site to get an idea of our place in the scheme of things . The Mill seems to be where it all began for the Honan family and it remains a cornerstone of the group due in no small part to significant upgrades and investment .

It is worth noting that Manildra is privately owned and is not listed on the stock exchange . This is good for the staff as we don't have to undergo endless restructuring to appease greedy shareholders who are only concerned with the value of their stock . In this situation it is common for employees to be viewed as a cost rather than flesh and blood . So we are fortunate to work in a family business situation . I mean even the recent restructuring was quite humane with people having to apply for redundancy rather than being sacked outright . ( There were a couple of exceptions ) .

One of these exceptions is still featured on the Manildra Website --- see if you can find him . First correct answer that is listed in the comments section below gets to be interviewed by The Chaff  and published on the site .