The Chaff

Feeder

The other day four of us Millers carried a vitamin feeder from C mill to A mill roller floor . It was quite unpleasant and absolutely dangerous . One stumble and all four of us would be fucked .

I know I know , we're supposed to refuse to do dangerous jobs but we were in a hurry and we needed this feeder pronto so we just got on with it because we are Men in White . 

Afterwards though , I had the shits big time as it sunk in how close I was to a serious injury .  You can ask the other three who were involved , they will tell you the same .

Solution .....get another feeder . Problem solved .

Not only problem solved but it solves other problems too like the possibility of cross contamination whenever we have to change the product in the feeders . At least once a day , sometimes three times . Common sense would tell you that investment in a new feeder makes good economic sense .

I hope so because next time I'm going to think three times before I carry that bloody thing again !

Steve Whiley

Whiley by name and wily by nature , officially the overtime king . Good bloke who has to carry a severe impediment around with him . Being a Dragon one has to make amends in other areas and Steve manages to do that . Is now a proper Man in White and making the most of it . 

God I hope St George don't get there !

Paul Potter

I gotta lotta time for this bloke , he's looks cuddly but is actually venomous .

Heart of gold . Razor sharp wit . Colt 45 .

Thing about Paul is he has worked in heaps of Mills and has massive experience . 

He carries me a little bit as do the other guys on the crew . In my view that makes us the A team .

Nathan Eaglestone

One of the great young Millers we have here at Manildra . I taught him everything I know and hopefully he won't forget that fact when he's Director of Milling sometime in the future .

In the meantime he's biding his time populating the Central West . Well done Nathan . He's a true Red Indian as his name suggests . He's also got the ears and character of Adam Gilchrist .

Darren Mullins

This bloke escaped years ago but was recaptured recently after ten years on the run . No doubt he'll be kept here for the rest of his days . You don't escape Hotel California twice !

You Can Forget About That Idea

So the Millers are going to do C of As on the weekend , No way . We are not taking jobs from the lab and we are not going to impede their possible future reinstatement of their twelve hour shift . 

We are Millers not scabs .

Forget full tests or even loading trucks , we are not pawns in a game of who can make the most money , or which Manager wants to look good . 

Furthermore we need to show commitment to the cause of our desired pay rise . If a protest were to occur , the stopping of Mill production would be paramount . Otherwise we are pissing in the wind .

Repeat ....The Mills must stop if we are to gain any attention . Lost production is the language everyone understands . 

That means protecting our Head Millers because they are in the firing line if we decide to protest in some way . 

It is possible that this may not have to occur , but it requires a shift in the Managements current tactics in the EBA negotiations .

It is time to highlight the pride our Millers have in their job and the teamwork we employ to deal with problems . Most shifts are committed to the best they can give and that is what they want to receive .

Tracey Middleton and Justin Packham ......

........have taken voluntary redundancy . The Men in White have lost two of their characters .

Tracey obviously is unique because she is actually a woman . We can return to an all male domain , we can pull out the dodgy mags and even dodgier jokes and throw political correctness out the window .

Actually Tracey fitted in pretty well , gave as much as she got . Whenever she got in trouble she had the uncanny knack of getting away with it .

She was a really good cleaner too which is more than we can say for Justin Packham . I have shared a locker for years with this bloke and the cleaning materials were not his highest priority , he was more interested in the tools . Pretty handy miller even though he had to be dragged kicking and screaming out of the mixing plant .

He leaves to set up his own business " Bucks Nights R Us " . No not really , it's a concrete business I think , he'll have to leave a comment and give us the lowdown on his new venture .

Tracey has a bunch of kids to look after and once the kids get sick of having Mum home all the time . I hear she intends some sort of lawn mowing business . If so she should immediately sign up Gue as a consultant .

I get on great with both Tracey and Justine and have had plenty of laughs with both of them  .  All the best guys .

White Jersey

 

Steve Stone Accountant , Paddy Gibson footballer , Jeremy a farmer from Warren and last but not least Gary Douglas , Head Miller at Manildra .

The White jersey is for the Men In White and my vote goes to Gary Douglas .

 Chris Gue is the fastest rider , he rode with the guns and did the Men In White proud . Paul  and Jason showed guts in adversity and Tracy was magnificent in the way she helped out Cameron and Joseph , the Anson Street boys .

I was a bit up and down . Don't get me wrong , I'm stoked with how I rode but the 200km damn near killed me .

Gary though exceeded all expectations . Most millers and head millers thought he wouldn't make it , but he defied all that to not only complete the ride but to get stronger every day and then storm home ahead of many better credentialed cyclists .

On the downside I had to room with him for five days , what with him and his snoring and me and my farting , I think we were both grateful to get back to our wives .   

Changeover of Shift

Lead Millers discuss the normal changeover stuff , two of our best Men in Whiters nut out the problems , the strategy for the shift . The outgoing lucky bastard lists the problems , the incoming sucker concentrates intently so as to absorb what is going to come at him in the next 12 hours .

I think Groover is starting his shift this particular time and there are not many Millers experienced as him . He has been at the Mill many many years and knows stuff I can already dream about .

When the shift hits the fan , Millers like myself , turn to guys like Groover , who have seen it all before , every breakdown imaginable .

Now don't get me wrong , I'm a decent Miller , one of the best , but I struggle with complicated breakdowns . A few of the guys are brilliant in those situations . One of whom is of course Groover , who doesn't shirk from Mill problems .

He embraces them . Attack ! Attack !

That's his war cry , he uses it when the Mill fucks up , he uses it also in Texas Holdem .

He is certainly more succesful fixing breakdowns then he is bluffing a good hand . He bluffs every hand !

He's a great bloke and if only all of us , could live on Planet Groover .

Men In White United

 

There are a few persons who don't like their photo on the blog and of course I respect their wishes .......sometimes . For example the photos of Gary Eggo are unusable because I need to pay my mortgage every week .

Similarly Gary Dougo always very politely asks me to bin any photos I have of him . In the interest of my work satisfaction I generally adhere to his requests . This time though I'm going on holiday and hopefully by the time I get back all will be forgotten . 

So here goes ....... a sensational photo of Gary and myself . Men in White , Millers , bike riders and chick magnets . We do it all . 

Look I have a laugh with the Dougos . You're laughing aren't you Gary ?

We have our moments , but generally a few hours of tension is usually washed away with a series of jokes and amusing observations .

Gary and Mick can be a tough audience . But I can make them laugh and antagonize them , in equal measure .

They do the same to me , drive me to insanity or totally crack me up .

Overall though and jokes aside , the Control Room is a pretty good place to work , we can have a laugh , unless we screw up we're not hassled too much . 

 Happy New Year to all the Men In White .

Packham Incorporated

 

Justin Packham is a great bloke who I have had quite a lot to do with workwise , over the years . From the mixing plant to the mill we have often followed each other on shift and covered each others backs on numerous occasions . Packo has a time limit on his time at the mill . As soon as his business is up and running , he will be gone . 2020 is probably the timeframe at the moment .

Joking aside , one of the best nights I have had in recent years was Packo's stag night in Sydney . I rarely do the blokes weekend away thing but I made an exception for Justin and ended up having a terrific time .  

We are Men In White and we killed some aliens that night .

Robert Solterman

 

It's not Batman or Superman , it's Solterman !

The ultimate Man in White . We made sure he came over in Movember so he could get us over the line against Party HQ and you can see why .

Robert comes all the way from Switzerland to teach us the finer points of Milling .

I really enjoy his teaching , I just wish I could be a better student for him . His influence is evident though in some of the younger Millers , a couple of whom were able to impress Robert with their retention of his teachings .

I am not able to impress Robert in the same way but he likes all my jokes . Nevertheless every time he comes to Australia , he always has an impact on my attitude to my job and by the time he leaves I am generally more enthusiastic and focused on the tasks required to make gilt edged flour .

Of course I would prefer to go to Switzerland for his lessons but the Milling Gods have yet to appreciate my immense potential . Not to worry , I am patience personified and for the moment I'll make do with a Buhler calender and more visits from Robert . 

It's not a bird , It's not a plane , it's not  Manbot ............it's Solterman  ! 

Chris Gue with an accent .............

 

Now Chris is a reluctant Lead Miller but a good one . The reason he does well in this role is because he gets involved in the nitty gritty . He will know when a miller is supposed to change over . He will know their wheat situation . He oversees the process and is usually aware when a miller makes a mistake and can quickly rectify it .

If there is a potential problem , Chris tries to pre-empt the situation . Head it off at the pass , so to speak . Instead of reacting , Chris tries to be proactive . 

He hates the shiftwork and dislikes confrontation . 

Chris Gue spent his first nine years in France . The French are mad on cycling and it is wonderful to see Chris continue this tradition with his efforts for the MMRT and of course Men in White  . 

Also Gue , the word , has an accent on it - a la Francais .

Mark Brouff

 

Here we have one of the most experienced millers still working at Manildra Flour Mill . Fourteen years of experience milling and for problem solving in the Mill , Brouffy is without peer .

Deserves a lead miller position if one becomes available .

Hotel California

The Eagles wrote an epic tune about The Hotel California where the guests could check in and sample the delights of the establishment but then could never leave .

This is very similar to the Millers' situation where once you enter The Mill you can never leave .

There are quite a few examples of blokes deciding they've had enough but the Milling Gods have had other ideas and refuse to release the hapless Millers from white clothed servitude .

Rambo had to go to war . Gary Dwyer almost . This is after many years of service .

We currently have Hotel California guests who want to go to the lab or go to Party HQ .  Fat chance boys . In fact you can bumble around being less than competent and still not be allowed to bail out . Not that the Mill is sinking or anything . It's just that some guys want to move on . I know one who wants less intensity (lab) and another who wants more (workshop) .

Both would bring heaps to those departments . They are Men in White after all !

We have another young Swiss miller coming over . No problem I'll welcome him . But  I do think we could do more about inspiring young packers to take up the challenge . There are many competent blokes who could make the transition . Ones who already used to the shift rotation .

Use our young Millers to highlight the advantages of a job in the Mill to their mates in the Packers .

That way if more Millers were starting then the existing Millers have more chance to move on if they want to .

Not that I want to , I've got another few years in the Mill yet . I'm a slow learner . It's still a challenge for me .

Beside's I've got my eye on the top job , when John Campbell retires I'll be 84 and with more than enough experience for a tilt at the Jersey . If I fail I have a fall back plan where I get to inherit Kimbo's job because I am one of the family . Hi Miranda !

Enough about me . The Miller who wants to be a fitter is very talented and young , he already knows a lot of the maintenance in the Mill . What valuable experience to bring to the Party HQ especially if we are  unable to entice any fitters from elsewhere . A surer bet than an untried apprentice . There's no substitute for desire .

Watch Out Party HQ

Cyclonic Separation by Shane Trevena . Apologies to Shane because I've had to crop this image because of commercial concerns . The original photo not zoomed in , is absolutely stunning . I hope one day to republish it .

Every time the mill stops it is always advisable to check if these cyclones are doing their normal patterns in the sight glass on restart . This means four storeys of stairs . If the mill stops twenty times in a day , the Men in White are shagged .

Luckily this does not happen often , our Head Millers make sure of that . They invariably keep the mills going . If not the Millers make sure downtime is kept to a minimun .

The Men in White are starting to regain some of their former lustre . We are close to reclaiming our rightful position as the best department in the Mill .

Watch out Party HQ !

Smoko

No Breakdowns !

A trained fire warden , trained to fly away .....

Miller's EBA

In addition to the general points discussed at the Union meeting  . The Millers would like to add a couple of items related to Milling type tasks .

Firstly we would like to earn dust allowance as part of our daily wage . When this subject was brought up recently someone said we're supposed to write on our card if we had worked in a dusty area that day .

Well blow me down , not what one of us knew about this . Nobody had bothered to say anything to us , not admin , not the head millers , not the lead millers nobody . Maybe they didn't know either .  

Anyway we work in a dusty enviroment every day . When we clean , dust down , blow down and pick up spills ......it is dusty . We use vitamin feeders every day , very dusty .  If it's bleach or Tiger's eye additive it's more like typhoon dusty . Toxic too .

 If we're dealing with wheat blockages , the dust is even worse . If it's mouldy it's sickening to the point where one feels they have a severe flu several hours later . I do anyway .

This issue is similar to the " confined space " thing , where we have just found out we're supposed to write it on our time cards when we enter a bin . We didn't know so we've saved the company money in the past few years so we would like that allowance as part of our wage . It is a most unpleasant job cleaning out a mouldy bin .

We have chlorine issues as well . This is something that builds up in your system and it is quite common for B Mill to smell of chlorine . There is an allowance for B Mill when we mill in there . I'll try and find out if that's because of dealing with chlorine .

The big issue with millers apart from dust is the Fire Response situation . The way we see it is that we are one of the first on the scene of a fire . If not we are soon called , no evacuation for us , we are unofficial fire marshalls without the training  .

So firstly we would like to be better trained and also compensated for the commensurate risk of having to be Johnny on the spot . I don't know if there is an allowance for this but perhaps we can make one .

The Wild Thornberry

Scott is one of our Head Millers and a great bloke he is too . Scott loves his job because he runs C Mill and it virtually runs itself . Still relatively new with modern Machinery , C Mill is a dream to pull down on maintenance day . I also like the stable moistures that mean that it has less problems .

Although Scott is a St George supporter he manages to rise above this impediment by still being a likeable bloke . He looks pretty happy here because he kept his mouth shut when discussing the Mill to Mill bike ride and so he is under no obligation . Unlike Gary Dougo another head Miller who did not .

The other Musketeer is of course Mick Dougo who loves the whole cycling business because he gets to unleash a million jokes at our expense . He hasn't quite got to a million yet but will by march 09 . He's a busy man is Mick so I would never expect him to undertake the Bike Ride  . But Mick is going to need ammunition to sustain the laughs so he should buy Gary a bike so that the bugger has no excuse .

Scott you should chip in too !  

Keen as Mustard

Young David Murray is one of our up and coming Millers . He likes a bit of hunting but that's not why he is a gun . It is more his ability as a Miller .  Scott Thornberry coined him Mustard because he is keen .

He's into extreme sports and doesn't mind a tumble or two . His Dad is Owie who has worked at the mill for yonks . His Mum delivers the mail in Manildra on her little motorbike or is " first responding " to an injury incident at the Mill . True stalwarts of the community .

Mustard was always destined to work at the Mill and has not let anyone down , least of all his parents , who have done a sterling job bringing up this young bloke .

Wheat Intake

This shot is taken at the wheat intake by our resident photographic genius Shanus . The intake is where the millers have to fill in sometimes . It's a strange place , all by itself , run by only three blokes . Not ordinary blokes , these guys have to fill in for each others' holidays . Virtually impossible of course especially when there are sickies and flexis to cover as well .

That's where we come in . The Men in White make sure everything runs smoothly . We dive in retrieve the situation because we're the Men in White . ........OK sometimes we have to call Party HQ for a dumb call over there but hey we're one big team eh ? 

Prime Hard

People laugh when the Men in White blame the wheat for any problems encountered further on up the chain . But you know what it's true ! The other day the boys on nightshift had silo 3 run empty for a short while , an unavoidable occurrence . it was the AUH2 bin which means prime hard so for the short time it was empty , all the beeswings came sailing through to the temp bins causing havoc in all three mills many hours later . The pre-cleaning is not working (not doing the chaff......man !) so production is lost .

It's a cycle where a problem at the beginning creates a drama at the end of it . Really we need to have that chaff removed before it gets to our cleaning systems . The precleaning system has defied all attempts at trying to fix it . I want to be a machine in the precleaning because I would never work .

Photo by S.T.

Not wearing white !

Geoff Grant has discarded his whites for the holidays and settled for boardies and rashie while filling his cash box with crisp notes . I love this story .

When I was there at the lake , I was expecting some special treatment for a fellow man in white . Far from it , instead I was informed I didn't need a life jacket because it was impossible for me to drown because my lungs were already full of flour .

Furthermore he worked out I was just coming off nightshift and charged me double because he knew I wouldn't notice .

He gave me a few tips on how to row because as he said , if I was as good on the water as I was in the mill , he better call the ambulance right now .

Seriously though , rowing a kayak around the lake with the kids was really relaxing and if you're in that area in the next couple of weeks , give it a go .

Chilling in the control room

                            

Visitors are coming !!

Visitors are coming !!   

The Swiss Tour

With all the excitement of the MMRT tour and the thought of missing out on the all the fun , I got to thinking about greener pastures , really green like Switzerland . I remembered the time when Men in White were sent over there for three weeks for a bit of tuition and a dose of Swiss milling culture . This stopped shortly before I swopped blue clothes for white and if you must know , yes I feel cheated . There has been a suggestion that previous blokes had too much of a good time while over there .What's wrong with that ? You have to look for Swiss milling culture wherever you can find it and pubs and nightclubs are a good place to start . And you can't get the whole picture unless you also consult with Swiss women , it would be unfair otherwise .

Daniel is fairly active in exposing Swiss millers to the rough and tumble , full speed ahead milling , that is Manildra's style . Presumably because it widens their learning . So Daniel , we would like you to get some traffic going the other way . It would enhance our pride in our job and we could show those Swiss blokes a thing or three . Especially on the weekend !

Here is some help for Daniel to choose who should go ( hypothetically of course ) .

Well The Dougos and Scott have already been so that rules them out . Geoff Grant has also been and Brouffy has knocked it back in the past so they're out . Groover deserves to go because he wanted to go so much , he included it on his World Tour .More importantly though , he is having a baby so he is out . Jason Osborne only goes to America these days and Eggo is also having a baby . Paul Potter is rebuilding himself into the Bionic miller and he won't be available . So the only lead miller available is Gooey  but he needs more training in specific areas before he would be ready to paint a Swiss town red .

Well we're being whittled down , let's continue , Tracy is a woman so technically she is not a Man in White so no deal . Steve and Glen need to be in white clothes for a bit longer . The Micks will have to consult their wives which might exclude them . Besides they already know everything anyway  . Packo and Wibur would be good to go with but Packo is much too busy with his business . Wilbur's girlfriend reads this blog and once she finds out what we're really up to , he will be out .

Guess what ? That leaves ME ! OK if you insist I'll go . Thanks very much .

Hang on what about Mustard ? Well he is injured so he can't go . He's not injured you say . Wait till I see him and he will be injured .

Brendo and Africa ?  The last thing Brendo wants is to go back to Switzerland right now . Unless he's deported ! And Africa has had enough plane travel for the moment . I mean ten of us could go for the price of one Africa .

"measuring the bins" the sequel

Making a sequel of the fire alarm sysyem prompted some activity on that front and it is appreciated . I haven't seen the Wheelers yet but am looking forward to doing so . This brings me to the state of the temp bins above A and B mill . I can assure those concerned that it hasn't got any less dangerous . For that to happen we would need someone to do something !

To be fair , to be fair , I didn't see this issue on the latest safety commitee leaflet so it is possible that it got lost on the way . I thought I had submitted it some time ago but I could be mistaken . I certainly wrote about it on the blog and I was surprised nobody commented considering the number of stories of near misses that I have heard . By that I mean millers who have told me about slipping over at five in the morning because of icy conditions . No comments though ! Maybe this time .

What prompted me to revisit this subject was a conversation I had with a colleague who has worked for many years in other mills around Australia . He nominated one well known company who were meticulous in their proactive approach to potentially dangerous situations . He said that when one employee mentioned that he had nearly slipped through the railings on top of the bins . Those railings were filled in within a short time . Nothing was left to chance . He did say though that they self insured so maybe that was the motivation . If you are facing the consequences , you are more likely to take action to mitigate these possibilities .

Finally  let us make better use of the safety committee who provide a valuable conduit to mangement on safety issues . Thank you Sue for that comment .

The New Mixing Plant

We are about to undergo significant change in the mixing plant with increased production due to the installation of another mixer . There will be more positions for lab staff , tippers and the mixing plant operator will be rushed off his feet . it will be interesting to see whether mixing plant operators will still be rotated in the mill or whether the importance of the new contract will require more consistency in the position .

An interesting scenario for those who would prefer to just work in the mixing plant ! Let's imagine for a moment that Tony and others decide that they want the best mixers available . What does that mean for say Jason Osbourne who is one of the better ones but has to endure being shunted around the lab , mill and mixing plant because he is so competent . At the same time he is trying to get his time up in B mill so he can get signed off . During all this , he is on less pay than a person who knows less .

The mixing plant is an important job that incorporates the holy grail  "the blending " and any packer will tell you how important it is to him that he recieves the correct flour so he doesn't have to lump it off the loader . Furthermore a good blender will know the status of his bins , this helps Tony and the Dougos make correct decisions during the heat of the battle not to mention correct bin measurements that so influence production meetings . 

So , how important is it to the big brass that we have a smooth transition for our customers ? Well pretty damn important I'd say . So some interesting decisions to be made . Not least some rethink on the pathetic pay structure in place right now . 

Fire Alarm System The Sequel

Now imagine for a moment , a fire breaks out somewhere in the mill . The decisions made in that moment  will have extreme consequences . Say the difference between someone getting seriously hurt or worse , or the difference between the whole mill getting razed to the ground or limiting the damage so that we are still operational . The mill has just installed a pretty impressive looking water system for use in the event of a fire . I have heard this was driven by insurance requirements . If so I wonder what insurance companies say about training staff for emergencies . A lot of us in the mill have been sent to " confined space " courses . They were really good actually but personally I would prefer training on site , with us being taught to deal with specific situations in different areas of the mill . So if a roller mill burns , we stop the fire getting to the dust collector . If it's the switch room a different  strategy is required . Different extinguishers in different areas and so on .

A Swiss colleague tells me in the mill he last worked for in Switzerland they had  comprehensive 3 day training with a professional . We could have something similar and to make it specific to our site we could also have the likes of Mick Gibson and Daniel Von Felten pointing out possible strategies like turning off the compressed air , blenders etc . I'm only guessing here because I don't really know . I do know however that the other night when an alarm went off . We all went our different ways to check areas but really  we should be in pairs looking out for each other . Our most experienced person was dealing with the board downstairs , we've all had our five minutes being shown the board but unless we have alarms going off all the time , it's soon forgotten . I forget how to mill in B mill if I haven't done it for a few months if you get my drift .

Now to the grey area , which is how much responsibilty we take when we are not even told how to do it . I know this is a tough question but is it possible that a grey area suits Insurance companies because nobody wants the liability of having sent a person to deal with something who then say gets killed ?  Or is it simply that the powers that be are happy our current safety equipment will be effective regardless of what personnel do or don't do ? If this is a non issue then just let me know so I can leave the building with everyone else .

Where are the Men in White ?

I've had this blog for two or three months now and I've banged on about the Men In White , killing aliens and generally spreading the message that we work hard and are not paid enough for the responsibility involved . Thanks heaps for the support guys . Next time you whinge about something don't do it my earshot  because I'll tell you how gutless you are . The only comments from millers have come from Tracy and Wilbur . There are millers who have read everything on the Chaff and yet have not commented one way or the other . I have pushed the lead millers case in what I percieve to be a unjust comparison to the Packer supervisors and recieved no comments . Don't you value your position ? Do you not think you do a good job ? This is a current issue and you are silent .

The fire alarm issue for example , let me ask the lead millers if they are happy about the current competency on their shift to deal with a crisis ? Not a word . How often have I sat in the control room listening to various millers whinge about this and that . Given a tool to express their frustations . Not a word !

Here's the acid test guys . When was the last time anyone found something on the A mill first cleaning  magnet ? Has it occured to somebody that the magnet is not strong enough ? Why do we have so much metal on the first break magnet ? Leave a comment , magnets are important .

You know the Men In White who have enhanced their reputation in this period of the Chaff ?  Well I'll tell you , it's Gary Douglas and Scott Thornberry  who have accepted criticism in good grace and good humour and got on with it without worrying. Respect .

Imagine your perfect job

Imagine your perfect job ! Very few of us have that elusive luxury of a dream occupation . We stay in our job for a variety of reasons and variables and sometimes these are not enough to excite us and we go through the motions because this is what we have to do everyday . We can't just suddenly up and leave and change our lives because most of us have kids , mortgages and the upheaval is too much to contemplate .

So what do we do ? Well it is best described by that Crosby Still Nash and Young song that says "if you can't be with the one you love then love the one you're with" . Meaning we make the best of what we've got . We have a level of energy and performance that we rise to . But is it our best ? Well no of course not , we do this stuff everyday and we get ourselves up for it as best we can .

So imagine your perfect job again ! Seems pretty unrealistic doesn't it ?  So now try and picture your current job but made perfect . For example a Storeman might imagine a fully covered area with a fork that drives and handles like a Rolls Royce , truck drivers who've had enough sleep , palettes that didn't break etc etc . Do you get the idea ? I'm going to give it a shot and some of my ideas will be realistic and others might be outlandish . You guys then have a crack , funny and crazy whatever , who knows we might unearth a gem that helps production or profit , you never know !

Here goes .........First up I want a Dust Patrol , every vitamin feeder that needs to be changed , every bin that needs to be cleaned . Call Dust patrol ! They're fully protected with the best equipment and they deal with spills too . They must have their own song that they perform before each dangerous job like the Ghostbusters . A bit like a turbo charged version of our current Bin Cleaners

Supermiller or Transformamiller . A dedicated highly experienced person that spends the shift pointing out my mistakes , teaching me the finer points of mllling , passing on his superpowers and knowledge .He concentrates on millers who need it ( like me ) and new blokes who have come from another country . There is always someone in the mill who could do with some tuition . The Dougos (the three of them ) would be good , they have the experience but they are busy with admin stuff that inhibits their ability to train . Maybe Brouffy or Groover .

I was going to have a massive whinge about the amount of cleaning we have to do but  I have been stopped in my tracks by a conversation Groover and I had with Daniel Von Felten one night at the pub . He is our overseas player and we were interested in the amount of cleaning he had to do when he started his career in Swiss rugby league . He insists that cleaning comprises 50 per cent of a millers job . Fifty bloody per cent , that means making more and more tackles and hit ups at the expense of fancy offloads and glory seeking line breaks . What do the Swiss know about league anyway ? Karl who is Daniel's brother reckons rugby league is for poofs and we should be playing Ice hockey considering how cold it is in Orange . Now I have heard it all , a Swiss person complaining about the cold in Australia .

Anyway back on topic , Daniel states emphatically that if each shift does their share than you should only have to spend an hour cleaning your floor . The Dougos (the three of them ) have tattoed the same thing on to our foreheads but we still don't get the message . Why ?  Are we lazy bastards ? Or is it easier said than done to deal with everything night shift throws at us and then be expected to clean also ? Discuss .

I expect some comments on this thread because I want some feedback from my brothers in White. Do you think we should spend half our time cleaning when we could be doing brake releases and other milling type jobs ? We can't do both as there are magazines to read , jokes to tell and smoko to have , not to mention upsetting the packers with reject and sending maintenance on wild goose chases on top of the starchies ! Just joking of course .

Who wants to be a Miller?

I have mentioned previously about the my perception of the diminished stature of the Men in White relative to the Packers and Workshop. We seem to have failed in the most basic of functions . Inspiring various personnel to try and be a miller . Surely an amazing Flour Mill like ours would prize the very function that it makes it exist ? Milling Wheat ! That's right we are not a packing mill or a maintenance mill . We are certainly not an office mill or a storemans mill . We are a flour mill that has stopped making millers .

We had one strategy that involved employing sons of current personnel when they had just come out of school . This is hit and miss . We want people who are passsionate about milling but we have taken the passion and incentive out of it . We were reduced to advertising in other areas like Tamworth where admittedly we did get Paul but he was the only one  . Now we are actively immigrating people from other countries to work here at Manildra Flour Mill . Why do the packers not want to be millers ? I know many guys in the packers who could be good millers like Cookie,Jingles and plenty of others . Is the design of the job wrong ? It may be percieved as too hard a work load and responsibility for not too much more money .

My experience trying to get out of the packers into the mixing plant was interesting because the various bosses resisted my requests to move even though there had been a vacancy for quite a while and it was only support from Muldoon and Bob Kizana that I eventually got an opportunity . Although the mixing plant is the accepted way to get into the mill , you didn't have to become a miller . You could just stay in the mixing plant , which is what most people did . Especially once they saw how hard the millers had to work ! This has now changed and the mixing plant is part and parcel of being a miller which means millers learn mixing plant and vice versa .

So where to from here ? It has to be said that there is a shortage of workers in Australia , many occupations are turning to other countries to fill their vacancies and skilled personnel can immigrate to Australia fairly easily . The mill has cast it's net far and  wide to get millers , I have seen adverts for millers in the Sydney papers extolling the virtues of living in the central west , I don't know if there was any response to these ads but we don't seem to have got anybody from them . I reckon we should grow millers from the inside .

Here's the crux of the matter, whoever we get still has to learn the mill from scratch virtually , because very few millers have worked in such a busy mill . In spite of their prior knowledge , most struggle to adapt to the difference in intensity and I reckon they have to go through a similar learning curve to an inexperienced person who might have come from the packers . At the very least the packer would be used to the shiftwork and culture of the place . Something an outsider has to adapt to . The ones that manage are valuable additions like Paul Potter who brought a lot of experience

Men in White

The Men in White are like the Men in Black except better . The backbone of the flour mill . Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith might have their laser weapons but we have our spats which can actually repel laser . Our laundry bills are more expensive but that's the price of being a Man in White . We kill aliens too and they make a mess !

Meanwhile the Kerry Packer supervisors are arriving for work in their limos ,their champagne is ready on ice , supermodels ready to go . What do we make of this ? Even worse Party HQ are having their latest rave , latest dance music  with exotic dancers to boot .  Surely The Men in White should have these priveliges  too , after all without any flour the other sections would not be able to live the high life . I'd go as far as to say that they should be paying us for subsidising their lifestyle . They don't even have to clean !!!

Why don't our Millers have the same prestige as say the Millers in Switerland , respected for their knowledge and application . Our millers do just the same ,if not more, bearing in mind the pressure they work under . Well this generation of Men in White are going to change things ,that's right , we're going to claim our rightful place in the scheme of things . We're gunna show them ! Who's with me ?????  What Nobody ! Well there is the problem right there . We are not really united . Not like Party HQ or the  Kerry Packers . What do we do ?  MEN IN WHITE UNITE !!!