In the series of Big Interviews , here is the fourth . It's our Tony the halfback of the team .
1. Are You Scottish or Great British ?
.
Well of course it depends on who's winning the medals / game / championship etc. but I also became a fair dinkum real Aussie bloke a couple of years ago (and have the passport to prove it)
2 Do You ever say " Och awa the noo " ?
No, I’ve never said ‘Och awa the noo’ (is it some old Australian phrase?) but I’ll regularly say ‘away an bile yer heid ya numpty chookter, ye dinnae ken whit yer talkin
aboot, bawheid!’ – particularly during our morning production meetings.
3 Where have you come from ? Tell us a bit about the Mills you have worked at ?
Started at the Mill in April 2001. I only worked for one Milling Company prior to joining Manildra, but I spent time at a number of their Mills around the UK– around 10 from memory and quite a few of which have now sadly shut down. (Nothing to do with me, honest!) Some were all-bulk facilities with no flour packing, which was a bit boring, but I also worked at a mill in Belfast where we had a couple of sets of millstones, which we used for milling Stoneground flour. I also spent a couple of years in an elevator mill, where the mill stocks are all conveyed by elevator rather than by pnuematic lifts as we have here, and the rolls were belt driven by lineshafts as opposed to individual motors. In essence, a couple of large motors ran all the rolls and the elevators. Also, because there was no bulk storage bins, we had to pack flour and millmix straight off the Mill – no smoko breaks in those days otherwise the mill would stop!
4. Do you feel at home in Orange seeing as the weather is the same as Scotland ?
Scotland’s warmer (and a lot greener)
5 You were a student of Robert Solterman . Were you paying attention ?
Obviously not – as I was never a student of Robert! (Time to get a new researcher, Pat)
6 Do you think the Men in White should go to Switzerland like they used to ? You know absorb some Swiss Milling culture .
The Swiss Milling School is able to offer some additional technical training, but we think that most of this training can be just as successfully achieved by on-site, on the job training with Robert Solterman. That is not to say that we don’t review opportunities for appropriate candidates to spend time there – we have done in the past and will continue to do so in the future.
7. You certainly brought some organization to the production process . Are you the same at home or do you slob out ?
There are six females at home - including our two dogs. As you can imagine , I don’t organise a great deal and pretty much just do as I’m told!
8 Wine or Beer ? Or do you like a wee dram ?
Yeah – but not all in the same glass. I have to say that I do miss a decent pint of Scottish ale – it took me ages to get used to the fizzy pop that you (we) Aussies pass off as beer.
9. Are you a Man in White or are you Management ?
I’m whatever Mr John Campbell asks me to be!
10 You are an enthusiastic runner , you have even roped your whole family to the caper .
You are a bit out in your term ‘enthusiastic runner’ – more like ‘lumbering plodder’ – but it’s an easy way to exercise and enjoy some fresh air at the same time. Our family joined the Orange Runners Club really by accident, when we first moved to Orange and the club was still fairly small. Now there are regularly over 100 runners/joggers/walkers who turn up at our Wednesday and Sunday runs. It is also very family friendly and there are probably as many school children as there are adults who take part. Check out the website www.orangerunnersclub.org.au and come along!
11 Being a runner do you secretly think the MMRT are a bunch of pussies ?
Not at all – I am full of praise and admiration for our two-wheeled friends and am sure they will do Manildra, and themselves, proud with their sterling endeavours. However I do like the following quote by the late French cyclist and sports writer, Henri Desgrange, who said…’I still feel that variable gears are only for people over forty-five. Isn’t it better to triumph by the strength of your muscles than by the artifice of a derailleur? We are getting soft…As for me, give me a fixed gear!’ – or in my case a pair of trainers
12 Do you carry a concealed weapon to the production meetings or do you get someone to watch your back ?
Neither – but you will notice that as I usually tend to be massively outnumbered, I always sit closest to the nearest available exit.
13 Is John good to to the pub with or is he more a restaurant man ?
Pub / restaurant – I don’t think John really minds, as long as it’s within cycling distance, and he doesn’t have to be there on time.
14 We all think Dick Honan is a cuddly teddy bear but we all run away when he visits . You have to engage him . Who is the real Dick ?
Dick Honan helps to pay my mortgage, enough said?
15 Have you ever worked with a better bunch of Millers than us lot ?
Of course not, and frankly I’m surprised that you should even think to ask! Oh, and remember I have to work with you guys.
16 Are these all leading questions ? Yes ! But I know you can handle it Tony .
No problem Pat, happy to oblige.
