IN 1968, John Gorton was Prime Minister of Australia, the Beatles were in the charts with Hey Jude and Otis Redding was Sitting on the Dock of the Bay.
But, for OneFortyOne’s Pete Ransom, 1968 was the year he left school and started working in the timber industry, a journey that will soon end as he enters retirement.
Little did Pete know all those years ago that he would forge a lifelong career in the industry, something he has grown to love over 50 years.
“I have been really lucky and done so many different jobs in the timber industry,” Mr Ransom said.
“My first job was stacking timber and since then I have driven trucks, operated machinery and had top notch training and development in a variety of jobs, keeping life interesting.”
Over the past 50 years Pete has lived through many industry changes from significant improvements in safety, to increasingly high-tech and cutting-edge sawmilling operations.
“There really has been a lot of changes in this industry over my career, but the one thing that never changes is the people,” he said.
“It is the people who make our industry what it is and I feel lucky to have been part of it for so long.
“Working in the timber industry for over 50 years, is more than just a job, more than a career even – it’s been a wonderful lifelong opportunity to keep learning new skills, work with a great bunch of people and feel happy at the end of the day for having done a good day’s work.”
After five decades of working in the industry, Pete looks forward to his next set of adventures and plans to volunteer his time with local charities, hit the road on his beloved motorbike and travel around Australia.
