A Life on the Furnaces

Written by: Angus Tarnawsky
Featuring: Doug White

It only cost ten pounds to get to Tasmania from Scotland,’ says Doug White with a wry smile. ‘It was a big move in those days.’

After leaving school at age 13, Doug spent two years with the Scottish National Service and afterwards worked in Scotland as a Barman. In 1956, he began working for the British Aluminium Company which in turn, led to his trip to Tasmania and a 29 year association with Bell Bay. Doug’s thin, pale complexion is weathered; a canvas painted with many colourful tales from a colourful life.

‘When I started, I was just an apprentice on the pots, looking after the furnaces where the aluminium was smelted,’ explains Doug. ‘In the furnace room, the conditions were very bad. Part of my job was lifting ‘buzz bars’ (steel rods) from the red-hot furnaces. They were immersed in a wet paste and when we lifted them, they contacted fresh paste sending green smoke bellowing everywhere! If you were standing at the furnace you couldn’t see the other end of it!’ laughs Doug. ‘Of course, none of these fumes were good for you!’

Somehow, Doug remained healthy and without any side effects. ‘Back then we didn’t realise about the dangers and there was no protective clothing; we just wore our normal clothes. 
We didn’t have safety glasses or masks and weren’t provide with boots or anything.’ ‘Anyway,’ continues Doug, ‘eventually they did away with those multi anode furnaces I worked in. The whole process was contained and people wore protective clothing and masks (respirators). Safety was really on the agenda when the company was taken over by the Americans. Things improved a great deal.’

‘I had a number of jobs through the years – change was normal. Eventually you progressed to better positions, I became Supervisor at the Alumina Plant that used top be next to the smelter and finally, a Foreman Supervisor,’ Doug says casually, taking a sip from his cup of tea. ‘Mind you, I always preferred to be outside,’ he adds.

Even after his redundancy in 1985, Doug’s relationship with Comalco isn’t quite finished. ‘My son works at Comalco. He started off as a motor-mechanic and now he’s what they call a Contract Specialist.’ Doug states proudly. ‘I’ve got two son in-laws working there as well. I guess it must be something in the water!’