People Make a Plant

Written by: Cathy Byers
Featuring: Alec Millar

After 28 years at what is now called Comalco, and affiliated aluminium plants, Alec Millar has many distinct memories of the people with whom he worked and the place that was more than a plant. Now in his eighties, enjoying retirement in Queensland, he is a font of fascinating facts and recollections, He spent twenty years working at the Comalco plant having worked in both the technical and managerial areas. It was in his role as Assistant Manager and then Acting General Manager that he became better known throughout the plant and well liked for his genial nature.

From George Town he went first to Invercarghill, New Zealand as Acting General Manager, then to Boyne Island, Queensland, as the Manager of the Potlines. Alec Millar’s first memory of the Bell Bay plant was his interview for the fledging aluminium plant at George Town late in 1957. Furthermore, it is with some amusement that he recalls that a job offer for the position of Technical Officer came not in one of the sparkling new offices but, of all places, the toilet block, which then existed south of 1 Line, near the original administration block.

From this rather inauspicious start, Mr Millar enjoyed a rich and fulfilling working life at Comalco. He particularly enjoyed learning about, improving and applying new technology. The original technology was that of British Aluminium which was used in plants operating in Scotland. It was in fact Scottish supervisors who started the Comalco plant. A ‘wee’ fact ascertained in investigating the early days of the aluminium plant is that there was quite an injection of Scottish influence on the culture of George Town and beyond. In addition to their technical expertise at the plant, these men and their families made a sturdy contribution to many parts of the community, from their involvement in the renown Caledonian society, to participation in many sport arenas and clubs. Highland dancing also became a popular local social activity.

During his time at Comalco, Mr Millar held several positions and went from Technical Officer to Production Manager and finally General Manager at New Zealand Aluminium Smelters (NZAS).

Mr Millar originally worked as a Metallurgist at Comalco, but just what was the role of a Metallurgist? Mr Millar was only too willing to explain that aluminium was produced to the ingot, billet or block stage by dissolving alumina in molten cryolite at 960 degrees ad then reducing it to aluminium by electrolysis. This procedure took approximately 12.5 kilowatts of power for every kilogram of aluminium produced.

When asked if he could have changed any aspect of the job or what he would have changed, Mr Millar thought for a while and then replied that it was the staggering 150% per annum labour turnover that should have been given a priority. He described the work as ‘at least, uncongenial and back breaking.’ For example, in the early days 1 Line was very poor compared to what potlines are today. The potline had no fume extractors and the men ‘worked in conditions reminiscent of a Charles Dickens novel’. Today is a very different story from the earlier years as fume extraction technology has practically wiped out the fluoride being discharged into the atmosphere.

Given Mr Millar’s vivid depiction of the difficult working conditions in the early years, it is easy to see why staff turnover was a concern.

Thankfully safety during the ongoing years, which was mainly brought about by American influences promoting standard operation procedures and ongoing protective components as a consequence, has steadily increased man hours worked without time lost or accidents.

Mr Millar went on to assure us that he felt that the spirit of togetherness has greatly improved over the recent years and that Comalco in his time was always a good place to work. He added with a reflective smile, ‘People make a plant’.