Celebrating 50 years of being part of the KCA family

WHEN Malcolm first walked through the gates of Kimberly-Clark’s Millicent Mill as a 17-year-old apprentice fitter and turner – just two days after his birthday – he never imagined he’d still be there five decades later.

But ask him why he stayed, and the answer comes easily. “I really like it here. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have stuck around for 50 years.”

Born at the old Millicent hospital and raised on a dairy farm on Rocky Camp Road, Malcolm’s connection to the region runs deep.

It was on that farm that his passion for making and fixing things came to life.

As a teenager, he built a go-kart powered by twin lawn-mower engines – a homegrown creation that caught the attention of visiting Kimberly-Clark engineers.

“They asked who built it,” he said. “Dad said, ‘He did it all himself.’ I was 14. They said, ‘We need people like that at Kimberly-Clark.’”

Just a few years later, he proved them right.

Malcolm started as an apprentice back when the team still referred to the company as APCEL, a historic SA-based group owned by the Australian Paper Manufacturers and Cellulose1.

He’s proud to have been part of the Mill’s evolution, working over the years as part of the ‘Mill Gang’ and spending nearly 30 years as a shift fitter, supporting maintenance across multiple tissue machines around the clock.

He’s witnessed enormous transformation in the industry and the site itself.

“Nearly everything here came after I did,” he said.

From trains delivering every bolt and beam to today’s modern truck-driven logistics, from handmade parts to digital processes, the mill has evolved, yet Malcolm’s curiosity and pride in craftsmanship have never wavered.

“Back then, we made parts straight away,” he said. “Everyone fixed things! My father told a story of me fixing my grandma’s walking stick with a new rubber stopper when I was just two years old. People don’t necessarily do that anymore.”

If there’s a secret to working half a century in the same place, Malcolm believes it comes down to two things: curiosity and a sense of pride.

“After you’ve been here as long as I have, people look to you like you’re a part-owner,” he said. “Always act like you own it.”

Malcolm describes how this strong sense of pride impacts his work, noting that he’ll still stay and overlap with incoming shifts to ensure anything he’s been looking at is operating properly – even if he’s been up all night.

1 Apcel Ltd was a South Australian-based wood pulp and paper company established in the late 1950s near Millicent, primarily to produce pulp and paper products using local forestry resources: Department of Primary Industries and Regions

“If you’d fixed a piece of equipment, you don’t want to hear anything bad come out of that,” Malcolm said. “You don’t want to hear, oh, that failed after a week. You want to hear that it lasted years.”

That mindset has guided him through thousands of shifts, countless projects, and three decades on the safety committee, something he’s still incredibly passionate about.

There’s an innate curiosity that comes through when you speak to Malcolm.

“I was always wondering what are they going to build next? Can I be part of that? Those sort of questions kept me here”.

It’s also a commitment to what the team makes at Millicent.

“The products will always be a part of me. Even when I go overseas, I buy Kimberly-Clark. It’s just a really good product!”

Outside the Mill, Malcolm still loves making things, with a more recent passion for woodworking and photography, as well as traveling with his wife – something he plans to do a lot more of in his upcoming retirement.

He was also a longstanding member of the local Apex Club and remains part of the Lions club.

“K-C helped those clubs, and those clubs help the community,” he said.

Malcolm also had a message for the next generation.

“You’ve got to have an interest in [your work],” he said. “If you’re curious, you’ll get into it. And once you’re here, stick with it. See something through.”

Malcolm is most proud of his ability to take on multiple roles and adapt to change – something incredibly pertinent in today’s work landscape.

This month leaders from across Kimberly-Clark’s Family Care & Professional division, including ANZ Managing Director David Tyack, are gathering at Millicent to celebrate Malcolm’s milestone.

It’s a moment the entire mill is proud to recognise: 50 years of skill and dedication, that’s helped create products used by millions of Australians.