Tumbarumba’s timber mill is at the centre of celebrations this year as it marks a quarter century of operation, coinciding with fifth-generation James Hyne hanging up his boots after 50 years. Photo: Hyne Timber.
It was 1976, and a 15-year-old James Hyne was riding his pushbike to work at a Queensland timber pole yard.
Now, half a century later, he’s decided to step away from the company that bears his family’s name with much to reflect on – not least a legacy built on the foundations laid by those before him, but one that now stretches all the way to the foothills of the Snowy Mountains.
Hyne Timber’s Tumbarumba mill, this year celebrating its 25th year, stands as one of the most tangible expressions of what that legacy looks like in practice.
Mr Hyne’s entry into the workforce was, by design, unglamorous.
His grandfather, third-generation patriarch Lambert Hyne, made one thing clear before his grandson set foot on site at age 17: there would be no special treatment for the family name.
So his first assignment was shovelling mud at the treatment plant.
It was, in hindsight, a formative lesson in the culture Lambert was protecting – one built not on hierarchy or inheritance, but on hard work, shared purpose and mutual respect.
It’s a lesson his grandson carried his entire career as his path wound through almost every corner of the business. Hardwood and softwood. Pole yards and log yards. The shop floor. And then the boardroom, where he served as a director, contributing to strategic decisions that shaped Hyne’s growth across generations – including the bold move south that would define the company’s modern era.
When Hyne Timber acquired and expanded the Tumbarumba Sawmill in 2001, it was the company’s most ambitious undertaking to date.
About 90 per cent of the old site would be rebuilt as part of a $180 million investment, transforming what existed in the small Snowy Mountains town into a robust world-class operation employing more than 200 people.
For a company founded in 1882 with its roots firmly planted in Maryborough, Queensland, it was a strategic masterstroke – opening the door to southern markets and signalling the company’s intent to compete at the highest level and where nothing goes to waste.
Today, the mill processes about 500,000 cubic metres of log per year – the equivalent of timber for around 16,600 framed homes – drawing on a plantation pine log supply that is locally grown, independently certified, and harvested and replanted as part of a renewable cycle.
All by-products are either used as biofuel to heat the mill’s own heat plant or sold to local customers including Visy’s nearby Tumut operation.
The mill has also shown it can adapt when tested.
The Black Summer fires of 2019-20 triggered 15 months of unprecedented salvage operations, with 1.6 million burnt plantation pine logs processed through Tumbarumba – enough timber to nearly wrap twice around the Earth. The last burnt log was processed in May 2021.
In 2020, amid that effort, the company introduced the Tumba robots – a world-first, fully automated sorting and packing unit using optical recognition to sort and stack graded timber, and eliminating the manual handling injuries that had long been a risk on the floor.
In 2024, a new 4700 sqm storage facility followed, supported by the Australian and NSW governments and built to hold up to 4000 cubic metres of rough sawn, kiln dried timber – a direct response to the extreme weather characteristic of the region.
Now in its 25th year, the mill finds itself responding to fire once again.
Burnt salvage logs from fire-damaged plantations in the wake of the Walwa River Road bushfires are arriving at Tumbarumba, where crews strip the charred bark and process the timber into structural framing for housing construction.
As site manager Kristina Kaminski put it: “We have been here before, and the team knows what to do. We are part of a whole of industry, as well as community, coordinated effort and we will certainly be doing our bit here in Tumba.”
That sense of community obligation is woven into the fabric of the operation.
The Hyne Community Trust, founded in 2007, has contributed nearly one million dollars to local initiatives over its life – from infrastructure upgrades to life-saving equipment for the SES and fire services.
For Ms Kaminski, 2026 is not just about marking 25 years of operations, but celebrating everything that has been built alongside the mill – the people, the challenges overcome – and the town that has grown with it.
It is a sentiment that James Hyne understands better than most.
Ask him what he’ll miss most and the answer is also rooted in community.
“It has always been said, from generation to generation, that Hyne is about its people – and I couldn’t agree more,” he said.
“I thank all those who have been part of my journey over the years – far too many to mention,” Mr Hyne added. “There have been many great leaders that have provided inspiring mentoring, and it has been a privilege to be part of a company built on the strength of its people.”
In paying tribute to Mr Hyne’s service, Hyne Group chair Tom Bruce-Jones described his retirement as thoroughly earned.
“James has made a remarkable contribution to both the business and the community with an incredible 50 years of service,” Mr Bruce-Jones said.
“Being highly regarded throughout the company and as a local Maryborough man, the announcement of his retirement will no doubt be met with mixed emotions.
“However, I am sure we can all agree it is well-deserved, and I wish him all the very best with this next, hopefully more relaxed, chapter.”
Mr Hyne himself departs with optimism, acknowledging the company’s growing international profile and its strategic partnership with James Jones as cause for genuine excitement.
“It has has been an extraordinary journey and one I will always be grateful for.
“I wish the business and the broader industry every success for the future,” he said.
Original Article published by Edwina Mason on About Regional.
