Jim Mullins
Jim arrived from New Forrest, Southern England in 1956 at Broome, WA.
Jim, along with Ken Read and two other lads emigrated to Australia to see what life could offer at the other end of the world.
Started at Berri Winery in 1957 working various postions during his employment as Workshop/ Cellar/Vintage Hand and then 1966 and part of 1997. They worked casual vintages from 1967 to 1972-3. During this period they had purchased a property from Harold Coats at Glossop. So the vintage job provided some extra finance.
Said that No. 4 Cellar was built in 1958 for the 1959 vintage.
Don and Betty McKenzie gave son Ian McKenzie a Rolex watch for his 21st Birthday. Jim remembers the band broke and the watch and pen fell into a Block 6 20,000 gallon tank of fortified wine. It was found safe and sound after the tank contents had been pumped out. Maybe still working; check with Ian!
During the first vintage in No.4 Cellar Ivor and Jim (vintage hand) developed a whistle system to tell each other where each of them were below and above the fermenters. This was used when they were moving headboards etc. It was a very loud area and the sharp whistle did the trick.
Recalls the final plaster coat of the No.4 Cellar red fermenters was like glass and was a credit to the skills of Bert Solly and Alan Crook.
Remembers Herman Wierenga in charge of Workshop in 1959. Then followed by Butt Reece.
Jim recalled a phone call from Doug Collett during one vintage to go to Lubiana Wines at Moorook to repair an air bag press. He had just worked a shift at Berri and duly went and fixed the problem. In the dead of night, wet and cold, it was quite a task.
Charlie Ahrens, worked on Bond Store, father of Ron who married Yvonne of the Dalmation dog fame. Jim remembers that he used to help Charlie cart mallee logs from behind the excise house and the gear stick and tipping lever were very close together. occassionally Charlie, who was driver, would change gears and grasp the tipping lever instead of the gear stick. By the time they had stopped the load was strewn along the roadway which had to be reloaded for delivery to the stack at the east end of the boiler room.
DHC - Luftwaffe pilot visit. Both flew in the same war zone. Luftwaffe pilot's aircraft was struck by lightning and had to ditch over England and spent rest of was in camp in England. They spent a lost weekend at the winery with a celebration of the great things to enjoy.
Steam line expansion bend at south door of main cellar. Leaking and Butt Reece said to get rid of it. Did so and when the steam valve was opened, the expansion of the line moved the upright column of the north west corner of the barrel-shed by some six inches. No one was guilty!! However the structural damage was repaired by winching the column and frame back to the perpendicular and a new expansion unit installed. All systems go.
Bottling Cellar posed a few problems. "You may like to expand Jim".
Following my return from Loxton we trialed DEPC (diethylpyrocarbonate). This compound was a bacterial/yeast inhibitor and the method of use was not to today's practices. One employee, Lorna Guppy, was exposed to a dose that resulted in substantial damage to Lorna's eyes.
Another employee in the Bottling Cellar was Hazel Conway. Husband Terry worked with Bert Solly in Civil Works and with Bob Rowe in No. 1 Cellar during vintage.
Jim thought the extra 4 Gray & Donaldson Airbag Presses were installed in either 1963 or 1964. Minutes of BCWD confirm 1962 vintage.
Installing 4 Gray & Donaldson Airbag Presses
Installing catwalk mesh in angle iron frame. Because they were welding in close proximity to the press bladders Jim decided to have hose ready in case of any sparks. He bent the end of the hose and jammed it into a mesh opening and then proceeded to weld. A vintage employee needed to wash the floor and when Jim was welding gave the hose a tug and water was sprayed everywhere. Jim leapt up and his leg disappeared down between the space between two un-welded sections of mesh and fractured his kneecap.
We conducted a profile of people and time period and I think it was Brian Falkenberg, being of fair hair and a likeble young chap.
Jim recollects that 3 rectifier sections of the Old Continuous Still were stolen from the plant during the 1966 Xmas period.
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