In August 1981, The Border Mail ran a feature lauding the arrival of Australian Newsprint Mills in our region.
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The opening of the $160 million factory at Ettamogah was, quite rightly, shouted from the rooftops.
The Albury-Wodonga Development Corporation pointed out it was to join "a lot of big names already operating efficiently and profitably out of Albury-Wodonga, including Rheem, Uncle Ben's, Sanyo, Borg Warner, Moore Paragon, Australasian Training Aids, HD Lee and Wilson Transformers".
Among the host of benefits spruiked in the feature was the "strategic location" between Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra and Adelaide and "unparalleled lifestyle opportunities for executives and workers".
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Those words remain as true today as they were almost 40 years ago but sadly, of the businesses mentioned above, only Uncle Ben's (now Mars Petcare), Wilson Transformers and Australasian Training Aids (now Australian Target Systems) will have a presence in the Albury-Wodonga region from 2020.
Rheem (hot water systems), Sanyo (televisions), HD Lee (clothing), Borg Warner (transmissions) and Moore Paragon (printing) have disappeared from the business landscape in Albury-Wodonga over the past three decades, resulting in the losses of thousands of jobs.
Earlier this year, Nationals deputy leader Senator Bridget McKenzie told the National Press Club in Wodonga that the Twin Cities could reach a combined population of 375,000 in two decades.
In the wake of this week's news at Norske Skog, such a figure seems ludicrous because without jobs, it's impossible for our population to grow.
Let's be clear, news of Visy's purchase isn't all doom and gloom.
The company has a proven track record of investment, as evidenced by its $1.9 billion splash in the US recently, and once the plant has been repurposed for whatever its plans may be, the site is sure to be a job-driving money spinner for our region.
But that could take 18-24 months to come to fruition and, in the meantime, there will be 180 Norske Skog workers without a job which isn't just a paper cut, it's a body blow.