AS the final shift for all but a skeleton crew ended at Ettamogah's Norske Skog paper mill on Friday there was one 22 year-old who had extra reason to feel sentimental.
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Lachlan Burles was the third generation of his family to be employed at the plant.
He followed his grandfather Tony, father David, aunt Debbie and uncles Hayden and Steven.
Lachlan only began in June as a sixth hand, on the dry end of the printing process, after having long had ambitions to work there like his relatives.
"I knew it would go under at some point but it was reliable work and I was lucky to get in though unfortunately it only lasted six months," he said.
"It was a bit special (to have family ties) because most of the people, even if I had never met them, they my pop or my uncle or my dad."
Tony started in newsprint at the Boyer mill in his native Tasmania in the mid-1960s before moving to the Border and training machine operators from the opening of the Ettamogah site in 1981.
"My (late) wife Fay had never been out of Tasmania and wanted to come and I said 'I'll give it five years and go back' and I'm still here," Tony said.
Children Hayden, David, Steven and Debbie then came to toil, with the first two rising to be shift managers, Steven completing an apprenticeship as a fitter and Debbie worked in the office.
David said all Burles would have given more than 100 years between them.
"I am sure a great deal of employees will have success in their new roles elsewhere from experience and skills learnt at the mill," David said.
"Those experiences we have all shared as a family both professionally and personally will hopefully put us in good stead for the future."
Lachlan has got a job at T-Shirt World in Albury, but is contemplating attending university or travelling overseas in the longer term.
"The vibe today was a bit surreal," he said after his job ended at 2.30pm on Friday.
"I think everyone got that feeling we're just going to come back but it's done."
