Ken Trimnell – keeping it fresh over four decades

Congratulations to Ken Trimnell, celebrating 40 years of service!

Ken has been through a few different jobs over the past four decades, which he says has always kept things feeling fresh. Thanks for sharing some of your story, Ken, and a big congratulations on your milestone.

“I moved from my birth town of Hamilton, Victoria in April 1983 as a 16-year-old to work at a small mill in Nangwarry called O.R. Beddison making ice cream sticks, where I worked for six months. In September 1983 I started working at Mount Gambier Pine Industries where my first job was grading and stacking timber behind a moulder in the Drymill.

After a couple of years, I progressed into the furniture components section, eventually moving into the job of setting up the machinery for others to operate.

By 2003 when the company became government owned, I had moved up to 2IC, and in 2004 MGPI closed and diverted the log to the Jubilee Highway site, where I started working at our Drymill.

It took me a while to overcome the challenges of working in the main site especially because the new role also included shift work (day and afternoon) which I had never done before. Everyone on my shift was great and boy did we have some characters!

I started my work at Stores on a ‘temporary’ 3-month agreement in 2008 and a couple of years later it became permanent. It’s now been 15 years in stores with several different managers and co-workers in that time. I remember the time I decided to cut off my mullet and Caroll walked in the office and nearly fell on the floor when she saw it was all cut off.

Outside of work one of my passions has always been cars, and most recent Parkrun. It was in a Parkrun that I met my wife Leanne, and we’ve been married since March 2022. I recently completed my 200^th parkrun and we do travel a lot to be part of these events.

It doesn’t feel like it’s been 40 years since I started, but I have moved through so many roles over the years it’s always seemed fresh. I have met a lot of people over that time with many memories that made me who I am today.”