About Creative Paper
There have been many people that have contributed to the development of Creative Paper and its success over the years, including a long list of apprentice paper makers, graphic artists, passionate paper artists, volunteers and people from the Burnie community. Without the contribution of this long list of people and the dedication of the Burnie Community, Creative Paper would not be what it is today.
Conception
The concept grew from Charles Turner, a paper chemist who had a passion for hand made paper. The idea for the mill was conceived in the mid 1990’s by members of the creative living centre. This new opportunitites program scheme to assist Burnie’s unemployed develop new skills in paper making. A board was created that included Bob Burrows, Catherine Fernon and Bryan Green.
Experimentation
Creative paper began experimenting and specializing in making papers from a variety of waste products including denim jeans, waste cotton fibres and a range of plant fibres including hemp, cordyline and red hot poker. This attracted interest from a range of businesses and Creative Paper soon became the supplier of paper products to the Body Shop, Australian Geographic and The Cotton Shop. At one stage there were over 40 apprentice paper makers working at the mill and there were also spaces at the studios offered to artists in residence who were experimenting with paper art.
New Focus
In November 2000 a state government grant enabled Creative Paper Mill to open its door to the public for the first time. Creative Paper was now to focus on paper making tours and opened a gallery gift shop to sell its paper’s and paper art. So not only was it a business that was providing skills, work experience and jobs for the unemployed, but it was also a new tourist destination for the visitors to Burnie.
Sustainability
Despite Creative Paper’s vision to supply a range of businesses with its unique paper, and its attempt to improve it’s operations by focusing on the tourism industry, the company was under severe financial difficulties and was facing an uncertain future. After several rescue attempts from grant schemes and it list of staff having to go with out pays for several months Creative Paper was in need of a serious rescue plan! Thanks to a community supported campaign which was taken on by the local media, the Burnie City Council agreed to get behind Creative Paper and took ownership of the company in October 2003.
future
The Burnie council formed a new business plan and direction for Creative Paper. The business was re-branded, and its name was changed from Creative Paper Mill to Creative Paper Tasmania. A new range of Tasmanian papers were developed including the famous Roo Poo™ paper under the reign of Joanna Gair a Paper Maker from Scotland. Naturally Creative Paper received a call from Taronga Zoo wanting the paper makers to make an Elephant Dung paper. So they did. They also developed a Boags Beer Paper and stepped outside the square that little bit further by producing a seed paper that can be planted and grown.
setback
In June 2007, Creative Paper was destined to move into a new building on Burnie’s water front, however it wasn’t meant to be. Tragically in April, only weeks before the grand opening, the building was burnt down. In July 2007 Michelle Wubbolts (formally Green) took over the role as Business Manager and had the job of overseeing renovations to the current building and working on organizing the IAPMA (International Association of Paper Makers & Paper Artists) conference in Burnie.
where are we today?
We are now one of Tasmania’s iconic tourist destinations and love the fact that we can pass on our love of paper making to visitors. We are in the process of planning a new ‘purpose built’ building for Burnie’s water front, which is due to open in October 2009. Things are going better than ever at the mill with artistic activity and paper making galore! Our most recent paper’s that we have developed are our Apple Isle paper, made from apple pulp and recycled cotton and our Makers Paper made from pure cotton rag. This particular high quality paper is suitable for water colour artists, printing and etching.
