James Hyne, a fifth-generation member of the iconic Hyne timber family business, is retiring after 50 years’ service to the company. His career, which began at the 144-year-old Hyne Timber business, began in 1976 when, as a 15-year-old, he rode his pushbike to work in the company’s Maryborough pole yard. He will officially step down on 31 March.
His grandfather, third-generation Lambert James Hyne, made one thing clear before James joined the payroll at 17:
“No special treatment, no free lunches.” The teenager’s first assignment was shovelling mud at the Hyne treatment plant.
From that start, James moved across hardwood and softwood operations, log yards and pole yards, before eventually serving as a director on the Hyne board. Acquisitions, restructures, leadership changes and new locations — James was present for most of them. And whilst the business changed many times over half a century, it is the people he worked alongside that he nominates as his most treasured memories.
“It has always been said, from generation to generation, that Hyne is about its people and I couldn’t agree more,” James said. “From riding my push bike into the pole yard at 15 to walking out after 50 years, it has been an extraordinary journey and one I will always be grateful for.”
His brother Peter remains with the business, leading the group’s expanding pallets division. And the sixth generation is already fully in place. Henry, son of James, is completing an electrician’s apprenticeship within the business, whilst Sam, Peter’s son, is currently on secondment to James Jones and Sons Ltd — the Scottish timber company whose partnership with Hyne has been central to the group’s international expansion.
Hyne Group Chair Tom Bruce-Jones said the retirement was well-deserved, acknowledging that James’ contribution extended beyond the boardroom. “Being highly regarded throughout the company and as a local, Maryborough man, the announcement will no doubt be met with mixed emotions,” Bruce-Jones said. “However, I am sure we can all agree it is well-deserved to say the least, and I wish him all the very best with this next, hopefully more relaxed, chapter.”
In recent years, James was a fixture in the broader Maryborough community — backing local men’s sheds, supporting the Rally for a Cause charity, fronting recruitment expos and speaking in classrooms about the history and future of Hyne and the timber industry.
In his farewell remarks, he pointed directly to the James Jones partnership and the group’s continued global growth as reasons for optimism. “As I retire, I acknowledge the exciting times for Hyne, particularly through the partnership with James Jones and the continued global growth and expansion,” James said. “I wish the business and the broader industry every success for the future.”
Please Note: Wood Central senior editor Jim Bowden has covered the Hyne family across more than six decades, including interviewing third-generation Lambert Hyne at the company’s Maryborough office. His full feature on the company’s history — 140 Years of Growth: Book Another Milestone in Hyne’s Remarkable Story of Achievement.
