The Mill

 As a student, an ancient school bus carried me past the plywood mill from Monday to Friday. The two seemed destined to end their useful lives on heaps of scrap metal.

 Decades later, I wanted to know more about the plant, the men who created it and those who kept it going. "The Mill" follows four generations of the Burchill Family from 1840 through the 1970s. Young George, his siblings, and their parents sailed up the Miramichi River from Ireland to start a new life. At six years old, he saw only possibilities. In his lifetime of grit and determination, he made them real.

John Percival, his son also looked to the future. He worked to sustain his father’s fortune through his role as a member of the Provincial Legislature.

George Percival, the heir to a neglected mill, emerged as a risk-tolerant, persistent industrialist who struggled to keep the lumber industry alive during two decades of depression. His ambitious and gregarious nature was tempered by a belief that he was part of a larger community.

John inherited his father’s irrepressible optimism. His secure childhood allowed the seeds of curiosity, and innovation to germinate. He emerged as the man who created a new era in forestry for Eastern North America.

"The Mill" recognizes the workers' contribution to the Burchill mills. As employees, they integrated their home-grown skills, keeping the machinery operating. The two sometimes, disparate bodies came together to create a legacy that will live on in future generations of Miramichiers.

"The Mill" is available on Amazon.ca in digital and hard copy. It can also be purchased at Mill Cove Cafe and Papa Joe's in Miramichi, for $20.