When the public announcement system crackled to life at Wodonga Technical School in 1976, Peter Klein didn't hesitate.

Macquarie Textiles in Albury needed an apprentice dye chemist. The form five student wanted in.

A quick conversation with his chemistry teacher sealed the deal.

"They said, 'Why don't you give it a go?'" Mr Klein said.

So he did, and got the job.

It was a modest salary to begin with; his wage at the mill was about $64 a week.

But it was the start of a career — and a life's work — that would last more than 20 years.

Decades of manufacturing

Macquarie Textiles — also known as Amalgamated Textiles and Macquarie Worsteds — operated in Albury between 1923 and 2020.

Established by local graziers, it produced wools, blankets and industrial cloth for everything from high-

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