More than 70 people have lost their jobs weeks out from Christmas due to the sudden closure of a Gippsland timber mill.

Chevy Hilder was one of the 73 workers told on Tuesday that the Associated Kiln Driers (AKD) sawmill at Yarram, more than two-and-a-half hours east of Melbourne, was shutting down immediately.

"That's a lot of people that will have to find a new job, or move out of the area," the 29-year-old said.

"There are just not enough jobs in the area for everyone who's going to be looking now.

"It's going to affect a whole lot more than they realise.

" It's really put a dampener on Christmas, it's not going to be a normal Christmas. "

As Australia's largest softwood producer, AKD employs 1,000 people nationwide.

The company cited challenges in the construction sector and i

See Full Page