When Mick Puche’s son Toby finished school and looked towards a trade it was only logical to check in with the wind division at the city’s second-largest employer. 

Yesterday both father and son were left wondering what the future holds after October when the company will shed 100 staff. 

“These young blokes, they have to either stay here or go down to the big cities to find work,” Mick Puche said.

“Keppel Prince gave them the opportunities to find work here.  

“They’re tradesmen now. For that to be taken away from them is bizarre and it’s just not right. 

“We’re a very small town and we’re able to groom our young people to come through this industry and have a trade after it. I just really feel let down.” 

Even the company’s boss Steve Garner has sons at the business. 

“I’ve got two sons here and one of them will be going,” Mr Garner said. 

It’s a similar situation for the Wakely family. 

Carey, 51, will take a voluntary redundancy in the desperate hope that his son Zane, 21, will be one of the few left in a core team to reboot the wind division if the market picks up. 

“I’m thinking about taking a voluntary redundancy myself because I hope that Zane’s job will survive, but that might not happen either,” Mr Wakely said. 

David Mills started work at Keppel Prince 27 years ago and helped Zane find his job there. 

“We’ve known that something was going to happen for the last few weeks but you try and ignore those things until it actually happens,” Mr Mills said. 

“When it does happen it really hits you. 

“I’m very angry. The government has been sitting on its hands.”