The printing industry is mourning the sudden loss of Eastern Press owner Frank Hilliard with the 72-year-old being remembered as a true gentleman that never held a grudge, would do anything for anybody and was a wonderful person to do business with who lived life to the fullest.

Hilliard passed away peacefully on Monday night in Melbourne after a short illness leaving his wife Irene, family and colleagues at Eastern Press reeling in shock with the devastating news.

As the sad news of his passing emerged many from within the industry have come out to share stories and reflect on their many dealings with Hilliard and Eastern Press over the years.

Many have also reflected with sadness that due to the current coronavirus restrictions, a proper funeral service at this time will not be able to held for Frank with Wayne Eastaugh of Marvel Bookbinding saying he would have had enough people there to “almost fill the MCG”.

John Doggett, of KW Doggett, described Hilliard as a “bloody good mate” and reflected on the 25 years he spent dealing professionally with him but also the six golfing trips they took together to Ireland, England, Scotland and France, including Hilliard’s love of swimming all year around even in the freezing waters of Scotland.

“Frank is one of the most genuine and generous men I’ve ever met. He was a bloody good mate,” Doggett told Sprinter.

“It is an incredible shock for everyone, especially as he was such a fit guy, but if there is one thing in life it is that when your number is up, your number is up. He swam everyday in the ocean all year and he rode his bike and walked his dog.

“He used to swim all the time. I remember we were over in Scotland and it was freezing cold and he said he would go for a swim today and I’d say ‘you’re mad’ but he did it.”

Richard Timson, head of sales, at Heidelberg described Hilliard as a wonderful and loyal customer, who was also recognised as the proud owner of Australia’s 1000th Heidelberg Speedmaster 52 in 2007.

“He was always a really good and loyal customer of Heidelberg and he was very well loved and liked by everyone,” Timson told Sprinter.

“He was a thorough gentlemen and he was really good to do business with and our thoughts go out to the whole family and all those at his work as well.

“I think he did enjoy life to the fullest and he well and truly lived it.”

Wayne Eastaugh, the owner of Marvel Bookbinding, has been a supplier and customer of Eastern Press since 1986 could not speak highly enough of Hilliard, describing him as an honest and hardworking gentlemen who had done the right thing the whole way through in running his own business.

“This is absolutely shocking news. Frank’s word was his bond and he was that guy that you could trust what he said. He ran a very tight and honest business. From a customer supplier point of view he has been amazing. If you needed payment a little bit quicker he would always look after you.

“I think that can be judged by the staff that he has around him as well. I deal with all of his staff and he is so loved by his staff. I’ve spoken to them offering my condolences and they are just in tears about his passing. So it is just so sad really. I’ve had a long relationship with him and he’s always been a loyal customer of ours. We’ve never had a bad word really. If anything did come up it was resolved in a gentlemen-like way. It’s been really good.

“I’m sad he can’t have a proper send off because of all the funeral restrictions. You’d almost fill the MCG with people that would want to go.”

“He will be sadly missed because those guys that have been around the industry for a long time and who have done the right thing all the way through, it is just sad to see those guys not around anymore. It is just horrendous. He was an awesome payer, he never dragged you out on payment. He ran a strong business. He was a very good businessman and did everything ethically and it was all based on strong relationships.”

Nick Waterman owns a number of businesses in partnership with Hilliard, including print management company Nichemark and a boxing supply manufacturing business, Jim Bradley Speedball, and has done so for the last 20 years.

“Frank was a wonderful and beautiful person and a gentlemen. I was the first person he worked with when he came over from Ireland, I was on one machine and Frank was the true craftsman printer and I worked opposite him. I had a modicum of knowledge and in those days the people that couldn’t work on the floor got bumped into sales so I got bumped into sales because I was hopeless. That was 1980 and I can tell you he never let me forget it,” Waterman told Sprinter.

“He was a really good printer, very skilled and I wasn’t. We never moved into each other’s areas so we never clashed. We had a very good partnership.

Waterman said Hilliard had a perfect sense of timing when it came to business decisions and he also never held a grudge against anyone that crossed him.

“He was a really generous big-hearted person but he had great timing as well,” Waterman said.

“He was close to cunning really. He was a jobbing trade printer and made a fortune but then he jumped into full colour at the right time and then he went into computer-to-plate exactly at the right time and then we went digital exactly at the right time.

“At the time in the 1990s I was working for big companies that were doing it all at the wrong time but he just did it beautifully and his timing was fantastic. He was very easy going and he was a fair sort of person. He thought deeply about business and he worked really hard. If I would come in between Christmas and New Year he would be there doing stuff in the factory, he was seriously a hard worker but he never bragged about it like I would when I did it the one day.”

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