The second of a two-part AP 70th Anniversary coverage of Australian print pioneers. In no ranked order, the next 35 are…
| Name | Biodata |
| Bernie Hockings, G2 Systems | Hockings started in the industry in 1983 as an apprentice compositor with Savage Type in Brisbane. Moving from traditional typesetting to the electronic version and completing a Certificate in Computer Electronics, his path moved from working with the equipment to servicing it. In the late ‘80s he was involved with the early Apple Mac desktop systems, taking up a service role with Autologic – a major newspaper imagesetter supplier at the time. In 2000, he co-founded G2 Systems to provide product and services to the printing industry in Queensland. Building the business from the ground up over the last 20 years, supplying a wide variety of equipment and services, the business now has clients across Australia and the Pacific Islands. His involvement in the industry has included terms as a state representative, federal president and vice-president of the LIA. |
| Bob Gardner, SOS Print + Media Group | The foundations of SOS Print + Media were formed in 1976 when Gardner and two of his then colleagues at Xerox, Michael Peel and Andy von Faber-Castell, decided to step away from their corporate jobs and start SOS Instant Print in Sydney’s CBD. That business eventually evolved into a large-scale printing house, SOS Print + Media, which came under the ownership of Pegasus Print and AAB Holdings in 2018, but still operates today as a standalone operation at Alexandria, Sydney. The company prided itself on having the first inkjet used in publishing, a Xeikon which not many people had, as well as an early Docutech. That kind of innovation and spirit driven by Gardner is said to still exist in the company today. Gardner recently passed on after a long battle with cancer and is remembered by the industry as an extraordinary person who was always ready to learn new things and explore technology. |
| Bob Lamont, DuPont | Lamont founded the organisation that is today known as the Lithographic Institute of Australia (LIA). He served as federal president of the LIA and was also a GAMAA president and a PacPrint board member. Lamont left school at the age of 14 to become an apprentice photo lithographer at John Sands. He then advanced to plate room leading hand, before accepting a job at 3M as a technical representative in 1960. He climbed the leadership ladder and his final role with 3M was group national sales and marketing manager. Lamont was later headhunted in the early 1980s to become general manager of Rowe Graphics. After two years, he resigned from the role and worked for himself until Hartland & Hyde offered him a consultancy role. He joined DuPont in 1985 as general manager of its printing and publishing businesses. He spent 10 years in the role and was also a member of DuPont’s executive committee. He left the company and retired in 2000 after DuPont exited from printing. Lamont was also the founding chairman of the ISO Standards for Graphic Technology in Australia. He passed on from leukemia in 2013. |
| Bruce Petfield, Kwik Kopy | One of the first printers to buy into Kwik Kopy, Petfield built an empire, which he used to become a leader in the franchise, influencing its direction in Australia, the US, and Canada during the 1980s. He was an early chairman of the Kwik Kopy Owners Association, a regular winner of annual sales awards, and one of the of the most profitable franchise networks in the country. Petfield was also an active member of PATEFA, the forerunner to the PIAA (now PVCA), representing Queensland during the 1990s as a regional councilor and as regional president in 1994-95 before retiring from the board in 2000. Petfield was well known and respected throughout the industry for his commitment to his business and industry and the contributions he made to its advancement. He is also fondly remembered for having an opinion that was well thought through, and for always being willing to listen to others’ points of view and accepting them when he felt he they were right. Petfield passed on at his family home in Brisbane in July 2015. |
| Carsten Wendler, Print & Pack | Wendler, born in Dusseldörf, Germany has spent about 30 years in the industry. He started his sales career at a German steel manufacturing company in the ‘80s before joining Jagenberg – a manufacturer of folder gluers and die-cutters in 1990 in a technical sales role. In this global role that spanned from Europe to North America, Asia and Australasia, he understood the needs of packaging printers and converters. He then joined the local outfit Print & Pack in 1996 as business development manager before working himself through the ranks to general manager of packaging and managing director of Ferrostaal Australia and New Zealand before taking the shareholding and renaming the local organisation back to its original name. Wendler was highly commended for his working style, in addition to being heavily engaged with the packaging industry and customers. He also has a constant belief that there is a solution to any challenge. |
| Chris Peters, Printing Industries Association of Australia (PIAA) | Peters, who was 63 when he died, served as chief executive of the Printing Industries Association of Australia (PIAA, now known as PVCA) from 1993-96. He drove a three-year restructuring of the organisation from its traditional industrial relations services base into a member services-focused organisation, which included a name change from the Printing and Allied Trades Employers Federation of Australia. Peters was also instrumental in celebrating Australia’s bicentenary of print in 1996 and received the Order of Australia award in 2004. He was named Canberra Citizen of the Year in 2012. He also served as chief executive of the ACT & Region Chamber of Commerce & Industry from 1997 until his passing. Peters was known as an imposing figure, a gentleman and diplomat who had a commitment to the development of Australian business. He was also regarded by many as one of Australia’s leading authorities on corporate governance. Peters passed on in 2013, aged 63. |
| David Leach, Look Print | Leach founded Look Print in 1990 with a purpose to help build better lives for team, clients, suppliers and the community. As a hands-on CEO, Leach considers it a privilege, honour and responsibility to be an employer. Look continues to grow through its commitment of building an amazing team based on shared goals of personal growth and exceptional service. Leach believes in art, in all its’ forms, as the expression of inspiration for innovation, development of concepts, products and services beyond the current thinking and has recently founded Standish and Co Advanced Digital Imaging to further this. Leach was nominated for his leadership style and commitment to the printing and packaging industry. He was also nominated for his community efforts – Leach was one of the printers that stepped up for Band Together, a concert that aimed to help drought affected farmers, with all proceeds going to charity Aussie Helpers. |
| Del Pugh, QLM Label Makers | Pugh was co-founder and a director of QLM Label Makers. Together with her late husband David Pugh, who died suddenly in 1992, they established the company from the basement of their family home in 1975 with a single hand-fed business card press. The company has now grown to grown to become one of Asia Pacific’s leading label manufacturers. Pugh was known to be a true character who worked tirelessly in the business until ‘retiring’ in 2006. She was a dedicated and honest leader who directed the business with a CARES values approach. During her time in the industry, she held various positions including President of LATMA – QLD. She also remained active on the board of QLM Label Makers. Their commitment to the industry is reflected in their award-winning apprenticeship program to foster young talent. Pugh passed away at her home in Brisbane, in June 2015, at the age of 82. |
| Frank Atkinson, Quality Assurance Systems International | Atkinson commenced his career at Sun Newspapers in 1945 and later secured an apprenticeship at WH Bone & Co in Sydney. This led to him taking on a position as production manager at North Sydney Printing from 1952 to 1955, and then various positions at the School of Graphic Arts, Sydney, until 1970. In 1970, Atkinson became assistant government printer (planning) at the Government Printing Office in Canberra, which led to his promotion to Commonwealth Government Printer in 1972. Five years later, he accepted the position of Government Printer of Victoria, and held that position for a decade. In 1987, he became the director of printing and publishing at the Museum of Victoria for two years. At the same time, he was a member of the State Tender Board of Victoria. In 1989, he retired from his government positions and established his own specialist technical and management consultation company, FD Atkinson & Associates, assuming the post of CEO. Atkinson then founded Quality Assurance Systems International Pty Ltd (QAS) in 1991 with two other directors. QAS was later renamed to MQ Systems. Atkinson passed on in June 2011. |
| Ian Bowden, Bowden Printing | Bowden, who was the former managing director of Adelaide printer and family business Bowden Printing, grew up in the business (the company was founded by Frederick Bowden) and worked his way through the company before taking on the leadership role. The Bowden Group was known for winning numerous awards throughout the years for delivering consistency and high quality printing work. With origins dating back to 1935, the Bowden Print Group is now one of South Australia’s leading print and print based solution providers. Bowden also served at both state and national levels at Printing Industries. He began his association with the organisation in 1999 as a member of the South Australian and Northern Territory regional council. In 2000, he became regional council vice-president and an alternate national councilor. In 2003, he was appointed president of the regional council and national vice-president. He continued to serve in the association’s executive team until 2009, when illness forced him to take leave of absence. Bowden passed on in late 2009. |
| Ian Guanaria, Aldus | Guanaria is an Englishman who arrived in Sydney in 1972 with a marine engineering background. He soon found a job as a service technician at Aldus Engineering and found himself in the flexo printing industry, a far cry from the building and racing boats industry he was in. Rising through the ranks at Aldus, Guanaria ended up as general manager within the business in 1982, and was a founding member of the AFTA. He enjoyed expanding the sales of Australian-built equipment throughout Asia. Aldus Engineering was a very successful business within the Aldus Ltd/Heidelberg Group and was privatised in 2000 with the purchase by Nicholas and Bill Moore. Guanaria saw Aldus expand further into the flexographic label industry, buy Peter Sage’s company Graftec, and spent many enjoyable years working with Mark Andy, GEW and Rotoflex amongst others. He retired in 2017 and devoted his time to helping his son in his sail making business and racing yachts. |
| James Cryer, JDA Print Recruitment | Cryer’s involvement in the Australian printing industry goes back to 1903 when his great-grandfather established a small printery in downtown Sydney. WJ Cryer & Co Ltd went on to become one of Australia’s best known printing companies before closing in the ‘80s. Cryer went on to manage Pemara Labels (NSW), and later established one of Australia’s first packaging consultancies, Project Packaging. In the 1990s he established Australia’s first dedicated print recruitment company, JDA Print Recruitment, which still operates, and has placed 1,000s of happy candidates. Over recent years, he has contributed numerous articles on a range of topics, designed to prompt a more vigorous debate about ”who we are” as an industry, and how can we be better employers. During his career, he was an active committee member of the JPEs, LATMA, the LIA, the ASOOF and the Penrith Print Museum. One of his proudest moments was to help dislodge the previous CEO of the PIAA. Cryer is currently writing a book titled The Romance of Letterpress. |
| Jeff Gittus, Active Display Group | Born in 1959, Gittus was known to be a visionary in the Australian print sector. After establishing his own signage business (which started off in his garage) at the age of 20, he then went on to establish Active Sites Alive five years later in 1985, which later became Active Display Print. Gittus then brought his three brothers – Glenn, Stuart and David – into the business which they built into a print powerhouse. Gittus later stepped back from the business when it was acquired by WPP in 2014. He was also the founding member of a trade association, POPAI, which became Shop. Gittus passed on in 2019 at the age of 59, two weeks after a second lung transplant. Through his vision, personality and nature, Gittus provided employment for thousands of people for over 30 years at Active Display Group. He is fondly remembered in the industry as a well-respected man that was a pioneer in screen printing. |
| Jim Henneberry, Australian Paper | Henneberry was the former CEO of Australian Paper, after eight years with the company – he resigned from his post in 2014. During the course of his international career, he also worked with International Paper/Carter Holt Harvey in New Zealand and the US. The long-time industry identity was at the helm during the sale of Australian Paper from PaperlinX to Nippon Paper Group of Japan in 2009. Known for his outspoken defence of Australian paper’s place in the national economy, and his campaign against foreign dumping, Henneberry left the business with several programs set in motion. Henneberry is currently non-executive board member of Forest and Wood Products Australia Limited (FWPA), a not-for-profit company that provides national, integrated research and development services to the Australian forest and wood products industry. He is also the APPI/BioPRIA trustee at Monash University, which provides innovative technology based on training and research for the pulp and paper industry. |
| John Bromfield, LEP Colour Printers | Bromfield is LEP’s CEO and managing director. Having a commercial background spanning over 30 years, with business turnaround experience across a range of industry sectors including manufacturing, engineering and construction, both domestically and abroad, Bromfield was head hunted to lead a private equity buyout of LEP in 2008. Since taking over the reins of LEP, he has transformed the business from its humble beginnings in 2001, into a national player with factories in Melbourne, Victoria and South East Queensland. LEP acquired QLD Trade Print in 2018, further solidifying its position as one of the few trade printers in the four-colour gang printing arena. With a penchant for innovation and lean manufacturing, Bromfield continues to push the boundaries at LEP, challenging the stereotypical norm to printing in the constant pursuit of achieving low-cost print solutions to the printing trade with an unending focus on quality, consistency and fast turnaround times. |
| John Ferguson, Fergies Print & Mail | Ferguson was CEO of what was one of Australia’s oldest print businesses, Fergies Print & Mail, founded by his great-grandfather James Ferguson 150 years ago. The print veteran is known in the industry for his work developing Fergies Print & Mail into a printing powerhouse since he held the reins for more than 40 years and was in printing for more than 50 years. It was not a straightforward entry into printing for Ferguson – he was the only one of his siblings initially not interested in taking up the family business, and instead studied economics at university, moving away from Queensland, only to return to train for the sailing competition at the 1968 Olympics, which also signalled his entry to printing when his father retired. A fourth-generation printer, the company was in operation from the time James Ferguson arrived from Scotland to Brisbane in 1868, to when the company was sold to rival offset, digital, mail and logistics operator Printcraft in 2018. Ferguson was also a member on the board of management for the University of Queensland Press for 25 years and was honoured with a Medal in the Order of Australia in the General Division in 2017. |
| John Gillroy, Major Mail Users Australia | Gillroy was Major Mail Users Australia (MMUA) chief executive from about 1996 until 2012. The association represented the mailing industry, mail generators and machinery suppliers as a lobby group to work with Australia Post, to ensure that changes to the postal system and postage charges were well-considered by all stakeholders. In 1998, Australia Post introduced bar-coded mail and Gillroy worked with Australia Post and the industry, running workshops where all parties engaged cooperatively. From there, he organised the annual MMUA convention at the Randwick race course, bringing together industry and postal representatives, suppliers and usually the Communications Minister of the day. He produced a quarterly MMUA journal and coerced many peers to write articles. Gillroy led many delegations to Australia Post in Melbourne, usually preceded with a dinner, and he lobbied successive Federal Communications Ministers, and the ACCC about postage increases, print post, the demise of advertising mail discounts, and with Australia Post created the Bulk Mail Partner program, an industry quality recognition program. Gillroy passed on in 2015, aged 77. |
| Ken Williams, Excel Australasia | Williams originally started Excel in the UK, in photographic film processing. With the birth of digital print, he noticed its potential in its early days even though the quality was poor. Williams then returned to Australia in the late ‘90s and started Excel Australasia, focusing on print. He then expanded the business 16 years ago, into software development to facilitate web-to-print solutions. Today 95 per cent of all print work at Excel Australasia is automated end-to-end. The company, under the direction of Williams, gets thousands of clients nationally placing orders straight to press. Williams also prides that the business has ‘Uberised’ large format and offset printing, delivering large volumes of material. The company also expanded its operations seven years ago with a new office in Bangkok and its Philippines operations expanding its software development facilities and customer services. With over 30 years of industry experience, Williams was nominated for his passion for print and technology, especially around the business opportunities of data, as well as his capacity to embrace change. |
| Kieran May, Printing Industries Association of Australia | A late comer to the printing industry after years in the finance sector, followed by retail and hydraulics experience, May joined two industry “lifers” to build a successful commercial printing business based on exceeding customer expectations. He joined the National Council of the then Printing Industries Association of Australia, and alongside some like-minded colleagues, was influential in driving recognition that as the industry had changed, the PIAA must follow. Always an advocate for change, May understood the challenge in driving that change where the need was not widely understood. Never a fan of power plays, he was content to allow those who better understood the industry to lead. He accepted the presidency when the PIAA was in the midst of a leadership crisis and member discord. He stepped down from the board when stability returned, and the association was in capable hands. May currently maintains his interest in the industry through his business advisory roles. |
| Leo Moio, Print Media Group | Moio has been nominated for his continued ability to have his business, Print Media Group (PMG), grow and expand into new markets all while his traditional market has declined. PMG’s history dates back to 1892 when it began trading as Fraser & Jenkinson Printers and Publishers. It has long demonstrated its proficiency as a print, communications and logistics supplier across a broad spectrum of clients, small and large. Under Moio’s leadership PMG has grown organically by developing new markets and by acquisitions. PMG’s most recent acquisition brings Label Design and Printing to its stable of products. It is Moio’s ability to diversify in a declining market that continues to see Print Media Group as a leader in its field. Moio was nominated for his strong business acumen and leadership, having grown a business empire through the acquisition of over 30 companies in just under 30 years. |
| Marc Selby, Selby’s | Selby is the owner and managing director of Selby’s – one of Australia’s specialist manufacturers of event branding solutions and fabric displays. For over 25 years, Selby’s has been pioneering the way in wide-format digital textile printing, providing creative ideas and practical solutions to achieve effective brand exposure at events, conferences, trade shows, exhibitions, retail environments. Selby’s has played an active role in branding the vast majority of events held annually throughout the Australian event calendar. Having worked in the industry for years, Selby has used his extensive knowledge to build the business to be at the forefront of the large format industry and investing in new technology. He prides himself on always asking questions to provide the right solution and creating the right product for the client. He is also well-known for fostering long-term client relationships by going the extra mile for valued clients that range from small and medium-sized businesses to large multi-national corporations. |
| Matt Ashman, Durst | Originally from London, Ashman cut his teeth in the advertising industry in London’s Soho, specifically photography where he worked on campaigns ranging from bicycles to vacuum cleaners. Working with industry stalwarts and global players, he gradually gravitated to the management of the photographic side of the ad business. That’s where Ashman first encountered Durst and its innovative photographic digital imaging machines. Ashman was intrigued with the machines and they helped his business thrive in the new digital age. This resulted in Ashman jumping over to Durst and has since been helping the latter in succeeding too. Working for Durst has been a passion of Ashman’s and having been with the business for 20 years, he has grown with the company. He moved to Australia with his family and was instrumental in the creation of Durst Oceania. |
| Michael Gillis, HP | Gillis’ career has been focused on sales spanning almost 30 years. He started his career at Fuji Xerox in 1990 as an account manager, digital specialist, colour production and high end systems specialist before moving into sales management as the NSW production sales manager in 2006. In 2010, he was promoted to state general manager where he lead the direct, agent and service operations across all verticals of the South Australian marketplace. In 2013, Gillis was appointed to the role of national sales manager of graphic systems, where he was responsible for the strategy, training and sales expansion of A3 sheet fed, continuous feed inkjet and the launch of 3D/ wide format industrial print technology. In June 2017, Gillis joined HP Australia as the A/NZ country manager for HP Indigo and HP Page Wide inkjet commercial print operations, and in November 2019 got promoted to head of HP Asia for Page Wide commercial sales. |
| Michael Hannan, Ovato | Hannan serves as the chairman of Ovato and is an experienced leader in print, distribution and publishing. He was previously executive chairman of IPMG and was instrumental in taking the company into printing during the 1970s. Under his chairmanship, IPMG became the largest group of privately-owned marketing services businesses in the southern hemisphere. By the turn of the century IPMG was in magazine publishing as Federal Publishing Company (FPC). Hannan then sold FPC in 2007. Over the past two years, Hannan and the team at Ovato have been focused on implementing one of the largest mergers ever seen in the printing industry, bringing together two of the biggest companies, IPMG (which Hannanprint merged into) and PMP. This merger integrated production sites, technologies and cultures, and launched a new brand identity, Ovato. Hannan is now focused on the future, and in finding innovative ways to deliver more value to clients. He was nominated for being at the forefront of these companies and being their driving force for many years. |
| Noel Crichton, Simmonds | Crichton was managing director of one of the biggest printers and first publicly owned print company in the country, Simmonds. Following two years in the RAAF, he began as a management trainee at Simmonds in 1946 at the age of 20, became production manager in ’52, general manager in ’56 and managing director in 1960. He then left in 1976 and established his own consultancy. He was still involved in the print industry, working as a consultant and professional witness. Crichton was awarded an Order of Australia (AM) in 1994 for his services to the graphics arts industry, and was a past president of Patifa, the employers’ organisation that preceded the PIAA (now PVCA). In the late 1960s, he was instrumental in bringing together half a dozen disparate associations to form the PIAA, which happened in 1971. He was also the industry leader in reforming training, bringing the apprenticeship system into the modern era. He was a major figure and president of the National Print Industry Training Council (NPITC). Crichton, passed away in 2014, at the age of 87. |
| Norman J. Field, Norman J Field & Company | Field established his business, Norman J Field & Company, in 1960, with a small Rotaprint machine in 1960 with a staff of two people. At the age of 27, he founded his eponymous printing firm in Crossley St, Melbourne, and it quickly grew to become a company employing many and favoured by the city’s advertising agencies due to the high quality of the work that was being produced. The firm was a leader in its field and was the first to print in 200 lines per inch while everyone else was printing 85, winning the coveted 3M America quality award for three years running. By the late ‘80s, this had improved to 500 line screen and Field’s business became the first commercial printing firm to be awarded a Federal Government contract to print stamps. In 2018, Field was awarded a Lifetime Achievement medal at the National Print Awards for his services to the printing industry. He considers his greatest success to be surrounded by ‘the very best people’. |
| Paul Carthew, Printmac Corporation | There are a few people in the industry who can trace their family’s involvement (on both sides) in print for more than 100 years. Carthew’s mother Mary had an uncle who was a founding member of PETEFA in1888 (H.T. Dunn) and on his father Sam’s side, it goes back to 1882 when his Grandfather Bill joined the Evening News to eventually become chief engineer, travelling the world sourcing equipment for his employer. Carthew joined Seligson & Clare as an apprentice engineer, progressing into sales and eventually was a national product specialist for Heidelberg Speedmaster presses. He later revived one of the old family company names and started Printmac Corporation in 1987. To this day, it continues to supply leading used graphic arts equipment. Carthew was nominated for his loyalty to the print industry and his dedication to any work that he has put his efforts into. |
| Peter Eaton, Starleaton | Eaton founded Starleaton in 1978 with his wife Lea as an extension of another business he owned at the time manufacturing timber picture frames. During the ‘80s and ‘90s, Starleaton became a leading supplier of laminating films and machinery in Australia, representing global brands such as SEAL. In 2000, the business expanded its portfolio taking on the distribution of Kodak inkjet papers and Encad inkjet printers offering colour management for the first time to its customers. The concept of start to finish wide format product solutions was introduced to the Australian market by Eaton. In recent years, led by his son Ben, the company has grown through a series of acquisitions to employ over 70 staff across all the major Australian capital cities and New Zealand. With a stable of global brands, Starleaton is one of the only 100 per cent Australian owned businesses offering distribution throughout Australasia. Eaton currently sits on the board in an advisory role and was nominated for his vision and forward-thinking. |
| Peter Gude, Vega Press | In 1966, Gude’s father encouraged him to join the family business, Vega Press. Back then, he had just completed an engineering cadetship at Caterpillar, Australia. In those days, Vega was a letterpress printing company. But with changing times, and when colour television was introduced in 1974, colour printing boomed. The company then soon purchased a four-colour Komori Sprint A2 press, closely followed by two more, then upgraded to Komori Lithrone A1 and A2 presses. The next two decades flew by with Gude supporting the family business with his skills. When his father passed on in 1992, he approached his family and negotiated to purchase the printing business. Vega then moved from Blackburn to Notting Hill and under Gude’s directorship, grew with a focus on developing sustainable practices. This was best evidenced by its win of the Victorian Government Most Sustainable Small Business Award in 2010. Gude closed the business in 2012 to spend more time with his family but is still remembered by the industry for his early adoption of print technology. |
| Professor Pierre Pienaar, World Packaging Organisation | Pienaar’s interest in packaging started in 1984 after having studied pharmacy. Soon after joining a large pharmaceutical company, he became concerned about a number of packaging-related issues in the pharmaceutical world. This combined field has taken him to the far corners of the world, always involving one or other aspects of research in packaging. He has been national president and an honorary life member of the South African Institute of Packaging, a fellow of the Australian Institute of Packaging, and professional member of the Australian Food, Industry and Science Technology. Pienaar is a packaging engineer in his own global packaging consulting business, PackTech Solutions and has extensive experience in the pharmaceutical and food and beverage packaging industries, with 35 years of experience in the field of packaging science and its related subject matter. He holds a professorship in packaging engineering and is the current president of the World Packaging Organisation. |
| Ron Patterson, Printing Industries Association of Australia | Patterson was appointed to the position of general manager – Victoria/Tasmania of the Printing Industries Association of Australia in 2006, and in September 2011 was appointed general manager – sales and marketing, along with his Victoria/Tasmania state responsibilities. In January 2013, this position was made redundant. Patterson then spent the next twelve months working as a sales and marketing manager for M&M Binders in Port Melbourne helping to build the Bindery section of the Mercedes Waratah Group and left in January 2014 semi–retired. Formerly the general manager of the graphic business systems at Agfa Gevaert and subsequently Victorian state manager of CPI Group, he has spent over 50 years working at international, national, state and regional levels within the printing and graphic arts industry. Patterson was also the chairman of the Inaugural PrintEx in 1999 and served on the boards for a number of associations. |
| Simon McClellan, Flint Group | McClellan grew up in the Albury Wodonga area of NSW. His first job was delivering newspapers for the Border Morning Mail. McClellan then started working at Moore Paragon in 1978 as an apprentice printer, focusing on continuous business forms. He finished his certificate and moved to Melbourne to work for Cook & Heathcote. In the business, he held many positions over the nine years he worked there. In 1988, he took long overdue holidays to follow his passion of racing horses. He went to Brisbane for the Queensland winter carnival, met a woman (who he married shortly after), and started working in Brisbane for Multiform. He worked for other major business form printers in Brisbane and spent 10 years with Colourscan as pressroom manager. He was offered a technical role at Toyo Ink in Brisbane in 2000 and later assumed the position as state manager, which was his first sales role. He spent 10 years in this company before joining Flint Group where he is currently Queensland territory manager. |
| Steve Dunwell, manroland | Dunwell has worked in the printing industry since 1977. Always working in the supplier side of the industry, his career spans Datronics Graphics, Media Tech – his own company established in 1984 and sold to Creo in 2000, Currie Group, and manroland. In addition to running successful businesses, Dunwell has sold world-class equipment and technology, including Harris editorial and classified newspaper systems, Scitex colour pre-press systems, Scitex and Creo imagesetters and platesetters, Indigo digital presses, and manroland web and sheetfed presses. He was also responsible for selling the latest technology into the Australian marketplace, introducing: the first portable terminal for remote editorial use; the first editorial page make-up terminal, which had significant industrial relations implications; the first A1 size computer to plate system; and he largest and fastest commercial web press in Australia. Dunwell is a well-respected industry identity who has been involved in and supported many industry associations and events over the years. |
| Tony Foley, Seaga Group Australia | After graduating from Swinburne Technology in 1979, Foley started work with Deloitte as an audit junior. This provided him with a grounding in many aspects of business and people. Towards the end of 1987, he was presented with two opportunities – to travel overseas with Deloitte and participate in its partnership training program or to take an equity position in a business with no employees, a stock holding of 80,000 and less than a handful of customers. Foley chose the latter. The business serviced diemakers that created tools for the creation of boxes. Over the years, it acquired several small businesses and new suppliers to create what is today Seaga Group Australia. Foley heads the business as its managing director. The company employs 14 staff and services a diverse range of customers – from diemakers, box makers, commercial printers, designers and creative colour focussed individuals and businesses. Together with his wife and business partner Sue, Foley aims to create something significant through the business. |
| Trevor Hone, Avon Graphics Group | Hone is the chairman of Avon Graphics Group. The Avon Group has expanded through organic growth and many acquisitions. With over 40 years at the helm, Hone has seen Avon Graphics expand and grow from Melbourne into the Sydney and Brisbane markets. Avon has also broadened its trade only offering to include wide format printing in all three states. Hone has also been chairman of Printing Industries Australia (now PVCA) at both a state and national level and is the only Victorian to be awarded life membership of the association. He has also held many positions on other state, national and international industry boards and committees. Hone was awarded the Bi Centenary Medal in 2000 for services to the printing industry. Hone’s son Tate now runs the business on a day-to-day basis in his role as managing director, but Hone is very much in the background working on a long list of projects. |
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