Clarke, who was 69 when he passed away, worked as a sales executive and branch manager for Seligson & Clare, which was taken over by Heidelberg in the 1980s.

He then set up Heidelberg's operations in New Zealand. His role as general manager involved finding premises, hiring staff and running the business.

After three years, Clarke returned to Sydney to act as New South Wales state manager.

He then decided to go into business for himself, purchasing Ace Printing in Chatswood.

Ace Printing merged with Murphy Print in 1998 to become Clarke Murphy Print. Clarke had been looking for an exit strategy because neither of his two children wanted to take over the firm. He retired in 2003.

Printers Machinery director Paul Carthew played an important role in the merger. He was a mutual friend of Clarke and Murphy Print director Ken Murphy and thought the two men's common business ethics made them a good fit.

Carthew described his former Seligson & Clare colleague as "a great family man".

"He had a lovely family and was very devoted to his children," he told ProPrint.

"He was a gentleman. No one had a bad word to say about Bob. He was a consummate professional, very fastidious, a very good salesman and very good with staff."

Murphy said he had formed a strong personal and working relationship with Clarke.

"He loved his rugby. He loved his fishing, he loved his kids, he loved his wife," he told ProPrint.

"He was a thorough gentleman. He was an outstanding man – the true model citizen. He had very, very good business ethics. He was a Rotarian and spent a lot of his time doing charity work for Rotary."

Clarke is survived by a wife, two children and three grandchildren. He was buried at Macquarie Park Cemetery on 31 January.

[Related: More NSW news]

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