John Ferguson, managing director of pioneering business Fergies Print & Mail in Queensland, has been honoured with a Medal in the Order of Australia (OAM) in the General Division for service to the community, and sailing.
The print veteran is known in the industry for his work developing Fergies Print & Mail into a printing powerhouse since he took the reins more than 40 years ago.
When asked how he felt about winning the award, Ferguson shares “Well it is very gratifying, very humbling, and all of those things.”
He says, “I have been in printing for 51 years. I am a fourth generation printer. From the time when James Ferguson came from Scotland to Brisbane in 1868, my family has been printing.”
It was not a straightforward entry into printing for John Ferguson though. 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.
“It was sailing which brought me back to Brisbane to join the family business, for Mexico ‘68. In 1976 my father retired, I took over, and have been managing Fergies Print & Mail ever since. I’ve seen all the changes in the industry, and it has been an interesting journey.” Ferguson says.
The multi-talented Ferguson was selected for Australia at the Olympics in sailing in 1968, 1976, and 1980, after which he was the team manager for Australia’s Yachting team at the 1984 and 1988 Olympics.
“I still remember Malcolm Fraser at the time telling us we could not compete at Moscow 1980 and it is a real shame”, Ferguson reminisces about the boycotted Olympics.
Ferguson is also known as for being a member on the board of management for the University of Queensland Press for 25 years.
“They brought me in because they knew books, authors, and publishing, but very little about production and how to actually make the books. They were forward thinking, with the manager predicting that books would become digital almost 30 years ago, and it has all come true”, says Ferguson.
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