One of the industry’s most loved personalities, Joan Daniels, recently passed on, years after her retirement.

Joan became a common name in the industry when she took over from her husband, Frank Daniels, who ran one of Melbourne’s leading offset print operations of its time, Frank Daniels, until his demise from cancer at the age of 48.

Even though Joan was trained as a nurse and not a printer, she stepped up to help lead the company – she initially thought she would check in on the business every couple of days to make sure the management team were going okay, but soon found herself in the office every day.

According to the publication Printers of the Streets & Lanes of Melbourne, Frank Daniels the business was originally at 44 Little Lonsdale Street and later 84 Leveson Street, North Melbourne, and Williamstown Road, Port Melbourne.

Commercial printers, Frank Daniels commenced business just prior to the outbreak of WW2 in 1938. The company was incorporated in 1940 and grew steadily as a progressive, family-owned business.

During the 1960s, 70s and 80s, Frank Daniels acquired several established Melbourne printing businesses over the years. Frank Daniels Jnr (better known as Mick Daniels) followed his father Frank into the business and Joan assumed management of the company after his untimely death. The consolidated businesses were acquired by The Craftsman Press in 1998.

Joan was on the Board of the Printing & Allied Trades Employers Federation of Australia (PATEFA). She was then the regional Victorian President of Printing Industries Association of Australia (PIAA – which is what PATEFA became, and which is now merged into Visual Media Association) and was also the Victorian representative on the PIAA National Council.

Joan is described by her peers as “an absolute legend” that was “warm, witty, great company, and one of the nicest people you could meet”.

In a tribute, LIA Victoria president Robyn Frampton wrote, “I was privileged to know Joan through my involvement with the printing industry. I first met her early in my career when working for a large supplier, and caught up again many years later when we were often the only two ‘girls’ at Papyrus Club lunches.

“As well as respecting her enormously as a true ‘legend of print’, I very much enjoyed her warm, kind and entertaining company at these lunches, and I will miss seeing her there. My thoughts are with her family at this sad time.”

Comment below to have your say on this story.

If you have a news story or tip-off, get in touch at editorial@sprinter.com.au.  

Sign up to the Sprinter newsletter