The Glass Door (3)

Taken from Don Hauser's book "Printers of the Streets and Lanes of Melbourne" this is the story of Don's lifetime career in print from 1949 to the present day. Don't forget you can always print this story using the "Print this page" button. More extracts from Don's book, describing several Melbourne printing firms, can be found here.

Melbourne School of Printing and Graphic Arts

The first contact I had with the Melbourne School of Printing and Graphic Arts as it was then known, was at an interview in September, 1951 with Wally Wolsenholm who taught English and maths at the old school building in Queensberry Street, North Melbourne. The purpose of the interview was to establish that I was a suitable candidate for apprenticeship to Exchange Press.

The following year I began day school, a half day per fortnight plus two nights a week, at Melbourne Technical College, Bowen Street (off Latrobe Street), until 1945 known as the Working Mens' College. I trudged the well-worn staircase in the old Gothic building No. 4 for three years until the letterpress printing department moved to the new building in Queensberry Street, North Melbourne.

Frank Matthias was the head of the letterpress department at Bowen Street and James E. (Jim) Turney, the senior composing instructor.

Frank Woodlock taught science, maths and English; Percy Ludgate, Monotype keyboard and caster. At night school, Frank Campbell, a wartime airman, taught typographical design. He was assisted part time by Bob Schurmann.

For the first half of my first year, I was far from being a high achiever. I recall a test result of 17 per cent for maths. Following a very strong pep talk from Mr Woodlock, I improved my end of year mark for maths to 97 per cent and went on to take overall first prize for first, second and third years. In addition, I earned several prizes and bronze medallions for scholastic and craftsmanship awards. In 1959, I was awarded a Victorian Overseas Foundation travelling scholarship which provided the opportunity to gain work experience in USA and England for two and a half years. To my sorrow, Frank Woodlock died before I ever considered or found the opportunity to thank him for his trust in my ability to improve and succeed.

In 1956, the letterpress department moved from Bowen Street to the new building located behind the original state school in Queensberry Street, North Melbourne. The building was officially opened by the Governor of Victoria, Sir Dallas Brooks on Thursday, 27 March, 1958. I continued my apprenticeship studies at North Melbourne as a linotype operator with Gordon Castle and later completed advanced courses at the college.

The Glass Door

A key plank of Jim Turney's tuition was, at least for his more aspiring students, to progress to somewhere "behind the glass door" distanced from the lead, the machinery and the noise to a collar and tie job in typographical design, sales, planning and estimating or general management. Turney, a skilled compositor, served his apprenticeship with Osboldstone & Co. prior to his appointment as a technical teacher in 1937. His accomplishments as a teacher, his strong character, his friendship and his dry humour are remembered by many hundreds of his students. Jim's retirement was marked at a dinner arranged by past and present students at Menzies Hotel on 30 September, 1968.

The school principal, John Lodge, came from the English Midlands and was well qualified to head a printing educational institution. He was assisted by department heads, Bill Brown, Jim Turney, Bill Glasson and Ray Stratford. John Lodge and his senior staff played a very large part in planning and re-equipping the new school in Queensberry Street with the latest technology of the day. Clearly, the MSP&GA was then the best equipped polytechnic printing school in the world. As a student there, I deemed it a privilege.

Returning from overseas, I worked for a year with the D. W. Paterson Company as a film make up compositor. Newly married to Jill Wilson whom I met in London, I joined the production department of USP Benson Advertising and later, with Jackson Wain Advertising as production manager for five years.

Opportunity knocks and another leaf in the book

Opportunity knocked when my job was terminated after Jackson Wain was acquired by Leo Burnett Advertising of Chicago. By March 1971, I commenced work as a printing consultant in a shared office at 564 St. Kilda Road. With a supportive partner, three children, a mortgage plus the accompanying businesss expenses there were a few worrying months but the decision to risk everything paid off.

We moved to rented premises in Jolimont in 1975 and purchased our own property in 1982. John Naismith, Peter Campbell, Julie Perium, Jane Stokie, Melinda Traves, Helen Grieve, Megan O'Neil, Graham Radford, Debbie Friedrich, my wife Jill and daughter Amanda all worked here over a period of time. We were a part of a small family business helping to service some blue ribbon customers including ANZ Bank, Australian Dairy Produce Board, Michaelis Bayley Plastics, Dulux Australia, BHP, IOOF, Financial Synergy and Council of Adult Education.

As a buyer of print in my advertising agency days, I learned the skills and benefits of "desktop printing" which largely meant providing a personal, reliable and cost effective service underwriting and managing creative, pre-press services and supervising the final printed product sub-contracted to outside sources.

35 years later we are retired and enjoying grandchildren and the fruits of our labour. Suffice to say that the preceding years provided the memories and much of the data for this book.

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