Pressgang names two life members

Newspaper identities, Barry Johnson and Bill Dunstan inducted as life members of Pressgang.

The two men, who have been permanent fixtures among the newspaper printing sector over the decades, were named life members at this week’s Pressgang event in Lidcombe.

The event drew the attendance of several industry heavy weights, including Muller Martini’s Livio Barbagallo; Bob Lockley of Fairfax/Rural Press; Peter Tkachuk of Baldwin and Meredith Darke of DIC, who took out the honour of being the only woman in the room. Presumably, this is not the first time she has encountered such a distinction.

Bill Dunstan, who joined the Herald and Weekly Times commercial department as a clerk in 1938, and went on to serve as director of Tasman Pulp & Paper, was a founding convenor of Pressgang, which was formed in 1970. “It was the idea of Bob Turner and Doug Burgess,” he said. “They thought that production people and mechanical people in publishing houses should find a means of getting together and facilitating communication … I’m sure none of us thought it would last this long.”

Pictured: a good news day for Barry Johnson (left) and Bill Dunstan.

Pressgang member, James Ackland of DS Chemport was effusive in his praise for Johnson. “I don’t believe that Pressgang would be here today if it wasn’t through the support of Barry,” he said. “He’s seen it through the thick and thin times.”

Johnson announced his retirement last year, after spending 36 years as group technical manager of News Limited, including time in New York. During this time, he oversaw a number of major developments including the installation of a Goss Community press in Darwin and, in 1987, a $1 billion upgrade on new presses for the company. His career, however, began in 1957 as a copyboy at rival newspaper, the Sydney Morning Herald, in Broadway.

“I’m just so honoured to accept this – particularly in the company of Bill Dunstan, who I’ve always said is the gentleman’s gentleman,” he said. “It means a lot to me because I love the industry so much and still intend to be an avid attendee of Pressgang.”

He might have received an iPad on retirement, but Johnson still keeps his diaries from decades ago, some of which he shared with the audience including a memorable day in 1988 when Peter Tkachuk entered his office for the first time.