Page 66 - Tropic Magazine Issue 30

TROPIC • REGIONAL HISTORY

Old news

END OF AN ERA
As journalists prepare to move
out of the Cairns Post building,
Tropic looks back at more than a
century of news gathering at the 1
iconic address.

Words: Renee Cluff
The printing presses were fired up at It was during that era that Mr Hudson By 2012, the publication was being
22-24 Abbott Street in 1909, around 20 also recalls a visit from the publication’s printed in Townsville, resulting in 20
years after English immigrant and ink owner, Rupert Murdoch. “He called in redundancies in Cairns. The number
company heir Frederick Thomas Wimble there and spent half the day,” he said. of journalists has also declined over
founded the publication and launched recent years. “When I initially retired
what is now Cairns’ oldest business. as editor there were probably about 32
According to one of its own stories journalists,” Mr Hudson said.
published in the 1930s, the paper was first “That was around 1990 and that was
printed on a Wharfedale machine capable 400 persons are dependent the peak. We had journalists in the
of spitting out just 100 two-page papers on the paper for Tablelands and one at Innisfail working
per hour, which had to be hand folded. for us and it was very busy.
By the 30s the presses had been upgraded their livelihood We had a lot of publications too – we had
to generate a capacity of 24,000 32-page Cairns Post Cairns Week and we had a real estate
papers per hour. “In the production of the article 1932 paper and we had a monthly publication
Post and allied commercial printing and for tourism called Travel and Tourism.”
book-binding business, 70 persons are Expressions of interest for the Cairns Post
directly employed,” it said. “He went through all the various building close on June 30.
The man with perhaps the longest departments and we had lunch out at
memories of working in the Cairns Post the Pacific (hotel). Computerisation also
building is Cassowary Coast resident started in the mid 80s and that was
Alan Hudson, who was employed in a a big change.” 1.The building in 1930. Credit: Queensland
State Library
variety of roles from the 1960s until 2013, 2. Wharfedale press, Queanbeyan Printing Museum
including a stint as editor between 1974
and 1991. Mr Hudson told Tropic printing
modifications were among the many
changes he witnessed during his tenure.
“The printing press operated at night of
course,” he said.
“Downstairs was the office and sales
while upstairs were the journalists and
the printers. We bought a new press and
located it in Dutton street when
we changed to tabloid from broadsheet
in the 1980s. A lot of papers did that
because it’s easier for readers to handle
a smaller size.”

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66 • Tropic • Issue 30