Top Queensland apprentice Paul Talbot has been a printer for 26 years, including running his own business, but only just formalised his qualifications.
His qualifications may be long overdue, but he was rewarded with the Qld LIA Graduate of the Year award at Friday’s Qld Printing Industry Craftsmanship Awards in Brisbane.
The 52-year-old print machinist runs the digital operations of Toowoomba printer Greenridge Press after spearheading the company’s move into digital printing several years ago.
[Related: More awards coverage]
When presented with the award, Talbot joked that yes, his general manager Kyal Osborne is half his age and they had not swapped places on stage.
“I’m a fossil,” he tells ProPrint. “I’ve had a long run in the industry but while I’m not looking to move on any time soon, everyone wants to see qualifications before they give you a go these days.”
“It’s not like the old days.”
Talbot first got into printing after injuring his wrist in a motorbike accident forced him to give up his career as an auto mechanic.
He ran his own small offset printer with six staff in the remote Central Queensland town of Charleville, an eight hour drive from Brisbane, and even employed his own apprentice.
Talbot always wanted to get qualified, but the long distances and his growing family made travelling to Brisbane to study impossible.
[Related: More Queensland news]
After nine years of running his own company his children had grown up and moved away so he sold his business and moved to Toowoomba, getting a bindery job at Greenridge and later moved into prepress and digital.
Greenridge eventually decided to pay for him to be upskilled as an apprentice and now after 26 years in the industry and 11 at Greenridge he is fully qualified – and named the best in his class.
Talbot finished just ahead of Reid Industrial Graphic Products screen printing apprentice Rachel Illing who came in second place, and the other nominees Multi-Color Qld print machining apprentice Anthony Oliver, Emma McKimmie from Impressworks, and Damon Timar of Talbot Press.
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