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PRINT NZ COMMENT: FIVE FUNERALS AND NO WEDDINGS
Five funerals and no weddings
We bid a sad and respectful farewell our beloved friends and colleagues: Mark Burgess, Denyse McQuoid, Teresa Bews, Laurie Pilling, and John McQuarrie.
Over the last couple of weeks, we have said farewell to five industry legends, and I wanted to take the time to acknowledge them and ensure that their contributions are honoured in print.
Each of these people was a huge part of the business they owned and worked in. They touched many people in our industry and each one of them possessed an incredible technical knowledge of the industry which they were happy to share. Their bright personalities and love of people means we will remember them for a long time to come.
Mark Burgess
Mark’s involvement in the digital print sector of the industry spanned across more than 30 years. He spent the last 17 of those at Ricoh.
He took a particular interest in the development of the digital print industry and was heavily involved in setting up the Ricoh Commercial and Industrial Print Division in New Zealand.
Mark took great pleasure in converting even the most steadfast of offset fans over to the world digital print and showing them just what it has to offer.
Outside of work, Mark was a devoted sportsperson. He was heavily involved with rugby, lawn bowls, cricket and softball as well as having a mad passion for motor racing.
He dedicated many hours to those sports, not just on the field but on the administration side of things at his local clubs including serving as President of both the Tawa Rugby Club and the Victoria Bowling Club.
Denyse McQuoid
Denyse started in the industry at age 15 and by 20, she had completed a lithographic printing apprenticeship at Auckland Copy Centre; one of the first females to do so.
She worked in several businesses in the industry including West Plaza Copy Centre and Tasman Westside. She spent the last 14 years of her career managing Contact Labels, where she used her vast knowledge to deliver exacting work to their clients.
Denyse combined an infectious personality with an incredible work ethic, and an absolute willingness to help others across the industry. These attributes meant that she gained the respect and admiration from both customers and other printers.
In April of this year, Denyse received a People In Print Award, reflecting her commitment to the industry.
Multi-talented, she could achieve anything she set her mind to, with a real eye for design that spread much wider than her work in the printing industry. Her love of the industry was exceeded only by her love of her family.
Teresa Bews
Teresa was the co-owner of Universal Print which was established in 1991 and grew from a small premise in Papatoetoe to their current factory in East Tamaki. She worked in the business alongside her husband David while raising their two children Ben and Angus. Family was hugely important to her and that extended to their employees as well with the business run very much as a family, borne out by the longevity of their staff (or maybe that was her fabulous baking).
Teresa was a jack of all trades and a master of many and would turn her hand to anything that needed doing in the business to get the job done and out to the customer.
Teresa was an absolute adventure seeker and took every chance she could to get out there and live her life to the fullest, never shying away from things that would make many of us cry. She fought ferociously until the end driven by her love for her family, in particular her three grandchildren whom she adored.
Laurie Pilling
Laurie was the owner of Admark Visual Imaging in Hamilton from 1991 until he retired in 2019. Laurie spent the first 20 years of his working life in the military, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He was decorated for his service in Vietnam and in 1977 was awarded a Member of the British Empire at the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.
Following his departure from the army he set himself a goal to make $1 million in 12 months and he achieved that by investing in some now iconic Waikato businesses including Waingaro Hot Springs, and the Waipa Delta Paddle Steamer. In 1991 he bought into Admark and the rest is history. Admark was the recipient of one of only 16 gold medals given out at the first Pride In Print Awards in 1994, and they have continued to excel over the last 31 years achieving a total of 65 gold and 43 highly commended awards, along with a number of category and process wins.
Laurie was presented with a Special Recognition Award at the 2019 Pride In Print Awards and was also made a Life Member of the Self Adhesive Label Manufacturers Association in the same year. Laurie understood the importance of people and was a strong supporter of industry training, investing heavily not only in his own staff but in others as well.
The single word most commonly used to describe Laurie was “gentleman” and he will forever be an Officer and a Gentleman.
John McQuarrie
John was a Past President (1990-1992) and Life Member of PrintNZ. He started in the industry in 1952 at Whitcome and Tombs in Dunedin, commencing a print apprenticeship at the age of 17.
One of the last colour blind apprentice in the training system, John cleverly managed things by having other tradespeople help when inks needed to be mixed.
With the gift of the gab, John transitioned from the presses into a sales role. He then progressed up through the ranks into management roles. In 1986, he became the group operations manager for the Print Division of the newly formed Printpac which came from a merger between Whitcoulls Production and Alex Harvey Industries. That company morphed into Norton Opax, Bowater and Rexham.
During the 1980s, John took on the role of chief negotiator, working on behalf of the industry at the annual industrial Award negotiations. He found himself involved in a number of stand-offs and a national strike, but somehow a conclusion was always reached through the negotiation process, sometimes over a beer.
John was a judge at the Pride In Print Awards for many years, including Convenor of Judges for four years from 2000 to 2003, completing 50 years of giving back to the industry he loved so much.
We thank you all for choosing print as your career and for your contributions to our industry.
Kia tau Rangimarie - Rest in Peace.
